WBG Pioneer - Geospatial Data Analysis Intern

World Bank Group • Washington, DC

19h • Onsite

About The Position

The WBG Pioneers program offers students a high-impact learning experience in global development. Participants gain hands-on experience in a diverse environment, contribute fresh perspectives, and connect with international professionals. The Trade Policy and Facilitation Unit is developing a quantitative spatial model to assess the economic impacts of logistics infrastructure, trade facilitation policies, and trade policies at national and regional levels. This model extends a previous cities spatial model and is developed in partnership with other World Bank groups and external partners. The intern will support the compilation, cleaning, and structuring of geospatial data, and assist in the operation of the quantitative spatial model under the supervision of the project team.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in, or in the final year of, a postgraduate (master’s/PhD) program
• 0–6 years of relevant professional experience
• Academic background must align with the requirements outlined in the job description
• Demonstrated interest in development work and the World Bank Group’s mission
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in diverse, team-based environments
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities within tight deadlines
• Proficiency in English; additional languages may be required depending on the role
• Academic background in economics, geography, data science, urban/regional economics, or a related quantitative field, with a focus on spatial or geospatial analysis
• Demonstrated experience in geospatial and remote-sensing analysis, including proficiency with QGIS/ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, and Python and/or R
• Ability to compile, clean, and work with large, complex geo-referenced datasets, such as road networks, population grids, satellite imagery, and household survey data, and to structure them as inputs for quantitative spatial models

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with quantitative spatial or accessibility modeling, and interest in linking transport connectivity and infrastructure to trade and welfare outcomes, is an asset
• Working knowledge of French is an asset

Responsibilities

• Compile, clean, and structure the geospatial data required to parameterize and run the quantitative spatial (“cities”) model, extending it from the city level to the national and regional levels.
• Assemble and process key spatial inputs — including road and transport networks, population grids, terrain data, port and trade-node locations (e.g., PortWatch), and travel-time layers — into model-ready formats.
• Run the spatial model with the prepared data to assess the spatial economic impacts of logistics infrastructure, trade facilitation measures, and trade policies, in coordination with DEC, Transport, and external partners.
• Construct population-weighted accessibility and remoteness indicators to key trade nodes and correlate them with granular socio-economic data.
• Produce maps, interactive dashboards, and other visual outputs to support diagnostics, model validation, and dissemination.
• Contribute to note writing, presentations, and other analytical and dissemination products, and document data sources, methods, and code for reproducibility.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern