WBG Pioneer - AI Data Scientist Intern

Job #: req37690
Organization: World Bank
Grade: T4
Location: Washington, DC,United States; Sofia, Bulgaria; Chennai, India
Hiring Manager: Karina Temirbulatova
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date: 8/12/2026 (11:59pm UTC)

Description

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.

Every World Bank-financed project depends on systems that track how money is spent, how risk is managed, and how communities are protected. ITSFD builds those systems—this internship is a chance to work on them directly.
Background/Organizational Context
The World Bank Group (WBG) finances development projects across the globe through three distinct institutions, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association (IBRD/IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). The Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) Vice Presidency of the World Bank Group delivers a wide portfolio of technology products and services that enable the WBG's development mission. Within ITS, the Fiduciary Operations unit (ITSFD) is responsible for digital solutions that support Procurement, Financial Management, and Environmental and Social Safeguards across World Bank operations.
About the Team: E&S (Environmental & Social)
This internship program is hosted by the E&S (Environmental & Social) team, the product and technology team within ITSFD responsible for building and maintaining the digital systems that support the World Bank Group's environmental and social risk management and accountability functions. The E&S product team builds the tools that both groups, along with task teams and safeguards specialists across the Bank, rely on daily track and manage workflows, and report on E&S risk and compliance.
Interns will gain hands-on exposure to how the Bank manages environmental and social risk, complaints, and incident tracking across its global project portfolio. Depending on their track, they'll build skills in requirements gathering, applied AI/ML for risk classification and case triage, or data engineering, all while contributing to tools that support accountability and protect communities affected by Bank-financed projects.
Duties and Responsibilities
  • Support the design, development, and testing of AI/ML models to support E&S case triage, risk classification, or analytics use cases.
  • Assist in data preparation, feature engineering, and model evaluation using structured and unstructured data from case management systems.
  • Contribute to proof-of-concept work exploring generative AI and automation opportunities within E&S workflows.
  • Collaborate with data engineers and product owners to translate business problems into data science solutions.
  • Document methodologies, model performance, and findings for technical and non-technical audiences.

Selection Criteria

  • Preferred level: Postgraduate (graduate students preferred)
  • Pursuing or recently completed a graduate degree (preferred) in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative field; strong undergraduate candidates with relevant project experience will also be considered.
  • Candidates must have 1–6 years of relevant professional experience.
  • Familiarity with Agile/Scrum concepts and practices is a plus.
  • Proficiency in Python and common ML/data science libraries (e.g., pandas, scikit-learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow).
  • Understanding of machine learning fundamentals, model evaluation, and basic NLP or generative AI concepts.
  • Strong problem-solving skills and ability to communicate technical findings clearly.
  • Prior exposure to real-world datasets or applied projects is a plus.
  • 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.
  • Proficiency in English; additional languages may be required depending on the role.
Note: Please limit your applications to a maximum of three positions. Applications exceeding this limit will not be considered.

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.

The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.  Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.