Senior Operations Officer

Senior Operations Officer
Job #: req34849

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Operations

Grade: GG

Term Duration: 4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type: International Recruitment

Location: Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s)
Closing Date: 11/18/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description
The World Bank Group 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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

The Development Finance Vice-Presidency (DFi) is responsible for the management and monitoring of policies, procedures, and resources for the World Bank's development financing vehicles. DFi sets the policy framework for the World Bank Group's development finance by engaging in strategic resource mobilization, playing an intermediation role to help align the needs of recipients, WBG institutional priorities, and priorities of funding partners, through a variety of funding instruments. These include the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's fund for the poorest, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and trust funds, including Financial Intermediary Funds (FIFs).

Given the nature and variety of this portfolio, DFi works closely with the President's office, Executive Directors, WBG senior management, corporate and operations units across the WBG, funding partners and government officials. As such, DFi is structured to provide the institution with a more holistic approach to financing, financial policy, and strategic fundraising across IDA, IBRD, and Bank/IFC trust funds and partnerships.

Within DFi, the Development Finance Trust Funds and Partner Relations (DFTPR) Department is at the forefront of the Bank's engagement on Trust funds, FIFs, cofinancing and partner relations. The Department is responsible for managing and administering the almost US$50 billion portfolio of trust funds and FIFs, designing and establishing new, multi-donor partnership initiatives underpinned by trust funds and FIFs, and setting the policy and procedural framework for trust funds, FIFs and Partnerships in such a manner they complement IDA and IBRD. Currently, the department holds a trustee role for 28 FIFs.

DFTPR comprises two units – i) Trust Funds Policy and Partner Relations, and ii) FIFs, Digital and Analytics (subsumed under the title of "Financial Management"). The Evolution Roadmap of the World Bank, with its concurrent focus on the financial model and the operational model, has presented several new opportunities for DFTPR and entailed that the work program of the department be expected to pivot towards new ways of functioning and responding to new challenges. These include inter alia an enhanced focus on co-financing in the public sector, developing new partnerships such as with more expansive sovereign and non-sovereign entities, responding to expectations of financial innovations in the management of FIF portfolios, resultant tweaks and changes to the policies on trust funds and FIFs, as well as increased demands for data and analytics. In addition, with the global attention to the reform of MDBs, WBG trusts funds and FIFs are in the public eye in ways that they were not previously. This requires an understanding of external and internal communications, an appreciation of how trust funds and FIFs work operationally and how they are linked to the broader landscape of the WBG's work and ultimately, their impact on the ground.

Korea World Bank Partnership Facility
KWPF was established in May 2013, is an initiative to strengthen ties between the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance and the World Bank Group (WBG). The facility's overall objective is to assist developing member countries of the WBG in achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth and to foster broader dialogue on economic development issues. The facility supports a broad range of economic development opportunities with a focus on promoting good practices by leveraging the WBG's knowledge and convening power and Korea's expertise. Through this Facility, the Government of Korea provided US$90 million during FY14-FY16 (Phase I), US$90 million for period FY17-FY19 (Phase II) and a replenishment of US$148 million from FY20 through FY23 (Phase III). The second phase of the KWPF for FY24-27, in the amount of US$140 million, was signed on October 12, 2022. Two calls for proposals for the second phase of KWPF took place in FY24 and FY25, respectively, resulting in approximately $30m in new approvals. An FY26 call for proposals with a US$15m allocation will be taking place in Q2/FY26.

KWPF seeks to support WBG projects that are designed to maximize development impact. In doing so, the Facility emphasizes strong alignment with the WBG's lending operations and strategic policy dialogue, as well as on sharing Korea's development experiences with developing countries. The program also has a focus on involving Korean institutional partners in sharing Korea's development experience with developing countries. KWPF started producing newsletters, and issued five editions in FY24, with the frequency of approximately every other month and has transitioned to an external newsletter format in FY25.

China World Bank Partnership Facility
CWPF, established in July 2015, is a partnership between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the WBG that seeks to support developing member countries of the WBG to promote inclusive and sustainable development by enhancing cooperation between China and the WBG. Through this facility, the Government of the People's Republic of China has contributed a total of US$102.8 million - US$ 52.8 million during FY16-FY24 (Phase I), and US$50 million during FY26-31 (Phase II). CWPF seeks to enhance tripartite cooperation between China, recipient countries, and the WBG by leveraging different pools of resources, both financial and knowledge-based, to support demand-driven activities. The Facility supports activities that are aligned with priorities of the recipient countries and with the WBG's strategy and are also replicable.

Role & Responsibilities
DFTPR is seeking a Senior Operations Officer to join its Trust Fund Policy and Partner Relations unit to manage the Korea World Bank Partnership Facility and the China World Bank Partnership Facility. The incumbent will report to the DFTPR Manager. The Senior Operations Officer will oversee a team comprised of a Program Officer, an Operations Analyst, and a Korean secondee.

The Senior Operations Officer is responsible for the following aspects in managing the KWPF and the CWPF:

• Manage the work plans for both facilities, requesting and allocating necessary resources to deliver on it
• Manage calls for proposals and all associated steps
• Manage technical committee meetings, and in the case of the CWP the steering committee meetings
• Review and assess project proposals
• Review and approve Grant Fund Requests
• Lead the continuous dialogue with donor
• Manage the annual technical consultations
• Organize the annual event for KWPF
• Manage the relationships in these facilities with relevant units of the Bank, including EAP and IFC
• Lead the dialogues with TTLs on results/progress achieved by facility-supported activities
• Prepare periodic reports to donor
• Prepare briefings on KWPF and CWPF for DFI Management as required
• Coordinate closely with ECR on all internal and external communications

Other contributions to the work of the unit. The Senior Operations Officer will:

• Represent DFTPR as donor focal point for Korea and China
• Contribute to different aspects of training and capacity building activities as part of Trust Fund management within the WBG
• Prepare notes, briefings, and other communication products for Management as needed
• Undertake additional duties and tasks as specified by the Manager

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree (Master's) in development economics, public policy, finance, management, accounting or other related fields, and minimum 8 years of relevant experience; or comparable combined education and experience.
• Demonstrated command of, and experience with, Bank trust fund policies, procedures and practices. TLAP accreditation. Recent participation in the TF Academy would be a plus.
• Proven leadership, experience, and technical ability to manage a large Trust Fund or large projects.
• Experience with managing relations with donors.
• Knowledge of ongoing trust fund reforms and how these are expected to add value to the work of Bank operational units.
• Thorough understanding of the Word Bank project policies and procedures as they relate to the full life cycle of investment projects and ASA work; direct experience as TTL or team member for such a project would be a plus.
• Understanding of development and developing country issues, and capacity to assess policy issues and interrelationships of sector, macroeconomic and country strategies.
• Familiarity with analytical tools and ability to translate theoretical concepts into practical approaches for Bank operational work.
• Knowledge of results management of development operations, including how to formulate SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attributable, Realistic, Relevant, and Time-bound) results frameworks and effective monitoring approaches.
• Familiarity with procurement, accounting and disbursement policies, procedures and systems.
• Experience across GP and/or CMUs to understand the different needs and operational practices of different internal clients.
• Ability to solve complex problems, and willingness to reach out to others to help find practical solutions to challenging operational issues.
• Proven track record both as an effective team leader and team player.
• Demonstrated ability to work across organizational boundaries with corporate units and operational units, and strong integrator skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically and synthesize complex issues.
• Proven ability and flexibility to multitask, meet deadlines, provide quality outputs, and attend to details while maintaining an overview of the Trust Fund business. Must be able to anticipate and react promptly to competing demands.
• Demonstrated maturity and sound judgment.

Core Competencies
WBG Culture Attributes:

• Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
• 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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