Job Description

Disaster Risk Management Specialist - ILCUR

Job #:
req38003 Organization:
World Bank Sector:
Infrastructure Grade:
GF Term Duration: 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment Location:
Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s):
English Preferred Language(s):
Spanish Closing Date:
9/11/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

“This position is a part of the Japanese recruitment mission”

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions driven by a bold vision to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, we help solve the world’s greatest development challenges. When you join the World Bank Group, you become part of a dynamic, diverse organization with 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide. We work with public and private sector partners, invest in groundbreaking projects, and use data, research, and technology to bring tangible and transformative change around the globe. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

The World Bank Group serves more than 20 client countries in the Latin-American and the Caribbean (LCR) region. Clients range from middle-income countries (MICs) such as Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, with demand for cutting-edge knowledge services and technical assistance in addition to lending, to IDA countries like Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Bolivia, with an emphasis on poverty reduction and programs that support equitable and enhanced access to social and economic opportunities.

The Latin America and Caribbean Region contains 17 of the top 50 countries identified in the World Bank-sponsored Hotspot study with highest GDP exposure to natural disasters. With an increasing concentration of assets in urban or semi-urban areas, human and physical losses from floods, landslides, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural events are on the rise and important development gains are being erased overnight. Population growth and the ever-increasing concentration of infrastructure in urban or semi-urban areas have been clear drivers of the growth in human and physical losses from adverse natural events. This trend is now being exacerbated by increasing climate variability, bringing disaster risk management and climate change adaptation to the forefront of the Region’s development agenda.

The Disaster Risk Management team of ILCUR provides technical, analytical and financial support to regional clients in the fields of: i) risk identification; ii) risk mitigation and preparedness; iii) risk financing; and iv) post disaster reconstruction. The unit has a strong DRM portfolio with over 20 ongoing projects and a number under preparation. Examples include vulnerability reduction in OECS; CAT DDOs across the countries in the region; enhancing financial protection through expanding CCRIF to different countries and new products; urban resilience investments in Brazil, Bolivia and Haiti; post disaster reconstruction in Sint Maarten. ILCUR provides support to client countries with IBRD and IDA financing, as well as through significant partnerships with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Climate Investment Funds.

ILCUR is seeking a highly qualified and motivated individual for the position of Disaster Risk Management Specialist to support the DRM team. The DRM Specialist is expected to provide technical support and lead operational and analytical engagements in disaster risk reduction, disaster risk management, disaster risk financing, crisis toolkit, and resilience. Hydromet and flood risk management are priority areas for this position.

Duties and Accountabilities

The specific responsibilities will include:

1. Intellectual, strategic and technical expertise in DRM
• Develop knowledge products and training activities to improve best practice in and outside of the Bank.
• Strengthen the capacity of our clients to respond to disasters through the preparation of high priority risk mitigation strategies, programs and projects.
• Establish and maintain productive relationships with external actors in the disaster risk management, disaster risk financing, and disaster recovery field (governments, international agencies, private sector, NGOs, donors and academic institutions), and work with internal and external partners to scale up the DRM and DRF agenda and lead strategic thinking.
• Support the development of the ILCUR’s DRM business lines.

2. Program and project management
• Contribute to the preparation of priority or flagship AAA and thereby support ILCUR in delivering high visibility advisory services that may result in innovating or scaling-up the unit's investment and analytical and technical assistance program.
• Contribute to priority lending projects under preparation and supervision in the sector including complex, multi-sector operations and participate in multi-sector activities led by other units.

3. Knowledge management and dissemination
• Sponsor/contribute to knowledge exchanges and dissemination across the Bank and in external fora in the area of DRM and DRF.
• Peer review/cross support to other units/regions in sector lending, and analytical activities.
• Other activities in this field.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in the relevant field with 10 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Prior work experience and results on the ground in more than one WBG region. A corporate assignment (may substitute for experience in another region.
• Proven skills and state-of-art knowledge in the design and structuring of innovative and practical approaches to mainstream hazard risk management in infrastructure or risk financing area.
• Knowledge of Spanish is preferred. Knowledge of other regional languages, such as Portuguese or French, would be considered an asset.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.