Regional Director Digital - Washington, United States - World Bank Group

World Bank Group

Verified Company

Washington, United States

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Mark Lane

beBee recruiter

Description

Job #:

- req27637
Organization:

World Bank
Sector:
Digital Development
Grade:
GI
Term Duration:
4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment
Location:
Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s):

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:

6/7/2024 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description

Regional Context

The Regional Director will cover Digital Transformation in two regions: Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LCR).

The Regional Director will jointly report to ECA and LCR Regional Vice Presidents

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people.

A predominantly middle-income region, ECA continues to be at the forefront in confronting the numerous development challenges that countries face in the evolving global economy.

Several countries in the region face structural and legacy issues, including an incomplete transition to a market economy and declining productivity, weak institutional capacity, dependance on fossil fuels, limited physical and digital connectivity and demographic transition.

The spillover impacts of recent shocks (COVID-19, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, weather shocks and natural disaster) have further exacerbated these challenges, with significant impacts on the level, inclusiveness and sustainability of growth and overall living standards.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is working closely with IFC and MIGA to support ECA countries to address to support climate action, including energy transition and water management, human capital and economic inclusion, productivity and job creation, and physical and digital connectivity.

The region has a strong lending pipeline as well as a large portfolio of Trust Funds (TFs) and Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS).

Knowledge is critical to the Bank's value proposition to client countries in the ECA region in both lending and advisory services.

Similarly, the WBG serves 30 client countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR).

Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state.

Despite immense resources, dynamic societies, and an average annual per capita income of about $4,000, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region's people living in poverty.

The last Bank's strategy for LCR focused on three pillars:
(a) supporting the foundations for inclusive growth; (b) investing in human capital and protecting the poor; and (c) building resilience. In the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic, this strategy will need to be adjusted to better support the countries deal with a health crisis without precedents and an economic crisis not seen since modern statistical records started in 1900.

Yet, the basic elements of the strategy:

accelerating growth (following a projected GDP contraction in 2020 of 7.2%), investing in human capital, including in health (in the most affected region by COVID19), and building resilience appear fully relevant.

Digital Vice Presidency Digital technologies offer a unique opportunity to transform development through digital solutions.

The Digital Vice Presidency and its global and regional teams will support client countries in building the foundational and cross-cutting elements of digital transformation through:

Building digital infrastructure and data platforms (including AI, cloud computing and digital public infrastructure)
Protecting institutions, businesses, and citizens through cybersecurity and data protection & privacy
Developing ICT sectors and supporting digital entrepreneurship, skills, and jobs
Implementing and digitalizing digital government services that improve accountability and transparency
Supporting the Vice presidencies of People, Prosperity, Planet, and Infrastructure in the digitalization efforts of their clients, and in leveraging digital solutions, including building client sectoral digital capacity, defining sectoral specific AI strategies, and designing sectoral AI solutions
Coordinating the operationalization of the digital Global Challenge Program as well as crossGP efforts of achieving the new Corporate Scorecard digital indicators.

The Digital VPU, through its global and regional teams and working in collaboration with other teams across the World Bank, will deploy a range of products, services, and partnerships to advance global knowledge around key digital transformation topics and to support countries to define and implement their vision for digital transformation through:

Financing to governments in the form of grants, loans, guarantees, and risk management products to support digital investment projects and implement policy reforms.
Advisory services including targeted policy guidance, technical assistance, a