Description

Would you like a career that is truly worthwhile? 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

The Human Development Practice Group

Human development is at the core of the World Bank’s strategy to improve people’s lives and support sustainable development. The Human Development operational program spans education, health, social protection, labor and jobs. The HD PG coordinates with other Practice Groups to ensure a coordinated and integrated approach to development challenges, and through the World Bank Regional Units is expected to deliver the strongest and most pertinent support to our client countries.
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The Human Capital Project

Human capital is a population’s health, skills, knowledge, experience, and habits. People’s education, health, resilience, and access to labor market opportunities have intrinsic value and are viewed by many as a human right. From an economics perspective, they are equally essential to increase productivity. They are important for inclusive human progress in large part because they reduce inequality, improve welfare, produce intergenerational benefits, and promote growth and economic development.

Human capital however is commonly not utilized to realize its potential and drive economic growth. A good job—with adequate earnings, working conditions and protections—was out of reach for arguably most in low- and middle-income countries. Before the pandemic, 250 million youth – mostly women – were not in employment, education, or training, putting a dent in their aspirations. Just as worrisome, many of those who do work do so in very low productivity activities, often informally, without access to social or legislative protections and with few opportunities to move up the labor market ladder or learn. Informality stood at 70 percent of total jobs even before COVID-19 hit and labor market inequality, especially gender differences, remain large. Many workers today are poor or one shock away from falling into poverty.

The challenges of building, protecting, and utilizing human capital are further complicated by multiple overlapping global shocks, such as COVID-19 and the rising food prices, and long-term trends, such as technological and demographic shifts, urbanization, globalization, climate change, and forced displacement of people due to ongoing conflicts, which are eroding hard-won development gains.

The Human Capital Project (HCP), launched in 2018 to advocate for human capital investments, and is even more relevant now given the setbacks to human capital in recent years. The HCP has been incrementally providing the resources and analytical tools to help the governments prioritize investments that support human capital accumulation, its protection and utilization, and improve the quality and efficiency of that spending to achieve better outcomes. The global HCP team is staffed by a combination of full-time professional staff, short-term and extended-term consultants, and staff on secondment from operational units. The HCP uses a three-pronged approach to support country teams and clients to promote investments in human capital. It offers measurement and indicators on human capital; innovates on the type of analytics and operational support to better inform investments in human capital in a world navigating multiple short term and long term challenges; and convenes partners, clients, and thought leaders to influence the global discourse on human capital. Given the growing demands for the global HCP team’s support and its desire to ensure that support remains relevant and timely to the teams in the regions, the global team is seeking to expand its multisectoral expertise that is fundamental to move the agenda on human capital. The HCP is looking for energetic and enthusiastic members of the team who are willing to  work as part of a SWAT team that is constantly curating latest global knowledge to offer the best policy advice for clients to safeguard human capital outcomes, and channeling this knowledge through creative means for maximum impact

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Team Assistant is expected to take a proactive role in providing effective, high-quality office and administrative support to the HCP Manager and team. The Team Assistant would be expected to:

• Provide general administrative support, coordinate the schedule of meetings and appointments, resolve related time clashes/constraints prioritizing as needed, ensure relevant documents are available for HCP ASA related meetings, HD VP meetings with CDs, HCP Steering Committee members, monitor and follow-up on attendance to these meetings, and any priorities as needed.

• Provide general administrative support, coordinate the schedule of team meetings and logistical support to the HCP flagship events which include (i) HCP bi-annual Conclaves; (ii) Knowledge Exchange Series; (iii) Human Capital Talks; (iv) staff clinics on HCRs/DPOs, etc. including  monitoring and following-up on attendance to these meetings with CMUs, and ED offices, WBG staff, and coordinating with the vendor(s) and GCS on venue related logistics and any priorities as needed.

• Assist in managing the HCP manager’s calendar, including staff one-on-one meetings with the HCP Manager and HCP team meetings on the work program.

• Assist in processing STC/STT, ETC/ETT, and vendor contracts through the World Bank’s Admin Portal.

• Coordinate and arrange team meetings, seminars, and other learning events, including bookings (room, VC/WebEx/Teams), prepare invitations, arrange catering for events, ensure timely processing of documents and proper follow-up, organize technology requirement for events, and gather feedback from participants.

• Coordinate trips for staff and external speakers, when applicable and help them sort out and fulfill logistical and institutional requirements.

• Support the monitoring of the unit’s HR recruitment processes including managing the STAs (e.g. collaborating closely and following up with RM and HR focal points, as appropriate);

• Ensure appropriate routing of correspondence, documents, and information to relevant staff members; maintain up-to-date distribution lists for the various HCP related events; perform administrative processing of incoming staff (UPI, extension, workstation, computer, business cards, ID, etc.); arrange visitor and building passes for visitors; maintain paper and electronic files for the Unit.

• Maintain up-to-date unit files (both paper and electronic). File key documents and maintain project/task folders in WBDocs;

• Perform any ad hoc task assigned by the team including providing support to other staff in the unit/department as needed. 

Selection Criteria

• High school diploma and 5 years relevant experience
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (essential);
• Good proofreading skills;
• Excellent secretarial and organizational skills and attention to detail to ensure high standards;
• Ability to work independently and under pressure; take initiative in judging priorities and organizing workload accordingly;
• Effective team player with strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity in communicating tactfully and effectively with all levels of staff and external clients, both orally and in writing;
• Willingness and flexibility to do overtime when needed, sometimes at short notice;
• Proficient in WB’s standard administrative technology packages (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint).   Knowledge of or ability to learn Worldox, SharePoint and SAP;
• Previous experience working with legal documents desirable.
• Proficiency in a foreign language, particularly Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic or Russian, would be a plus.

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.