Job Description

Team Assistant

Job #: req38812 Organization: World Bank Sector: Administration/Office Support Grade: GB Term Duration: Open-Ended Staff (OPEN-OP) Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Nuku'alofa,Tonga Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 11/5/2026 (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

East Asia Pacific (EAP) is a large and diverse region, ranging from Small Islands States of the Pacific to the Philippines and China. Despite substantial economic growth and poverty reduction, the EAP region faces huge development challenges. Growth has been uneven across and within countries, institutions still need strengthening, and most countries are heavily affected by climate change. The Bank plays a significant role on global public goods, including climate, biodiversity, water pollution, and health. The COVID pandemic, and more recently food and energy price increases are compounding the impact of the global economic slowdown. The World Bank Group is seen as a premier development institution in the region, with a leadership role on analytical and advisory services as well as financing.

The Pacific Island Division currently works in nine developing countries in the Region (the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu). The South Pacific Hub in Suva, Fiji coordinates activities in Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Nauru. There are Liaison Offices in Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu.

Over the past years, the World Bank has substantially scaled-up its program and field presence in the Pacific, with a focus on initiatives that address the challenges of fragility, isolation, size and limited capacity, and create a foothold for wider development engagement with emphasis on country-specific strategies along three axes; (i) encouraging regional/global integration; (ii) building resilience against external shocks; and (iii) promoting economic reform and private sector development.

The World Bank in the Pacific Islands: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/pacificislands

The successful candidates will be offered open-ended appointments.

The Team Assistant (TA) will carry out the full range of office support work, including managing processes and monitoring schedules for Task team leaders and senior staff. The work is varied involving a large amount of research – to ascertain how to perform non routine operational tasks. Most of the tasks will not be standard. The candidate would need to proactively ask questions, use the World Bank intranet and other operational programs, and proactively make connections with staff in other Country Offices and our Washington-based HQ for guidance and advice to achieve the required results. The role will also involve extensive liaison with service units, internal team members both in HQ and in the field, as well as external counterparts.

The TA will report functionally to the Operations Manager, who provides supervision and guidance to the office support team. The successful candidate may also be assigned responsibility for some aspects of the unit’s administrative functions.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Attend to daily office reception duties, walk-in clients, online queries/correspondences.
• Work productively and effectively often from own initiative providing support to the Operations Manager, Operations Officer, Task team leaders and other bank staff
• Coordinate mission schedules taking priorities into account, monitor changes, and communicate information to appropriate staff, inside and outside the immediate work unit, including officials outside the World Bank (WB). This can also include coordinating travel and visa arrangements, accommodation and transportation.
• Preparation and logistical planning for various events, such as conferences, workshops, negotiations; includes conference room booking, clearing/readying room for events and provide necessary hospitality etiquettes to clients and officials.
• Process payments, maintain up to date records of all expenses including CT quarterly reimbursements.
• Use word processing, spreadsheets, power point software or desktop publishing skills to produce complex text, reports, figures, graphs, etc., according to standard Bank formats and distribute.
• Support to the Security Focal Point and MERC Officer for the office including providing security briefings to our new mission travelers.”
• Solve non-routine problems (e.g., responding to requests requiring file searches, and identification of correct operational procedures).
• Maintain current distribution lists, phone/address lists of project/product contacts, and distribute documents for the team.
• Ordering office supplies and maintaining a stock record of office equipment (Assets list)
• Maintain up-to-date Tonga project and other office files (both paper and electronic)

Selection Criteria

Note ***Preference will be given to local talent, that is, applicants that are authorized to work in the duty station for any employer. Internal applicants may apply per existing guidelines.

• Diploma in administration, business or related field.
• Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
• Effective time management and organizational skills and ability to produce high quality work under pressure.
• Demonstrated initiative and resourcefulness.
• Committed team player with demonstrated inter-personal skills and ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to draft routine correspondence and edit materials using proper grammar, punctuation and style.
• Ability to follow through on team priorities in the absence of the team leader and respond to requests for information.
• Ability to adapt to changing business needs by continuous learning/training.

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.

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.