Job Description

E T Consultant

Job #:
req37996
Organization:
World Bank
Sector:
Urban
Grade:
EC3
Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment
Location:
Quito,Ecuador
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date:
8/12/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

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 consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org.

Infrastructure Vertical
The WBG Infrastructure Vertical provides public and private solutions to operational teams and clients across the WBG to produce scalable impact. Its mandate is to deliver knowledge for impact to support the WBG to achieve its goals in support of our mission and specifically: providing guidance on creating more and better jobs by: (i) supporting foundational infrastructure and human capital, (ii) policy environment, and (iii) enabling and mobilizing private sector capital. With 60 years of experience, the WBG is poised to support the sector becoming an engine of growth and jobs through improving policies and governance, foundational infrastructure and private sector investments. The WBG lending in the sector is expected to grow substantially. The Infrastructure VPU’s objectives in driving outcomes include replicating and scaling effective solutions, enhancing thought leadership and innovation, and delivering timely knowledge to client teams. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/infrastructure

The Sustainable Urban and Regional Development Program (SURGE) is a global Umbrella trust fund program administered by the Policy and Regulation unit (KIUPR) in the Urban, Subnational Finance, Tourism, & Disaster Management Global Department. The SURGE Umbrella is the central collaboration instrument for working with partners on building inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities, and it aims to enable cities and regions in developing countries to function as drivers of sustainable and inclusive economic development. It works through an Anchor MDTF — covering global programs and selected regional and country programs — and multiple Associated Trust Funds (ATFs) at country level. Donors include SECO (founding donor), Austria's BMF, Korea's MOLIT, Denmark's MFA, the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlement (KRIHS), and the European Commission, with cumulative contributions exceeding US$100 million.

SURGE's work is organized across five thematic pillars: City Management, Governance and Finance; Territorial and Spatial Development; Sustainable and Climate-Smart Cities; Urban Poverty and Housing; and Urban and Regional Resilience. Its current portfolio includes 15 programs: four global programs (Urban Analytics & Technical Assistance (UA&TA), City Planning Labs, Global Smart City Partnership, and Global Urban Housing ), one regional program (ECA Cities & Climate Change), and ten country programs in nine countries (Bolivia, Indonesia, Peru, Rwanda, Serbia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam) — with consolidated annual progress reporting to donors and the Partnership Council. All these programs are aligned with the SURGE Results Framework (RF), encompassing 42 indicators at programmatic and pillar/thematic level.

SURGE is at a critical juncture. Donor expectations for strong evidence are increasing, the volume of knowledge generated across global and country programs is growing, and the Knowledge Bank creates a new opportunity for strategic coordination across the portfolio. SURGE is well-positioned to lead the department's agenda in these areas given the scale and diversity of its operations.

The Extended Term Consultant (ETC) will play a leading role in the strategic enhancement and operationalization of SURGE's results monitoring architecture, knowledge management systems, and cross-program coordination mechanisms. This role requires conceptualizing and building systems and approaches that are currently absent or underperforming. The ETC will function with a high degree of autonomy, drawing on deep technical expertise to elevate SURGE's evidence base, unlock the knowledge generated across its global and country programs, and position SURGE as a model for results-oriented trust fund management within KIUDR.

The Extended Term Consultant (ETC) will report to the KIUPR Practice Manager and coordinate closely with the SURGE Program Manager and Technical Lead. The ETC will coordinates with TTLs across global, regional, and country programs also with the Knowledge Management and Communications leads.

Please note this position is financed by a Trust Fund and renewal is contingent upon availability of funding, in addition to other factors, including but not limited to business needs, staff performance and skills fit.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:
• Results Monitoring and Reporting
The ETC will play a leading role in enhancing and strengthening SURGE's results monitoring and reporting function to meet growing donor expectations for strong evidence and to support the WBG knowledge agenda. Activities include:
• Conduct a comprehensive review of the SURGE RF and all program documents (Anchor and ATFs) — mapping objectives, outcomes, outputs, indicators, baselines, targets, and data sources — to identify structural gaps, inconsistencies, and misalignments. Use findings to develop and lead the implementation of a concrete RF realignment plan, including revised indicator definitions, disaggregation standards, measurement protocols, and a living indicator dictionary, ensuring credibility of aggregation and comparability across grants and regions.
• Lead the design and operationalization of a monitoring and reporting system for SURGE, including reporting templates, standard operating procedures, dashboards, and data quality assurance protocols. Incorporate improved data collection methods, analytical frameworks, and data visualization approaches to strengthen SURGE’s evidence base and clearly demonstrate development impact to donors and Bank management. Ensure the integrity and full traceability of results reported across the portfolio.
• Advise on strategic adjustments to the RF as programs evolve, making recommendations on trade-offs between methodological rigor and operational feasibility.
• Lead the preparation and production of high-quality, donor-compliant reporting outputs, including semi-annual and annual progress reports, the SURGE Annual Report, programs closing reports, and portfolio reviews. Ensure outputs are analytically robust, strategically framed, and aligned with donor requirements, including clear narratives, indicator reporting, variance analysis, and effective data visualization.
• Serve as the key M&E focal point for SURGE, providing strategic and technical guidance to Task Team Leaders (TTLs) across global, regional, and country programs, ensuring consistent application of SURGE M&E requirements across the full portfolio. Provide technical guidance and mentoring to other SURGE team members and review deliverables to ensure consistently high-quality outputs.

• Knowledge Management and Learning
A core part of this role is designing and operationalizing a knowledge management system that systematically captures, validates, and scales replicable tools and solutions across the SURGE portfolio and beyond. The ETC will lead this effort from diagnosis to implementation. Activities include:
• Conduct a systematic mapping of SURGE’s knowledge assets across global, regional, and country programs to identify gaps and high-potential content.
• Lead the identification, codification, and scaling of replicable tools and solutions across the SURGE portfolio. This may include e.g. field-tested instruments, methodologies, frameworks, or practices with documented results that are sufficiently codified to be adapted and deployed in other contexts — and building a structured pipeline from identification to documentation to dissemination. Solutions will be tagged by thematic pillar, geography, and Results Framework indicator category to ensure discoverability, and will distinguish between validated solutions (with documented results) and emerging solutions (promising but limited evidence). The resulting repository will be deposited in the World Bank's Knowledge Bank, ensuring accessibility beyond the SURGE portfolio to the wider urban development community within the institution.
•Design and operationalize a two-directional knowledge flow architecture: a downward track to disseminate globally developed tools, standards, and frameworks to country and regional teams in actionable, locally adapted forms (including a curated solutions library, TTL-facing guidance packages, and periodic knowledge clinics); and an upward track to capture, validate, and package lessons and innovations generated at the country level for broader institutional use.
• Lead the identification, documentation, and packaging of results stories and replicable solutions from global, regional, and country programs, ensuring strong grounding in technical and operational contexts.
• Translate technical results and evidence into high-quality knowledge products and narratives (e.g., case studies, policy briefs, blogs, web content), tailored to different audiences, including donors and senior management, strengthening the accessibility and uptake of SURGE’s results and lessons.
• Synthesize cross-program lessons and performance insights to identify patterns of success and underperformance and propose targeted improvements to inform future program design and grant cycles.
•Lead the design and development of knowledge and learning events (e.g., M&E clinics, indicator workshops, results-sharing sessions), positioning SURGE as a learning organization and a center of expertise for the department.

• Visibility and Donor Engagement
The ETC will play a central role in strengthening SURGE’s external positioning and engagement with donors and senior stakeholders by ensuring that results and evidence are translated into clear, compelling narratives and effectively communicated through strategic engagements and high-quality materials. Activities include:
• Ensure consistent implementation of SURGE’s Communication and Visibility Plan across all knowledge products, results reports, and external outputs, strengthening SURGE’s positioning and coherence of messaging across the portfolio.
• Lead the development of strategic donor-facing communication and engagement materials, including presentations, briefing notes, videos, and key messages for Partnership Council Meetings, portfolio reviews, and high-level engagements, ensuring alignment between reported results and SURGE’s broader narrative and positioning.
• Engage with senior stakeholders, including TTLs, Practice Managers, donors, and clients, to present results, communicate strategic insights, and support high-level discussions, effectively translating technical evidence into clear, actionable messaging tailored to different audiences.
• Identify and support opportunities to position SURGE externally, including high-level engagements, events, and dissemination channels, ensuring strong alignment between SURGE’s results, strategic messaging, and donor priorities.

• Cross-Program Coordination
The ETC will lead the development of a proposed coordination mechanism to capture complementarities and avoid duplication across the donor funded programs in KIUDR, positioning SURGE to play a leading role in the department's overall portfolio coherence agenda. Activities include:
• Develop and operationalize a structured coordination mechanism to map programmatic overlaps, complementarities, and sequencing opportunities across SURGE and other KIUDR programs.
• Engage with other programs’ TTLs and teams, facilitating joint planning where relevant and proposing optimization strategies to SURGE management.
• Produce periodic cross-portfolio analyses and briefing materials for senior management and the Partnership Council that reflect umbrella-wide strategic priorities and coordination outcomes.
• Provide strategic and operational advice for the design, launch, and implementation of global programs such as the UA&TA Program – Phase 2, including RFP design, eligibility criteria, outreach, evaluation coordination, and implementation oversight.

Deliverables
● Inception package: Strategic assessment of the current SURGE RF and all program RFs; gap analysis; proposed redesign approach; indicator dictionary draft; M&E and knowledge management plan; cross-program coordination mapping; and an initial mapping of replicable tools and solutions across the portfolio with a proposed codification and scaling framework.
● Monitoring and knowledge toolkit: Redesigned submission templates, standard operation procedures, dashboard specifications, and a two-directional knowledge flow architecture, including a quick-reference guidance package for TTLs.
● Periodic progress reporting materials: Semi-annual and annual reporting materials ready to share with donors. SURGE Annual Report with consolidated indicator tables, narratives by pillars and programs, case studies, and visuals.
● Mid-term synthesis: Cross-program performance analysis, scalable solutions documentation, and strategic recommendations for adaptive management.
● Knowledge products: At least two substantive knowledge outputs (case studies, briefs, or equivalent) drawn from country program synthesis, including lessons learned.
● Knowledge and learning events: At least two knowledge and learning events (e.g., M&E clinics, indicator workshops, results-sharing sessions) designed and implemented.
● Coordination mechanism: Proposed coordination mechanism to map programmatic overlaps, complementarities, and sequencing opportunities across SURGE and other KIUDR programs. Strategic recommendations for future grant design and departmental portfolio coordination.

Selection Criteria

Qualifications
● Advanced degree (Master's or equivalent) in economics, public policy, public administration, urban development, or a closely related field.
● At least 8 years of relevant professional experience in the areas of urban development, management, public policy, or related discipline.
● Deep expertise in sustainable urban development topics (e.g., urban resilience, housing, spatial planning, urban innovation, climate-smart cities, urban resilience financing).
● Strong track record in designing and implementing results monitoring and knowledge management systems for multi-program trust funds or complex portfolios.
● Solid understanding of SURGE global, regional, and country programs, with demonstrated ability to apply technical and analytical expertise to identify and scale effective solutions.
● Significant experience independently managing complex assignments and providing guidance to colleagues across technical and operational levels.
● Familiarity with World Bank trust fund governance, Umbrella 2.0 consolidated reporting practices, and WBG corporate results guidance is strongly preferred.

Core Competencies
● Demonstrated ability to think strategically, identify systemic challenges, rapidly analyze diverse information from varied sources, and propose innovative, practical solutions in complex, multi-program environments.
● Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical findings into clear, compelling messages for diverse audiences, including senior management and donors.
● Strong internal and external client engagement skills and ability to collaborate across global, regional, and country teams, and external partners.
● Ability to manage multiple workstreams independently, coordinate contributions from specialists of other programs to complete joint products, and deliver high-quality outputs within tight deadlines
● Proven ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment, with excellent teamwork and diplomatic skills.
● Always acting with integrity to build trust and to create an enabling work environment as a team member.
● Upholds Bank policies on data protection, privacy, disclosure; ensures donor/umbrella reporting compliance.

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

As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

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