Job Description

E T Consultant – Digital Technologies and AI in Education

Job #: req39058 Organization: World Bank Sector: Education Grade: EC2 Term Duration: 1 year Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: North America Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 11/4/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

At the World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd

Education and skills are central to improving learning, productivity, and pathways to better jobs. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence can help education systems expand access to quality teaching and learning, strengthen system management, and better connect learners with further education, skills development, and employment. Realizing these benefits requires more than stand-alone pilots: countries need evidence, implementation capacity, enabling policies, sustainable financing, responsible governance, and practical support to move from experimentation to system-level adoption.

The World Bank Group EdTech Team supports client countries and operational teams to use technology and AI effectively, equitably, and responsibly. Two priorities require sustained implementation capacity over the coming year. First, following the 2026 Global EdTech Policy Academy on AI in Seoul, the team must provide structured follow-up to participating countries as they refine policies, strategies, implementation roadmaps, investment plans, and scale-up approaches. Second, the team is advancing the From Learning to Earning initiative, which pilots AI-enabled tutoring and career guidance and is now moving toward country adaptation, evidence generation, operational integration, and scale.

The one-year Extended Term Consultant (ETC) position will provide continuity across these interconnected workstreams, helping the EdTech Team translate policy dialogue and pilot evidence into practical country support, operational products, partnerships, and scalable implementation models.

Objective of the Assignment

The ETC will provide full-time technical, operational, analytical, and coordination support to the EdTech Team, with a primary focus on:

• Following up with country teams that participated in the Global EdTech Policy Academy on AI and supporting implementation of their agreed next steps.
• Supporting the transition from pilot to scale for the From Learning to Earning initiative, including country adaptation of AI tutoring and AI career-coaching solutions, operationalization, evidence use, and links to World Bank-financed operations.
• Strengthening the team’s broader AI-in-education and EdTech work program through knowledge products, capacity building, partnerships, and operational support.

Scope of Work

1. Policy Academy Follow-Up and Country Support

• Coordinate structured follow-up with participating country delegations, World Bank task teams, and technical partners, including periodic check-ins and progress tracking.
• Support countries to refine policy and strategy documents, implementation roadmaps, scale-up blueprints, investment plans, and other outputs initiated through the Academy.
• Help tailor technical assistance to country needs across policy and governance, teacher professional development, AI literacy, digital infrastructure, data governance, procurement, public-private partnerships, financing, monitoring and evaluation, and responsible AI.
• Organize and support the delivery of targeted virtual follow-ups (3 months and 6 months check ins), and at least 1 regional adaptation of the Policy Academy model which will focus on Teachers AI competency framework.
• Initiate preparation of the 2nd Global AI in Education Policy Academy (for FY28)
• Document implementation lessons and identify opportunities to connect Academy follow-up with lending operations, analytical work, trust-funded activities, and partnerships

1. From Learning to Earning Scale-Up Support

• Support country adaptation and contribute to scale-up planning for the AI Tutor, AI Career Coach, and AI Teacher Coach including alignment with curricula, languages, labor-market contexts, delivery modalities, and user needs, including organizing at least 1 hybrid clinic for early adopter countries.
• Support the Global unit in setting up the “AI Scale Up“ team, which will be a combination of regional and global colleagues from Education & Skills, Digital & AI VPU, ITS and Legal to support TTLs with the adaptation process
• Contribute to scale-readiness assessments, implementation models, costed plans, operational guidance, sustainability strategies, and pathways for integration into World Bank operations.
• Support further monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities, including synthesis of pilot evidence, documentation of implementation lessons, and translation of findings into decision-ready guidance for teams and clients.
• Assist with preparation of terms of reference, briefing materials, presentations, progress updates, and management reporting related to scale-up.

1. Knowledge, Partnerships, and other related Tasks

• Support knowledge exchange across participating countries and help ensure that evidence from the AI scale up implementation informs subsequent iterations of the solution package.
• Coordinate engagement with government counterparts, World Bank operational teams, Korean institutions, development partners, research organizations, and technology providers, as appropriate.
• Contribute to resource mobilization and partnership materials, including proposals, work plans, budgets, and results frameworks.
• Maintain organized records, work plans, trackers, and repositories to support timely delivery and institutional learning.
• Perform other related tasks required to deliver the Digital Technologies and AI team’s work program, including work on the Solutions Hub.

Indicative Deliverables

• At least 1 clinic for TTLs on the Learning to Earning AI pilot adaptation packages
• At least 1 regional AI in education policy academy
• 2 AI Community of Interest webinars (on Small AI; and AI & Skills)
• Teacher AI competency framework and assessment adaptation guide
• Tracker for status of action plans of countries following the Korea workshop
• Synthesis of lessons and results from AI pilots and design of scale up

Reporting and Working Arrangements

The ETC will be mapped to the Education and Skills Global Unit (WKHE1) and will work as a core member of the Digital Technologies and AI Team. The consultant will report to Elizabeth Ninan Dulvy, Manager, WKHE1. The candidate will work closely under the supervision of Ekua Bentil, Senior Education Specialist, WKHE1, who coordinates the Global Digital Technologies and AI in Education workstream. The assignment will require flexibility across workstreams and coordination across time zones. Travel may be required, subject to business needs and applicable World Bank Group procedures.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree, preferably a master’s degree or PhD, in education, international development, public policy, economics, technology, or a related field.
• Relevant professional experience in EdTech, digital transformation, AI in education, education policy, capacity building, or related fields, including substantial experience in low- and middle-income country contexts.
• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering multi-country capacity-building programs, policy academies, technical assistance, or structured peer-learning initiatives for government and operational audiences.
• Experience supporting education technology or AI initiatives from design and piloting through implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and scale-up.
• Strong understanding of the policy and system requirements for responsible and equitable use of technology and AI in education, including teacher capacity, infrastructure, data governance, procurement, financing, and sustainability.
• Experience producing high-quality policy, analytical, operational, and communication products for senior and technical audiences.
• Experience coordinating government counterparts, international organizations, technical experts, private-sector partners, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Additional language skills and experience working across regions are desirable.

Critical Success Factors

• Ability to translate policy dialogue and pilot evidence into practical implementation pathways and operationally relevant products.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities and follow through on commitments.
• Sound judgment in coordinating complex, multi-stakeholder work and escalating issues when necessary.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills, cultural sensitivity, and ability to work effectively across countries, sectors, and institutions.
• Commitment to responsible, equitable, evidence-informed, and learner-centered use of technology and AI in education.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative team environment.

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.

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.

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