WBG Pioneer - SPARC for Conflict-Affected and Reconstruction Contexts Intern

World Bank Group • Washington, DC

11d • Hybrid

About The Position

WBG Pioneers, the World Bank Group’s Internship Program, offers undergraduate and postgraduate students a high impact learning experience at the heart of global development. Participants gain hands on experience in a diverse and dynamic environment, contribute fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, and connect with international professionals working to end poverty on a livable planet.

Requirements

• Candidates must be currently enrolled in, or in the final year of, a postgraduate master’s or PhD program.
• Candidates must have 1–6 years of relevant professional experience
• Academic background in urban planning, geography, geospatial analytics, data science, remote sensing, international development, public policy, disaster risk management, conflict studies, economics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated interest in applying geospatial data and analytics to urban resilience, reconstruction, FCV, displacement, service delivery, or infrastructure planning.
• Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills, including ability to synthesize technical material for non-specialist audiences.
• Experience with GIS, remote sensing, spatial data management, Python/R, Google Earth Engine, QGIS or ArcGIS, or related tools.
• Ability to work effectively in diverse, team-based environments
• Excellent written and spoken English

Nice To Haves

• knowledge of Arabic, Ukrainian, French, Amharic, Swahili, or other relevant languages is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Review SPARC materials, reconstruction, and forced displacement use cases, and good practice on remote monitoring, damage detection, displacement tracking, and urban recovery analytics.
• Map relevant conflict-specific (including forced displacement) data sources and methods, including satellite imagery, building footprints, road networks, land cover, nighttime lights, population proxies, hazard exposure layers, and administrative datasets.
• Support definition of SPARC use cases for conflict and post-conflict settings, including reconstruction prioritization, service disruption screening, and remote supervision of recovery investments.
• Contribute to analytical frameworks, prototype analytics, mock-ups, and concise operational materials for selected contexts, subject to data availability and team priorities.
• Prepare notes, briefs, slide inputs, and documentation on data quality, uncertainty, limitations, validation needs, ethical considerations, and appropriate use in sensitive FCV contexts.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern