Senior Program Officer

World Bank Group•Washington, DC

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The World Bank Group Academy provides capacity development and training to policymakers and development practitioners to help them design and implement effective social and economic policies that reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet. In doing so, the Academy aims to help build a cadre of development leaders and practitioners in WBG client countries. The Academy was established in June 2024 and serves as a unified platform for the World Bank, IFC and MIGA to foster capacity in client countries. Content design, instruction, and delivery are led by technical experts in the global practices and regions at the World Bank Group. The WBG Academy is seeking a skilled professional with background in knowledge, learning, change management, communication and capacity building to help build out the vision laid out in the Knowledge Compact. The ideal candidate will have strong program administration skills, experience with coordinating in-person, hybrid, and e-learning events, experience in capacity building, knowledge of the World Bank Group learning and knowledge management tools and technologies, knowledge of the WBG policies and procedures, user research, and digital product development. Strong communication skills and a proven track-record of successful cross-team collaboration are essential. This role is flexible and will evolve as the team expands, requiring adaptability and strategic foresight to shape the position and contribute to the department's growth.

Requirements

8 - 12 years of relevant professional experience in program/project management, operations, or capacity development.
Demonstrated experience managing complex program or project portfolios.
Operational experience in the World Bank Group or similar institutions is required; field experience strongly preferred.
Experience in FCV contexts an asset.
Experience working with both public and private sector clients.
Strong program management skills, including planning, coordination, and delivery.
Experience in designing or supporting capacity development or learning programs is highly desirable.
Strong analytical skills, with ability to translate program data into actionable insights.
Ability to work across sectors and integrate knowledge into operational contexts.
Excellent Team member, communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
Ability to work across organizational boundaries and influence diverse teams.
Strong client orientation and results focus.
Proven ability to work in multi-cultural, matrixed environments.
Familiarity with WBG operational processes, instruments, and corporate systems.
Understanding of results frameworks and monitoring approaches.

Nice To Haves

Field experience strongly preferred.
Experience in FCV contexts an asset.

Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of WBG Academy programs (Impact Programs and Practitioner Programs), ensuring timely, high-quality delivery.
Oversee program planning, implementation, and monitoring, ensuring alignment with agreed objectives and results frameworks.
Ensure application of the Academy Approach, including results definition, structured learning journeys, peer learning and outcome tracking.
Coordinate multi-year, programmatic engagements where relevant, including alignment with operational cycles.
Support the integration of the Academy approach into WBG operations (including lending and advisory work), Regional and multi-country programs, Knowledge centers and institutional platforms.
Facilitate the embedding of learning components within operations, ensuring learning supports implementation rather than functioning as a parallel activity.
Work closely with technical teams to co-design Academy programs aligned with operational objectives, structure learning journeys and practitioner engagement, define clear results pathways using the Academy results framework.
Ensure teams have access to relevant expertise from WBG Academy centers of expertise and other global/regional networks.
Build capacity of task teams to design and deliver Academy programs, including coaching and on-the-job support, facilitations skills and overall client engagement training.
Support teams in defining results at the outset and tracking progress using the Academy approach results framework.
Monitor program performance and generate insights to inform adaptation and decision-making.
Contribute to the development of comparable evidence on the contribution of knowledge and learning to operational outcomes.
Liaise with corporate units (e.g., OPCS, ITS, HR, and others) to align Academy programs with corporate processes, policies, and systems and ensure integration with operational guidelines and digital platforms.
Support the positioning of the Academy within WBG corporate architecture (analytics, financing, capacity development).
Engage with external partners (governments, academic institutions, development partners, private sector stakeholders) to co-create and deliver Academy programs, mobilize expertise and global knowledge and promote a results-oriented approach to capacity development.
Support the development of partnerships aligned with scaling solutions and building practitioner networks.
Capture lessons learned and contribute to refining the Academy playbook and methodologies.
Support cross-program learning and dissemination of good practices.
Contribute to institutional knowledge and thought leadership on capacity development for impact.