Job Description

Senior Operations Officer

Job #: req38310 Organization: World Bank Sector: Operations Grade: GG Term Duration: Open-Ended Staff (OPEN-OP) Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Vienna,Austria Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 9/25/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

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.

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA REGION CONTEXT:

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse, predominantly middle-income countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people. ECA countries face structural and legacy issues affecting their economic growth and job creation, including an incomplete transition to a market economy and declining productivity, weak institutional capacity, dependence on fossil fuels, limited physical and digital connectivity and, in many instances, aging populations. Recent shocks have further exacerbated these challenges, with significant impacts on the level, inclusiveness and sustainability of growth and overall living standards.

The World Bank Group is working closely with client countries in the region to address these issues, with increasing focus on productivity growth and job creation, energy security and water management, human capital and economic inclusion, and physical and digital connectivity. The region has a strong lending pipeline and a large portfolio of projects spanning a number of sectors. In addition, knowledge is critical to the Bank’s value proposition to client countries in the ECA region.

PEOPLE VERTICAL

The WBG People Vertical is responsible for getting the right public and private sector solutions to our clients, and to produce scalable impact. It includes the Education and Skills, Health, Social Policy, and Gender Departments. Its mandate is to deliver knowledge for impact to enable and support the WBG to achieve its goals in support of our mission and specifically: providing guidance on creating more and better jobs; supporting foundational infrastructure and human capital, policy environment, and private sector mobilization; focusing on agribusiness, healthcare, infrastructure, manufacturing, and tourism; and support and accelerate specific targets such as M300, Health 1.5bn, and SP 500.

To fulfil this mandate, the People Vertical works through the World Bank Regional People Departments to deliver the strongest and most pertinent support to our client countries. The Europe and Central Asia Region is seeking a Senior Operations Officer for the ECA People Regional Department, based in x. The selected candidate will report to the ECA People Regional Director (RD). The successful candidate will lead the RD’s quality enhancement for operations to support management and staff across HD and other units.

Duties and accountabilities:

• Support the RD in monitoring and managing all deliverables and key indicators of effectiveness and efficiency across the department. Conduct special reviews at the request of the RD or the management team.
• Liaise with ECADE, ECAVP FO, and People Vertical FO on portfolio monitoring and corporate commitments. Connect with the working level and contribute to execute VPU initiatives across the People Team, such as corporate priorities, WBG scorecard, WBG targets, budget related queries, etc.
• Provide quality assurance inputs for the RD for key tasks especially those that are high risk or have ROC/OC and other corporate reviews in coordination with the operational team in the specific GP, as relevant.
• Foster and facilitate an operational network across the three units in People to ensure consistency, foster teamwork, and support across units, where needed. Support dissemination of knowledge, best practices, and emerging/evolving policy guidance.
• Coordinate with CMUs on key operational issues and updates to teams to ensure high-quality deliverables.

Note: This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/temporaries).

External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in Economics, public policy, political science or related disciplines, etc.
• Minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience.
• Strong, demonstrated technical skills and familiarity with work of People, in particular, with issues related to skills development, private sector collaboration, and jobs.
• Strong demonstrated experience with portfolio and pipeline monitoring systems such as Standard Reports and using Power BI will be an advantage.
• Considerable prior experience in operational quality assurance and a deep understanding of operational guidelines at all stages of the project cycle and for the range of Bank instruments, including the new operating model for lending products.
• Strong operational and policy dialogue skills, as evidenced by a proven track record in delivering high quality lending and advisory activities.
• Strong integrative skills to support the RD in articulating ECA HD’s strategic thinking on economic growth and poverty reduction and to articulate a coherent policy dialogue with the authorities across the region.
• Proven sense of initiative, results orientation, teamwork and leadership qualities, and ability to work effectively across sectors/GPs.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to speak persuasively and to present ideas clearly and concisely.
• Excellent conceptual and analytical skills. The capacity to respond quickly in a pragmatic manner to a wide range of issues.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills. Proven track record of working effectively across groups in a multicultural environment with staff at all levels.

COS Generic Competencies

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.