Senior Mining Specialist

Senior Mining Specialist

Description

Do you want to build a career with impact? Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges.  As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works 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.  For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org.

Infrastructure Vice Presidency (INF VPU)
The WBG Infrastructure Vice Presidency is responsible for getting the right public and private sector solutions for our operational teams and to our clients, and to produce scalable impact.  Its mandate is to deliver knowledge for impact to enable and support the WBG to achieve its goals in support of our mission and specifically: providing guidance on creating more and better jobs; supporting foundational infrastructure and human capital, policy environment, and private sector mobilization; focusing on agribusiness, healthcare, infrastructure, manufacturing, and tourism; and support and accelerate specific targets such as M300, Health 1.5bn, and SP 500. The VPU’s objectives in driving outcomes include replicating and scaling effective solutions, enhancing thought leadership and innovation, and delivering timely knowledge to client teams. 
For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/infrastructure

Metals and Minerals Policy and Regulation Team (KIMPR)
The global mining sector continues to evolve rapidly. Urbanization, agriculture, digitalization, and a soaring need for energy could double the demand for critical minerals by 2040. For many countries, meeting this demand presents a significant opportunity to create jobs and growth. Mining can generate substantial government revenue through taxes, royalties, and state equity stakes that fund schools, clinics, infrastructure, and digital services.  With the right policies and safeguards, mining can progress from a purely extractive industry to one that includes manufacturing and processing. This progress ensures that value and jobs stay local with a long-lasting impact. 

The Metals and Minerals Policy and Regulation unit is embedded within the INF VPU’s Metals and Minerals (M&M) Department of the WBG. This global unit of technical experts is responsible for the design and implementation of WBG operations and knowledge activities in mining at both global and country levels. KIMPR works closely with a multi-donor trust fund program the Extractives Global Programmatic Support (EGPS) and KIMPR team manages global initiatives, including Coal Mines Closure – Just Transitions, and the  Climate Smart Mining (CSM), and the Resilient and Inclusive Supply Chain Enhancement (RISE) program. Within the M&M Team, KIMPR also works closely with the Metals and Minerals Solutions and Impact team (KIMSI), which is responsible for ensuring that the right mix of best practice, investment and advisory solutions are made available to our clients and WBG operational teams in the M&M sectors.

The objective of KIMPR is to provide technical advice and support on cutting-edge policy, analytical work, and investment lending preparation and implementation for government clients, often resulting in financing to support developing countries transform their natural resource wealth into sustainable, resilient, and inclusive economic development, consistent with climate mitigation goals. Any activities follow the parameters of the recently prepared WBG M&M Global Strategy. A core focus of this strategy is the implementation of country partnerships (or compacts). Those partnerships’ key objective is to unlock the potential for economic transformation and development in mineral resources rich countries, by enhancing beneficiation in countries along minerals value chains (exploration, processing and refining). 
KIMPR activities coordination within M&M Asia portfolio 
The Asia region as geographically defined within KIMPR, includes countries within the three WBG regions of Middle East and North Africa (MNA), South Asia (SAR) and East Asia Pacific (EAP). Within this KIMPR Asia geography, the WBG is supporting a growing portfolio of complex critical minerals engagements that combine trust‑funded technical assistance, programmatic partnerships, and coordinated IBRD, IFC, and MIGA support across multiple countries and time zones. 

The objective of this assignment is to support the KIMPR Manager in the effective coordination, management, and strategic oversight of a portfolio of complex critical minerals engagements principally across the KIMPR Asia region, while ensuring strong alignment with the KIMSI team’s investment activities. Initial focus of the position’s day‑to‑day teamwork and coordination includes the following priority engagements: India – National Critical Minerals Mission partnership and Pakistan – Enabling environment for investment operation and Tethyan Belt sector development partnership. Both portfolios are likely to demand up to 60% or more of the coordinators’ time. The remainder will initially be dedicated to portfolio activities and team coordination in the rest of Asia, including Papua New Guinea for an early-stage preparation of a country compact, ASEAN regional engagement, supporting our incoming team leader in Singapore, and support our Asia team in early‑stage or prospective technical assistance engagements across the wider east Asia geography as time allows. 

NOTE: Given the geographic dispersion of engagements across Asia, and the Headquarter location of this position, the role is expected to require regular off‑hours coordination. In addition, the work program for this position requires very frequent travel to the countries mentioned and other countries in the WBG’s MNA, SAR and EAP regions. Mobility, adaptability and flexibility regarding work hours are therefore critical for this position. Finally, KIMPR staff are based in Washington, DC and increasingly in Duty Stations outside of Washington DC (“Field assignment”). Field assignments for all staff are viewed as a part of career path development, implemented through a formal program that connects candidate staff to field opportunities across regions. Depending on the workability of the position’s work program, the position may be considered for being decentralized to the field upon first term completion.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

India – National Critical Minerals Mission: 
• Coordinate WBG support to India’s National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM), currently delivered through RISE trust‑funded technical assistance and transitioning toward a long‑term, programmatic partnership.
• Support coordination across a large, Delhi‑based, multisectoral WBG team engaging intensively with central ministries, public sector undertakings, state governments, and private sector investors.
• Assist in aligning analytical work, policy and regulatory reform support, and investment facilitation across upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of priority value chains.

Pakistan –Tethyan Belt:
• Support an HQ and field-based team on a WBG engagement centered on a major copper‑gold project and the broader development of the Tethyan Belt enabling environment with a goal to prepare a long-term partnership (compact) with the Government of Pakistan on their minerals sector.
• Coordinate upstream policy, regulatory, and institutional technical assistance with downstream IBRD, IFC, and MIGA transaction support.

Papua New Guinea:
• Working with a Senior Mining Specialist based in Port Moresby and P&R colleagues based in Washington and Singapore on a technical assistance to strengthen mining sector institutions, policy frameworks, and environmental and social governance.
• Coordinate closely with IFC and other WBG colleagues on transaction support related to new investment operation, including mine waste management and associated infrastructure investments.
• Support preparation for a potential Country Compact in Indonesia, linking policy reform, institutional strengthening, and investment pipelines.

General Duties across all portfolios in KIMPR Asia region:
• Support the implementation of the M&M department’s global strategy in the Asia region by coordinating Asia team activities and contributing to the framing of country compacts through early‑stage or prospective technical assistance engagements across.
• In the context of country engagement coordination work, be ready to provide expert policy and technical advice to governments on policy, fiscal, institutional and regulatory frameworks for mineral development, processing, governance, negotiations, national economic and infrastructure linkages, and mine closures.
• More broadly help respective teams calibrating country-level narratives across our Asia portfolio in what is “achievable” by benchmarking globally.
• Work in close collaboration with the Metals and Minerals Solutions and Impact team (KIMSI), to ensure alignment with departmental priorities and the delivery of integrated, cross-cutting results. It will also strengthen the articulation between public sector engagement and private sector investments, supporting the development of bankable pipelines and investment-ready opportunities.
• Lead on the development of innovative approaches supporting the WBG’s efforts in mining projects including the development of resilient supply chains for key minerals & metals supported by the WBG.
• Conduct outreach to key stakeholders including delivering presentations to WBG management and staff as well as a range of external audiences.
• Maintain dialogue and internal relationships with regional management units in headquarters acting as important bridge to regional leadership in Washington for our field-based staff.
• Mentor junior staff.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum of a master’s degree or higher in mining, engineering, public policy, economics, or a related discipline and/or a master’s degree in finance or project management with demonstrated mining project transactions experience.
• At least 8 years of relevant mining sector experience.
• Significant experience in mining sector policy, regulation, and institutional reform, ideally combined with exposure to large‑scale mining investments and transactions.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex, multi‑country programs and work effectively across World Bank Group institutions and global practices.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities across time zones.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multicultural environments and build effective working relations with staff.
• Fluency in English required, with either one of Hindi, Urdu and or Arabic as a plus.
• Knowledge of the other various infra core sectors (power, transportation, utilities) and/or experience in financial advisory will be a plus.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

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