Description

Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 175 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org.

VPU Context:

An effective and accountable governance framework, in the form of functioning institutions, is a necessary precondition for sustainable poverty reduction. Fragile, ineffective or inexistent institutions have long been put forward as explaining the relative underperformance of economies. Furthermore, poor governance and structural deficiencies in public and private institutions are often prevalent in fragile and conflict-affected states. On the other hand, cross-country empirics have confirmed that higher institutional quality is correlated with higher levels of per capita income and greater economic growth. Thus, strong governance mechanisms and institutions are critical to sustained growth and poverty alleviation.

The Governance Global Practice (GGP) brings together professionals in financial management, procurement, taxation, public management, regulatory policy, transparency, digital governance, law and development, anticorruption, and social accountability to develop innovative, integrated solutions to pernicious institutional problems. The practice utilizes a problem-driven, diagnostic approach, combining global comparative knowledge of reform successes and failures with keen understanding of the institutional challenges and opportunities of developing countries.

GGP interventions range from diagnostics, technical assistance, and advisory services, learning, innovation and knowledge management and sharing, creating peer learning platforms, lending and reform project implementation, and monitoring and reporting. An important part of its responsibilities is to deliver operational support to other Practices, including through inputs for policy-based operations, hands-on implementation advice and direct fiduciary due diligence of investment financing.

Unit Context:

The World Bank’s engagement has been revitalized in South Sudan, following the 2018 peace agreement, with an expansion of the portfolio and a phased shift from third party (e.g. UN agencies) to government implementation of projects. The Public Financial Management (PFM) and Institutional Strengthening Project (P176761) were approved in February 2022 and is a flagship project for building the fundamental functions and capacities for management of public resources and for underpinning the portfolios of the Bank and other development partners. The project covers core PFM, procurement and accountability functions, capacity building, and implementation of these reforms in priority sectors and is coordinated very closely with PFM support from other development partners. The project is also closely linked with the phased transition to government implementation through strengthening the Government of South Sudan’s (GoSS) fiduciary capabilities. A second Governance operation is the Building Institutional Foundations for an Effective Public Service (BIFEPS, P500500) project, approved in 2024, which focuses on strengthening civil service policy and regulatory frameworks, building institutional capacity in selected sectors through functional reviews and a Young Professionals Program, and incentivizing reform implementation. Furthermore, the Governance program includes substantial technical assistance focused on PFM and other governance reforms and advisory support to the government through the Governance PASA financed by the Multi-donor Transition Trust Fund.

Duties and accountabilities:

• Lead the Governance country program and Governance team for South Sudan. Central to the role is building, coordinating, and leading an inclusive and integrated South Sudan Governance team, comprising World Bank staff and technical advisers supporting the Government.

• Serve as Task Team Leader (TTL) for the two Governance projects, Public Financial Management and Institutional Strengthening (PFMIS); and Building Institutional Foundations for an Effective Public Service (BIFEPS), as well as for the Governance PASA.

• Work closely with the fiduciary team to ensure a coordinated approach to public financial management and fiduciary engagement that enables building country systems and increasingly using them for Bank operations.

• Monitor work program objectives, deliverables, and implementation progress and working in close coordination with the Lead Governance Specialist based in Ethiopia.

• Mentor and support junior staff in the Governance team.

• Lead the work on key governance dimensions of the Bank’s overall country engagement in South Sudan, working closely with the Country Management Unit (CMU) and contributing significantly to the Prosperity vertical and projects led by other sectors to promote integrated solutions to the client’s public sector and governance challenges.

• Engage closely with development partners to ensure coordinated, coherent, and effective support.

• Lead the Governance engagement with the Government of South Sudan in a volatile FCV context, demonstrating sensitivity, maturity, and tact in managing unpredictable political and social dynamics

Note: This internal requisition is open to WB 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

• A Master’s degree in public finance, economics, public administration or business administration, with at least eight years of relevant professional experience.

• Excellent track record in leading dialogue and engagement with senior government officials, and in building effective partnerships with development partners.

• Excellent integrator skills to integrate governance across the country program, including record of working with other sectors and engaging with CMU colleagues.

• Excellent proven skills in building, leading and supporting effective diverse teams to deliver to clients. Strong orientation and abilities to mentor team members to perform and develop.

• Substantial Bank TTL experience, strong understanding of all Bank instruments, and expertise in delivering high quality Governance operations.

• Well-regarded expertise across the PFM agenda, including leading PFM analytics and demonstrated expertise in one or more of other governance areas including domestic resource mobilization, open government, GovTech, governance of service delivery, decentralization and inter-governmental fiscal relations.

• Excellent collaboration skills within Prosperity and across GPs and demonstrated contributions to Prosperity and cross-GP products.

• Experience working in FCV environments would be a significant advantage.

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.