Program Assistant

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Office of the Senior Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships

The Senior Managing Director’s (SMD) key mandate includes overseeing the Bank’s knowledge and partnership programs and ensuring that the Bank’s analytical work continues to address the pressing development challenges facing client countries and global partners. The office is responsible for the Evolution Roadmap, G20 and G7 engagements, the implementation of the Knowledge Compact, as well as the replenishment of IDA, the Bank’s concessional lending arm for the poorest countries. It provides strategic guidance on the WB’s global knowledge and IDA corporate commitments; oversees key partnerships with shareholders, development agencies, other multilateral development banks (MDBs) and academia; helps shape and drive the Bank’s strategic directions; and through the Trust Fund portfolio in Global Practices, mobilizes support and financial resources across the international community to bring concessionally to our work.
 
Building on the progress of past efforts, the WBG Knowledge Compact for Action aims to empower clients, public and private, by systematically making the latest knowledge available to respond more effectively to increasingly complex development challenges. This includes knowledge embedded in policy advice, expertise and know-how, including from financing operations, as well as the latest research, data and tools to formulate robust development policies and programs. The Compact will deliver this knowledge to clients under the four pillars of enhanced products, partnerships, learning and systems. To advance the knowledge agenda, the practice groups will be organized into five vertical vice presidencies aligned with the new mission (People, Prosperity, Planet, Infrastructure and Digital). In addition, three new departments are being created to enhance coordination, integration and outcome orientation across the WBG.

Department for Innovation

The Department for Innovation was established to drive forward-thinking approaches to address complex development challenges facing the world today. It has three pillars to its work program: i) lead innovation initiatives -in collaboration with the verticals, regions, corporate units, IFC and MIGA-, that help strengthen the implementation of the evolution agenda and find new solutions for development challenges; (ii) build a collaborative and experimental innovation ecosystem within the institution; and, (iii) evaluate innovation initiatives to measure their effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for potential scaling in the Bank's interventions. 

Duties and accountabilities: 

The Department for Innovation is looking for a highly motivated Program Assistant. The selected candidate is expected to be highly motivated, entrepreneurial, resourceful and with extensive experience in managing calendars, organizing events, and coordinating with units across the WBG. 

• Provide a full range of administrative support to staff in the team, including but not limited to scheduling and arranging meetings, requesting conference rooms and visitor passes, making logistic arrangements, drafting routine correspondence, preparing documentations and presentations, supporting recruiting/interview scheduling, team’s travel, onboarding new team members, etc.
• Liaise with relevant units including GCS facilities and catering services and ITS to ensure smooth running of the office and delivery of events.
• Support document and file preparation for internal and external distribution including checking for accuracy and conduct revisions.
• Assist team members in organizing various events, sending out invitations, and following up promptly.
• Assist with logistical tasks and support the administration of the physical workspace by handling visitor passes and maintaining meeting room readiness; managing office supplies for the unit; and addressing various requests from team members.
• Purchase goods, when needed, using a corporate credit card (PCARD) and manage its activities (audit, verification, and reconciliation).
• While independent work on the outlined administrative tasks is expected, as needed, the chosen candidate should seek guidance from the departments Senior Executive Assistant and work in coordination with the other assistants in the Verticals and SMD front office.
• Ensure smooth onboarding of new staff and departures. Submit contracts for STCs/STTs on a timely basis, ensuring proper follow up and coordination with BPS and HR colleagues.
• Maintain current distribution lists, contacts and members.
• Work as a back-up to the Senior Executive Assistant to ensure adequate support and smooth operation of the office.
• Explore, learn and use new AI tools to make front office work more efficient.  
• Perform other ad-hoc assignments, as needed.