Established in 1944, the WBG is
one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development
solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans,
grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private
businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members.
It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120
offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.

The
WBG consists of five specialized institutions: The International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development
Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre
for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is
organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several
corporate functions and fifteen Global Practices and five Global Themes to
bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

Eastern and Southern Africa Context

Home to about half a billion of Africa’s people, Eastern and
Southern Africa is a geographically, culturally and economically diverse
region of 26 countries stretching from the Red Sea in the North to the Cape
of Good Hope in the South. Children under 18 make up almost half of the total
population. The subregion boasts of some of the world’s richest human and
natural resources and, apart from South Africa, the countries are
predominantly raw material exporters.

The subregion harbors some of
Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while
significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continues to
keep people from reaching their full potential. This creates a huge
development challenge, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of
people, and hinders regional integration and trade. But it also creates an
opportunity to work closely with country leaders, civil society, development
partners, and young people to chart a brighter course for the future.

The World Bank’s Eastern and
Southern Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,207 staff, mostly based
in 26 country offices, has been helping countries realize their considerable
development potential by focusing on the following priorities:

- Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies: We are working with countries across Africa to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by leveraging all sources of finance, expertise, and solutions to promote investment.

- Building up the Digital Economy: We are supporting Africa’s vision to ensure that every African individual, business, and government is connected by 2030 – a vision that, if realized, can boost growth by up to 2 percentage points per year, and reduce poverty by 1 percentage point per year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.

- Institutions more Efficient and Accountable: Our support is helping governments strengthen public policy processes, manage resources effectively, and reinforce fair and reliable delivery of public services.

- Investing in People: We are at the forefront of helping African countries accelerate human capital gains and empower women by improving their access to education and skills acquisition, sexual and reproductive health services, and employment opportunities. With the influx COVID-19, we are mobilizing financial support and timely analysis and advice to countries across the subregion deal with the pandemic.

- Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption: In the face of increasing climate-related risks, we are working with African countries to advance efforts to adopt renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green infrastructure. A number of East African countries are currently facing a debilitating Desert Locust infestation, threatening the already precarious food security situation. The Bank has put together a program to help affected countries deal with the scourge.

- Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence: Given the cross-border nature of conflicts in Africa, we are employing an approach that simultaneously focuses on the drivers of fragility while also supporting well-targeted regional initiatives to create opportunities for peace and shared prosperity.

- Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent: We are scaling up our work on regional integration, taking a holistic view of the continent that covers both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The World Bank is a dedicated
partner for Eastern and Southern African countries, helping them deliver
strong development outcomes for their people. A brighter future for Africa is
a better future for the world.

Department and Country Context

South
Sudan became independent in July 9, 2011 following a negotiated, peaceful
secession from the Sudan. The conflict outbreaks in December 2013 and July 2016 have undermined the development gains achieved since
independence and worsened the humanitarian situation. The civil war is
estimated to have led to nearly four hundred thousand excess deaths since
2013 and more than 4.3 million people have been displaced both internally and
to neighboring countries. The latest UN updates suggest that about 6.1
million (more than half the population) are severely food insecure.

The key responsibilities of a country unit, of which the Operations Officer
is a key member, include formulation and implementation of the country
partnership strategy cycle, country relations and policy dialogue, work
program and portfolio management, and promotion of country and global
knowledge sharing. The CMU's goals are to ensure that the Bank's programs are
(i) carried out in a client-responsive manner, (ii) relevant to the
development challenges facing the country, (iii) realistic and feasible to
implement while meeting the Bank's quality standards, and (iv) focused on achieving
development results.

FCV Context

We are on a mission to change the world; do you want to join us where
it matters the most? Invest in your personal and professional development and
acquire the skills that are vital for a global career in international
development. A role in an FCS (Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations) location will be a truly
impactful experience!

Fragility Conflict and
Violence:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence

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 120 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

Duties and
Accountabilities

The Operations Officer
will work in close collaboration with the Country Manger (CM) for South Sudan
and the other members of the CMU management and country teams on all aspects
of the South Sudan work program to ensure strategic focus, integration and
consistency across and within the portfolio. More specifically (s)he will,
under the overall supervision of the Country Manager:

- Portfolio monitoring: In coordination with the Country Manger, the Operations Manager and management team members, the Operations Officer will have responsibility for monitoring project portfolio and operational performance, quality and trends, including ensuring compliance with Bank policies and working with teams to develop and implement action plans to improve implementation and resolve portfolio problems.

- Communication and monitoring of country developments: In close coordination with the Country Manager, the Operations Officer will develop and maintain regular country contacts with client counterparts in government, as well as with implementing entities, and stakeholders in general. The Operations Officer will support outreach communications and closely monitor political, social and economic developments; develop and maintain understanding of country socioeconomic and political context.

- Country office management: The Operations Officer will assist the Country Manager as needed in day-to-day management of the country office, support orientation and development of other operations staff and assistants under the Country Manager, the Operations Officer will be in charge of preparing briefing notes (e.g., for Spring and Annual Meetings, Sr. Management country visits, etc.) and other internal complex reports; and draft and review operational correspondence and undertake task management responsibilities as necessary and assigned by the Country Manager.

- Country Strategy and Program Development: The Operations Officer will be a team member for the preparation of key country engagement documents, such as the Country Engagement Note, and will integrate perspectives from Country Team members and other stakeholders in the preparation of such documents, working closely with the Country Manager to support the dialogue with partners on the ground, including consultations as required. The Operation Officer is expected to make substantive contributions to South Sudan country and sector strategies, lending and non-lending work programs.

Selection Criteria

- Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. economics, management, business administration, social sciences, technical studies, or another field related to development)

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience

  Integrative Skills

  - Strong collaboration and interpersonal skills, and ability to develop and maintain effective relations across boundaries and with partners inside and outside the WBG.

  - Solid integrative thinking and ability to support management and project teams in developing an integrated point of view around development challenges.

  Policy Dialogue Skills

  - Ability to identify and assess policy issues and communicate findings/ points of view verbally and in writing (through reports and papers).

  - Diplomatic skills to facilitate participation in the dialogue with government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.

  Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena

  - Full familiarity with the WBG’s organizational structure, complementarities among different Bank Group agencies, with ability to apply this knowledge

  - Familiarity with Bank’s development initiatives and policies and practices related to lending and non-lending operations

  - Ability to find and use relevant information/data to be used in the preparation of briefs, reports, and other written documents

  Communication & Influencing Skills

  - Ability to tailor communication style to meet audience needs and deliver information effectively in support of team or workgroup.

  - Strong analytical ability, and strong verbal and written communication skills including the capacity to draft concise reports, minutes, briefs, and correspondence, in both English and Spanish

  - Ability to share knowledge

  Internal and External Stakeholder Engagement

  - Strong country knowledge, particularly of its political economy, and how it shapes its development agenda

  - Ability to contribute to high-level events (i.e. with Development Partners, Government, and other stakeholders) and to handle requests, and contribute to country dialogue

  - Ability to independently coordinate and engage with stakeholders from various parts of WBG, providing substantial inputs into and participating in the dialogue with external clients and stakeholders, including governments, NGOs and CSOs, and development partners

  Bank Instruments, Policies, and Procedures, and Ability to Proactively Apply Them

  - Solid operational experience and familiarity with World Bank’s policies and procedures; ability to apply them in different contexts, advise teams to resolve bottlenecks, and find pragmatic operational solutions; ability to exercise quality assurance of documents at different stages of project cycle; ability to write country products.

  - Ability to review strategy and project documents for compliance with relevant Bank operational templates, policies, and procedures

  Strategy Formulation and Policy and Program Design

  - Solid knowledge and experience of country cross-cutting and/or macro issues relevant to World Bank Group’s work

  - Ability to distill programming options from country engagement issues and priorities

  - Ability to translate understanding of key corporate and development partner initiatives related to country engagement into formulating options for Bank engagement, including key country engagement products

  Project Design, Implementation, and Management

  - Experience with project preparation and management concepts and processes

  - Ability to support project teams, partners, and clients in project preparation and implementation (including liaising with experts on planning, budgeting, project financing, procurement, disbursement, legal issues, and safeguards)

  - Ability to identify key risks in achieving expected project outcomes, proposing tailored mitigation measures with attention to good practices

  - Ability to carry out data collection and background analysis on relevant project design and implementation issues, including good practices and lessons learned

  - Ability to contribute to the development of action plans to resolve preparation and implementation bottlenecks and monitor the execution of such plans

  - Ability to draft sections of key documents, keep project records in the Bank systems, and draft meeting minutes

  Portfolio Management and Results Monitoring

  - Ability to independently monitor and analyze portfolio data (including trust funds), prepares materials for portfolio reviews/ deep dives, including areas of project risk assessment, ratings and mitigation measures, and results monitoring, and identify cross-cutting issues and key trends

  - Ability to: (i) identify key portfolio risks in achieving expected project outcomes, proposing tailored mitigation measures with attention to good practices; (ii) carry out data collection and background analysis on relevant project design and implementation issues, including good practices and lessons learned; and (iii) contribute to the development of action plans to resolve preparation and implementation bottlenecks and monitor the execution of such plans.

  - Ability to contribute to portfolio reporting focusing on the Region’s/CMU performance indicators; interacting with task team leaders and other departments on emerging issues while flagging issues to CMU management.

  The WBG Core Competencies: https://bit.ly/2kbIA7O

  COS competencies - https://worldbankgroup.sharepoint.com/sites/hr/Documents/Career%20Management/Professional%20Family%20Mapping/COS_PFM_Criteria.pdf

  Poverty