Program Analyst

World Bank Group • Washington, DC

17h

About The Position

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
Eastern and Southern Africa (E AFR) Region
We need the best and brightest talent focused on our region in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Home to about 700 million 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. The subregion harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continue 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 Human Development (HD) Practice Group (PG)

Human development is at the core of the World Bank’s strategy to improve people’s lives and support sustainable development. The Human Development research program spans education, health, social protection, and labor. Additionally, the HD PG houses the gender group.

Education Sector in Eastern and Southern Africa (HAEE2)
The World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Education unit (HAEE2) serves 13 countries, across three Country Management Units (CMUs), impacting over 107 million school-aged children, with more than 40 percent of the children residing in fragile and conflict-affected situations. The region has made significant progress over the last 20 years, with primary enrollment nearly doubled over the last two decades and 11 countries achieving a gross enrollment rate of over 100. However, despite progress, 9 million children are out of school and even for those in school, learning level remains low, with children in the region attaining only 5.3 years of learning- adjusted schooling. Amongst many, learning poverty, gender inequality, and completion rates remain a significant challenge. Through its analytical and operational projects, HAEE2 unit continues to work with governments and development partners in addressing these challenges.

The unit currently has 19 active projects amounting to $3.21 billion in IDA lending, supplemented by six advisory services and analytics (ASAs) and 51 grants totaling $270 million. The countries the unit covers include Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Somalia, DRC, Burundi, Angola and Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia. The diversity of our sectors, from basic education to skills and higher education, reflect HAEE2’s commitment to enhancing educational outcomes and addressing the unique challenges faced by these countries.
The transformation of Africa’s educational outcomes holds global significance, as investments today will prepare Africa's youth to lead in the future. Our AFE business plan emphasizes the necessity of building a coalition for progress, accelerating adaptation, and embracing successful practices to create an educational ecosystem that can help meet the needs of over 300 million children and youth across Africa East and South (AFE). This ambitious vision is underscored by specific, measurable targets such as reducing learning poverty by 25 percent, increasing secondary access for adolescent girls by 50 percent, and reducing the number of youths not in education, employment, or training (NEET) by 22 percent.

AFE is committed to delivering impact at scale by supporting large-scale educational reforms beyond individual projects. This involves leveraging catalytic financing, bringing together countries facing similar challenges, and promoting new regional initiatives like the Africa Center of Excellence. By expanding results-based financing (RBF) and using vertical and horizontal multi-project agreements (MPAs), our unit aims to shape and sustain efforts to improve education outcomes across the continent. The focus on transformational spaces, policy reforms, and a collaborative approach with development partners is expected to create a resilient and equitable educational framework for our countries’ futures.

HAEE2 is recruiting a Program Analyst (PA) who will be primarily responsible for the following activities:

Requirements

• University degree (bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree advantageous) in education, business, public policy or related areas.
• At least 2 years of relevant professional experience, especially in Bank operations and administrative support.
• Excellent inter-personal and organizational skills, client-orientation, diplomatic skills, and mature judgment; ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines; ability to collaborate with others in a multi-cultural environment, manage multiple tasks, identify and respond to needs as they arise, and remain flexible and self-motivated in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.
• English fluency with excellent writing and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Ability to work in French and/or Portuguese desirable.

Responsibilities

• Project Preparation and Implementation: Assist in the development and processing of operational and analytical tasks in select countries in the AFE region. This includes supporting the team leads and members in preparing and reviewing key project documents such as Project Concept Notes (PCNs), Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), restructuring memos, and Board packages. The PA will also support the implementation and supervision of project activities by preparing and reviewing progress reports, such as Implementation Status Reports (ISRs). Ensure timely and effective project monitoring and evaluation. The PA could also be charged with additional tasks such as recruitment of independent contractors and coordination of missions.
• Portfolio and Budget Support: The PA would support the Practice Manager by producing various unit-related documents in response to identified needs. This may include unit business plan, portfolio monitoring, outcome/impact summaries, and case studies that describe project/program outcomes and impacts. The PA will also do the budget tracking and reporting, including making the transition to the new Staff Billing System (SBS) and the trust fund tracking processes.
• Communications Tools: The PA will support teams to produce external communication tools, such as PowerPoint presentations and analytical summaries, that synthesize ongoing research and operational activities. The PA will also provide administrative support, including planning conferences and workshops, and organizing mission logistics, as needed. Ensure effective coordination of project-related events and activities.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees