Urban Development, Territorial Development, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience (WBG Young Professionals Program)

Do you want to join a diverse group of professionals who help change the world?

The World Bank Group (WBG) is 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.

Our Young Professionals Program (WBG YPP) is an exciting way to start a career with the World Bank Group. For close to 60 years, the program has recruited some of the brightest young minds to contribute to our top priorities, from poverty eradication, social development and climate change to the current response to the COVID-19 crisis. 

Urban/Spatial Economists, Municipal Finance/Decentralization Experts, Cities and Climate Change Specialists, Solid Waste Management Technical Specialists  with YPP qualifications below are encouraged to apply from June 15 - July 15 at www.worldbank.org/ypp

We are looking for individuals who are younger than 32 years of age, who demonstrate a passion for international development, graduate level education, relevant professional experience and the potential to grow into leadership roles across the World Bank Group. 

Description

Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice works to help national and sub-national clients build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities, villages and communities.

We are seeking Urban/Spatial Economists, Municipal Finance/Decentralization Experts, Cities and Climate Change Specialists, Solid Waste Management Technical Specialists with specialization or background in one or several of the following areas: 

• Local/municipal finance and decentralization specialists with experience in Decentralization and intergovernmental fiscal and institutional relations; Local own source revenues, including property taxation, service charges and user fees, business taxes etc.; Intergovernmental fiscal transfers to finance municipal and local infrastructure and services, and housing; Subnational and municipal borrowing, including the development of regulatory frameworks, creditworthiness, municipal bond markets and municipal borrowing transactions, municipal infrastructure funds; Municipal expenditures, including municipal budgets, capital and infrastructure planning; Urban and municipal corporations and PPPs, including water utilities (public or private), Special Purpose Vehicles for investment in urban infrastructure; Land value capture financing
• Urban Economists with strong credentials in microeconomics and a broad understanding of urban and spatial development issues; Experience in collecting and analyzing large household and/or firm level data in developing county environments; Skills such as GIS, spatial analysis, spatial econometrics, analysis of spatial networks (such as corridors) is a plus; Demonstrating credible experience in understanding and assessing urban development challenges and solutions using analytic empirical techniques – e.g. examining cost of urban congestion, capitalization of urban investment in housing markets, etc.  Experience in contributing to analytical products in urban and local government issues – including - competitive cities/local economic development, territorial and regional development, municipal service delivery, and/or local government institutions and finances
• Cities and Climate change specialists with background in spatial and land use planning, climate change mitigation, urban resilience and climate adaptation
• Disaster risk management specialists with background in quantitative disaster risk modeling, catastrophe insurance, flood risk management, seismic resistant engineering, landslide/geotechnical risks, and multi-hazard vulnerability analysis
• Urban management and service delivery specialists with background in urban management and municipal service delivery, solid waste management

YPP Selection Criteria

• Born on or after October 1, 1990
• Relevant Master’s by September 2022 OR PhD by September 2023
• 3+ years of relevant experience OR continued study at the doctoral level
• Fluency in English

Desired Qualifications:

• Academic qualifications required:  Candidates should have qualification of at least a master’s level in the following areas:  economics, economic geography, mathematics (for the economists), finance (for the municipal finance specialists), urban studies, urban planning, urban and regional development, geography, public policy (for all urban disciplines), civil/municipal services engineering (for engineering), disaster risk management, seismology, volcanology, geography, meteorology, or physics (for DRM specialists), with work and/or research experience in the areas listed above. PhD is a strong plus for the urban economists.
• Integrative and strong analytical skills;
• Practical working experience in the above technical fields;
• Working within multi-sector teams in urban settings; and 
• Strong analytical skills;
• Demonstrated experience in demonstrating non-cognitive skills, and working within multi-sector teams; and 
• Work experience in developing countries 

World Bank Group Core Competencies

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
• Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
• Project Design for Impact and Sustainability - Contributes to the design of projects and programs based on an understanding of the country and sector context.
• Sector Dialogue - Able to conduct a dialogue with the client including on complex issues, based on a solid understanding of the sector.
• Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions, and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
• Knowledge, Learning, and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank, IFC and MIGA including our values and inspiring stories.