JOB DESCRIPTION

Senior Innovation Officer – Learning

Job #: req32891 Organization: World Bank Sector: Learning Grade: GG Term Duration: 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 5/5/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

 

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Office of the Senior Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships

The Senior Managing Director’s (SMD) key mandate includes overseeing the Bank’s knowledge and partnership programs and ensuring that the Bank’s analytical work continues to address the pressing development challenges facing client countries and global partners. The office is responsible for the Evolution Roadmap, G20 and G7 engagements, the implementation of the Knowledge Compact, as well as the replenishment of IDA, the Bank’s concessional lending arm for the poorest countries. It provides strategic guidance on the WB’s global knowledge and IDA corporate commitments; oversees key partnerships with shareholders, development agencies, other multilateral development banks (MDBs) and academia; helps shape and drive the Bank’s strategic directions; and through the Trust Fund portfolio in Global Practices, mobilizes support and financial resources across the international community to bring concessionally to our work.

Building on the progress of past efforts, the WBG Knowledge Compact for Action aims to empower clients, public and private, by systematically making the latest knowledge available to respond more effectively to increasingly complex development challenges. This includes knowledge embedded in policy advice, expertise and know-how, including from financing operations, as well as the latest research, data and tools to formulate robust development policies and programs. The Compact will deliver this knowledge to clients under the four pillars of enhanced products, partnerships, learning and systems. To advance the knowledge agenda, the practice groups will be organized into five vertical vice presidencies aligned with the new mission (People, Prosperity, Planet, Infrastructure and Digital). In addition, three new departments are being created to enhance coordination, integration and outcome orientation across the WBG.

Department for Innovation

The Department for Innovation was established to drive forward-thinking approaches to address complex development challenges facing the world today. It has three pillars to its work program: (i) lead innovation initiatives -in collaboration with the verticals, regions, corporate units, IFC and MIGA, that help strengthen the implementation of the evolution agenda and find new solutions for development challenges; (ii) build a collaborative and experimental innovation ecosystem within the institution; and, (iii) evaluate innovation initiatives to measure their effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for potential scaling in the Bank’s interventions.

Duties and accountabilities:

 
The Department for Innovation is looking for a highly motivated Senior Innovation Officer – Learning. The selected candidate is expected to be entrepreneurial, resourceful and with extensive experience in leading and delivering innovation workshops to equip organizations with innovation toolkits to approach challenging issues in new ways and developing and deploying innovation learning curriculums.

• Develop the innovation learning strategy for the WBG with an objective of embedding innovation in the culture and how we do things.
• Lead user group research to identify key skill gaps, design user-oriented learning modules, and inform learning priorities. Design and pilot engaging learning solutions that enhance learner engagement and retention.
• Design, develop, and implement human-centered innovation (aka, “Design Thinking”) learning curriculums and content to equip the WBG staff with core innovation skills to innovate more effectively and efficiently at their job.
• Manage the development of engaging and impactful learning content for virtual, in-person, and blended learning environments.
• Monitor, track, and analyze innovation learning progress and metrics. Translate insights into actionable recommendations and align leadership to further improve innovation learnings.
• Serve as a core member in developing, refining, and executing the Department’s strategy and priorities to make innovation a core part of the WBG culture.
• Manage innovation learning curriculums to align with institutional goals and diverse staff learning needs.
• Design and implement learning and development initiatives, ensuring timely delivery and measurable outcomes.
• Collaborate with colleagues within the Department and outside the Department to identify learning needs for different groups and proactively offer appropriate learning modules to support teams.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across global teams to support learning programs for diverse audiences.
• Research and curate the latest external learning resources and best practices, including generative AI applications, to better serve the purpose of enhancing innovation capabilities.
• Deliver effective and engaging innovation learning curriculum with a focus on in-person training and workshops.
• Establish and implement an innovation advisory network with internal and external experts to provide various innovation support and services (e.g., pitch refinement, idea generation workshops) to meet internal teams’ needs.
• Contribute to building and strengthening the innovation ecosystem by incorporating findings and insights from staff learning to inform other innovation efforts.
• Support other priorities of the Department.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree (PhD or Masters) in learning, communication, innovation, education, development, economics, public policy, or related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience leading innovative learning programs or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience establishing, managing, and refreshing learning curriculums in partnership with internal and external innovation and learning experts.
• Exposure to human-centered design/design thinking approaches are a plus but not mandatory
• Familiarity with a variety of learning formats and modalities, including digital and print products, live training, and micro-learning. Skill in designing curriculums utilizing human-centered design thinking approaches is a plus
• Experience establishing and managing an internal and external expert network, and connecting teams with experts possessing in-demand skills to accelerate innovations.
• Deep understanding of/ability to learn and apply innovation processes and tools and how to tailor based on the organizational context to embed into the way of working.
• Experience working with diverse teams, facilitating workshops, and introducing new innovation concepts.
• Proven ability in facilitating/leading cross-functional collaborations with internal and external partners. You should be a “connector”!
• Strong relationship management skills, with demonstrated ability to partner effectively with internal leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
• Strong interpersonal skills: positive attitude, and flexibility to work in a team-oriented and multi-cultural environment.
• Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
• Strategic and systems thinker, able to see the big picture and connect the dots.
• Empathic, collaborative, high EQ and people skills. High-level of integrity and discretion, sound business judgment, and inter-personal skills.
• Credible and trusted, strong communicator, able to lead with courage of conviction.
• Passionate about driving innovation and solving complex global challenges.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

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.

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

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements