Economist

World Bank Group•Washington, DC

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The World Bank Group’s Education and Skills Global Department is seeking an Economist or Education Specialist to divide their time equally between supporting the Global Director for Education and Skills and contributing to the Education and Skills Knowledge Bank global team. In the Global Director’s office, the role prepares briefing materials for high-level meetings, coordinates contributions from task teams and regions, and supports partner engagements, missions, and events. In the Knowledge Bank, the role builds and curates the Bank’s knowledge on secondary education under Solution 2 of the SkillUp Education and Skills Implementation Plan, participates in secondary education operations, and supports foundational learning work. The role combines front-office work, which offers exposure to departmental priorities, partners, and the operational portfolio across regions, with technical work on secondary education. The position is based in Washington, DC, reports to the Manager for Education and Skills, and coordinates work for the Global Director’s office with the Global Director and front-office team.

Requirements

Master’s degree in economics, education, public policy, or a related field, with at least five years of relevant professional experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Solid technical knowledge of education policy and systems in developing countries, with demonstrated expertise in secondary or basic education.
Strong analytical skills, including the ability to synthesize research and evidence across sources and communicate clear messages to policy and operational audiences.
Excellent English writing skills and demonstrated ability to produce concise, high-quality briefs, talking points, and presentations for senior audiences under tight deadlines.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate contributions from multiple people and deliver a consolidated product on time.
Experience working with governments, international organizations, or development partners on education policy or programs.
Sound judgment, discretion, and political awareness when handling confidential and sensitive information.
Ability to manage competing demands, prioritize, and respond quickly while maintaining quality.
Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills and ability to work effectively with staff and managers across levels, regions, and cultures.
Collaborative working style and commitment to teamwork and knowledge sharing.
Willingness to travel.

Nice To Haves

PhD in economics, economics of education, or a related field.
Experience in World Bank operations, analytics, or advisory services, or comparable experience in another multilateral or bilateral development institution.
Experience supporting a senior manager or front office, including mission and event preparation.
Research or operational experience on secondary education topics such as transitions and completion, curriculum and assessment reform, secondary school models, or links between secondary education and work-related skills.
Familiarity with foundational learning policy and evidence on what improves learning.
Experience with impact evaluation or quantitative analysis of learning and education data.
Knowledge of another World Bank official language.
Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent contexts.

Responsibilities

Lead and coordinate briefing notes, talking points, speeches, presentations, and background materials for the Global Director’s high-level engagements.
Prepare inputs for corporate processes and requests from the Office of the President, Managing Directors, and the People Vertical, including Board briefings, Annual and Spring Meetings, and responses to Executive Director queries.
Draft concise summaries of the Department’s evidence and positions on topical issues for internal and external forums.
Commission and coordinate inputs from task teams, regional education teams, solution leads, and cross-cutting coordinators, ensuring accuracy, alignment with SkillUp, and timely delivery.
Track the Department’s lending and advisory portfolio to keep briefing materials current on country programs, operations, and results.
Quality-assure and consolidate contributions from multiple sources into clear products written in the Department’s voice.
Coordinate meetings with bilateral and multilateral partners, foundations, and global initiatives, including agendas, background notes, key messages, and asks.
Prepare meeting records, follow up on agreed actions, and maintain records of commitments made to partners.
Coordinate with the partnerships and trust fund team to align the Global Director’s partner engagement with fundraising and partnership strategy.
Help organize country and partner missions, including meeting programs, logistics, and site visits.
Compile mission briefing books covering country context, education-sector policy issues, the Bank’s portfolio and pipeline, development partner activities, counterpart profiles, and suggested messages.
Support the Global Director’s participation in conferences and high-level events, including speech and panel preparation and post-event follow-up.
Work with the Global Director’s front-office team to manage incoming requests, set priorities, track deadlines, and follow up on actions.
Handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
Map and curate knowledge about secondary education, including access and completion, transitions from primary education, learning outcomes, curriculum and assessment, teachers, school models, costs and financing, and links to work-related skills.
Identify evidence gaps and open policy questions and help shape analytical work, impact evaluations, and country learning to address them.
Review the Bank’s secondary education portfolio, identify lessons on design, implementation, and results, and document good practices and unsuccessful approaches.
Contribute to guidance notes, toolkits, briefs, and other knowledge products for task teams, and ensure they are accessible through K360.
Support the secondary education community of practice through clinics, knowledge exchanges, and learning events with regional focal points.
Participate in selected secondary education operations, contributing to project preparation, implementation support, analytical work, and missions.
Provide task teams with timely technical advice on secondary education design questions using the curated knowledge base.
Support selected foundational learning work under Solution 2, including analytical and knowledge products.
Undertake other tasks as needed to support the Department’s work program.