Job Description
WBG Explorer
Job #:
req37470
Organization:
World Bank
Sector:
Digital Development
Grade:
UC
Term Duration: 2 years 0 months
Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment
Location:
Bogota,Colombia
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
Spanish
Closing Date:
8/17/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
The World Bank Education Practice in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Education Global Practice (EDU) of the World Bank Group works to help countries build effective, equitable, and inclusive education systems that enable all learners to realize their full potential. In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the Education team supports governments in tackling persistent structural challenges, including low learning outcomes, inequitable access, and insufficient institutional capacity to deliver quality education at scale.
Colombia is one of the World Bank's most strategically significant education partners in the LAC region. With a large and diversified economy, a complex federal-like subnational structure, and a sustained commitment to post-conflict recovery and social inclusion, Colombia represents both a high-priority and high-potential engagement for the Bank's Education practice. The country's education system faces significant challenges in learning outcomes, particularly in foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
RAS Antioquia
A flagship element of the World Bank Education team's current engagement in Colombia is the ALFA strategy implemented by the RAS of Antioquia, a targeted initiative focused on improving early-grade reading and foundational literacy in the Department of Antioquia. ALFA represents a model of place-based, evidence-driven education reform: it works closely with subnational authorities to implement structured pedagogy, teacher professional development, and learning assessment systems at scale. The strategy has the potential to serve as a replicable model for other departments across Colombia. The scalability of ALFA to other regions of Colombia requires sustained analytical capacity, strong coordination mechanisms, and proactive engagement with government counterparts.
A Pivotal Moment: Government Transition and Strategic Opportunity
Colombia is at a particularly significant and time-sensitive juncture. With a new government taking office, there is a unique and narrow window of opportunity to establish early, trust-based relationships with incoming policymakers and technical counterparts, to position the World Bank Group as a strategic partner of choice for the national education agenda, and to proactively identify and shape the pipeline of new lending operations, technical assistance, and Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) and Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA) in the education sector.
Experience across the LAC region demonstrates that the first months of a new administration are often the most consequential for defining the medium-term collaboration agenda. Teams that are well-organized, data-informed, and capable of delivering structured and timely inputs are significantly better positioned to influence policy dialogue and secure new operations.
The Explorer for this position will serve as a strategic, enabling, and catalytic contributor to the team's work across three mutually reinforcing areas: (i) data-driven decision-making through dashboard development and automation of reports and monitoring tools; (ii) massive engagement and communication strategies; and (iii) pipeline and lending operations tracking and development. The Explorer will operate as a trusted analytical and operational resource under the supervision of the Task Team Leader (TTL) for Education in Colombia.
Duties and Responsibilities
The assignment is organized around three core areas of work:
Area 1: Data Intelligence, Dashboard Development, and Reports Automatization
The Explorer will be responsible for building, maintaining, and continuously improving the team's data infrastructure, monitoring tools, and reporting systems.
• Design and develop interactive dashboards using appropriate data visualization and business intelligence tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Google Data Studio, or similar platforms) to track key indicators for the ALFA strategy and the whole operation.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis to support the team's policy dialogue, operational documents, and strategic planning exercises, including analysis of education system performance data at the national and subnational levels.
Area 2: Massive Engagement and Strategic Communications
The Explorer will design and implement large-scale engagement strategies primarily in support of the ALFA strategy. A core objective of ALFA is to reach parents and guardians of children enrolled in the program through targeted, evidence-based communications delivered via SMS and email.
• Design, build, and operate large-scale SMS and email communication campaigns targeting parents and guardians of children participating in the ALFA strategy.
• Develop a segmented messaging strategy that tailors communication content, frequency, and channel to different beneficiary profiles, ensuring that messages are culturally appropriate, accessible, and actionable for families across Antioquia's diverse socioeconomic contexts.
• Automate the deployment and management of communication workflows, including contact list management, message scheduling, delivery tracking, opt-out protocols, and integration with program databases, to ensure campaigns operate efficiently and at scale.
• Design and implement monitoring systems for communication campaigns, tracking key performance indicators such as open rates, response rates, behavioral engagement proxies, and drop-off patterns, and using this data to iteratively improve message content and delivery strategies.
• Conduct analysis of campaign results to generate evidence on the effectiveness of different messaging approaches in driving parental engagement and behavioral change, and produce accessible reports and visualizations for the TTL and government counterparts.
Area 3: Pipeline and Lending Operations Development
The Explorer will also provide substantive analytical and operational support to the development of the Education team's pipeline of lending operations, RAS, ASA, and technical assistance engagements:
• Maintain and regularly update the pipeline tracker for lending operations, RAS, ASA, and technical assistance activities.
• Conduct desk research and stakeholder consultations to scope new areas of engagement in the education sector.
• Prepare preliminary concept briefs, project concept notes, and summary presentations for new pipeline opportunities, ensuring that proposals are clearly structured, evidence-based, and aligned with the World Bank's education strategy and the Colombian government's priorities.
Selection Criteria
• Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in data science, computer science, information systems, systems engineering, or a closely related technical field is required.
• 0-3 years of proven relevant experience that combines technical data expertise with knowledge of social development, education, or public policy.
• Candidates must have interest in development work and making an impact.
• Demonstrated proficiency in data analysis and data visualization tools, including but not limited to Power BI, Tableau, Python, R, or Google Data Studio.
• Experience with database management, automation of reporting workflows, and the design of monitoring and evaluation systems.
• Candidates must be self-driven.
• Possess a sense of urgency, exhibit innovation, and have a strong intellectual curiosity.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Proven writing and editing skills, and ability to convey complex ideas in a creative and clear style.
• Ability to prioritize, work well under pressure and capability to handle multiple tasks within tight deadlines.
• Strong teamwork orientation and good interpersonal skills.
• Positive attitude.
• International mobility without restrictions.
• English and Spanish language proficiency.
• Prior knowledge of or experience with Colombia's education system, subnational governance structures, or public policy landscape is a desirable 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.
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