Description

Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help client countries solve their greatest development challenges. 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 poverty on a livable planet. 

With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the World Bank Group works with public and private partners, invests in groundbreaking projects and uses data, research, and technology to develop solutions to pressing global, regional and local challenges. For more information, please visit http: http://www.worldbank.org.

The organization has undertaken an ambitious exercise to revise its mandate, products and structure to adjust to the multiple, intertwined crises affecting the world today (see Evolution Roadmap), in the move to becoming a better Bank.

Business Unit Overview

The mission of the Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) Vice Presidential Unit (VPU) is to leverage information and technology as a force multiplier to accelerate, deepen, and sustain development impact. The vision is to harness information and technology for a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more information on ITS, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=VTFGffa1Y7w.  

Department Context

The ITS Data Technology Office is the central entity within the World Bank Group’s Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) department responsible for enabling data, AI, information, and knowledge capabilities across the institution. It comprises four units focused on platforms & tools, product & service delivery, enablement and governance. The office plays a pivotal role in advancing the Bank’s digital transformation, supporting business domains with trusted data, information and AI capabilities, and fostering a culture of responsible innovation.

Unit Context

The Governance Unit is the strategic driver of trust, agility, and responsible innovation in the organization’s data, information, and AI landscape. The unit develops and oversees governance frameworks, policies, and stewardship models that enable the Group, and the public, to maximize the value of its data and information. By embedding governance into product and service delivery, platform design, and business engagement, the unit positions governance as a catalyst for AI transformation and business impact. The unit also fosters partnerships and thought leadership, ensuring the Group remains at the forefront of global best practices in data, information, and AI governance.

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose

Lead the strategic governance function across data, AI, and information domains by guiding and developing teams to deliver on governance priorities. This role ensures that governance is not just compliance control, but a mechanism for elevating information trust and agility, and fueling WBG’s AI-driven transformation through effective people leadership and team-enabled delivery.

Responsibilities

1. Strategic Governance Leadership

- Position governance as a strategic enabler of innovation, not just a compliance requirement.
- Develop and champion governance frameworks that support responsible, scalable, and high-impact use of data, information and AI.
- Ensure governance practices are embedded in delivery, platform design, and business engagement (i.e., “shift governance to the left”).

2. Governance Forums & Collaboration

- Establish and facilitate cross-functional governance councils and working groups to ensure shared ownership and alignment.
- Engage with business units to co-design governance models that support their needs and ambitions.
- Represent ITS on the World Bank’s Access to Information Committee.

3. Data & Information Stewardship

- Ensure governance is business led by operationalizing the data / information Stewardship and Ownership model across WBG.
- Drive initiatives to elevate the quality, accessibility, and readiness of data and information assets for AI transformation.
- Lead efforts to improve metadata, lineage, classification, and semantic consistency across datasets and repositories.
- Collaborate with platform and delivery teams to ensure governance is built into data pipelines and AI workflows.

4. Policy & Standards Development

- Issue,[ITSAR1]  develop and/or maintain policies, standards, and guidelines for data management, AI ethics, information governance, archives, and publishing.
- Ensure alignment with legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements while enabling innovation and agility.

5. Enablement & Literacy

- Partner with the Enablement unit to deliver literacy programs that build responsible data and AI practices.
- Provide toolkits, templates, and guidance to empower business users and citizen data scientists to work within governance guardrails.

6. Risk & Compliance Management

- Monitor and manage risks related to data, AI, copyright, and information lifecycle.
- Lead (or partner with GIA to lead) assessments, audits, and remediation efforts to ensure compliance throughout the business areas.
- Ensure successful implementation of applicable compliance duties and fiduciary responsibilities as defined in WBG policies and procedure instruments (such as, for example, compliance with the Access to Information Policy, and implementation of the duties of the WBG Chief Archivist as defined in the Management of Records Procedure).

7. Partnerships & Thought Leadership

- Build internal partnerships across business units to embed governance into day-to-day practices and decision-making.
- Establish external partnerships with peer organizations, standards bodies, and thought leaders to stay ahead of emerging trends.
- Represent ITS DO in industry forums, working groups, positioning WBG as a thought leader and governance as a strategic differentiator.

8. People Management & Team Leadership

- Build, mentor, and empower a diverse, high-performing governance team by setting clear priorities, roles, and accountability for delivery.
- Foster a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and continuous learning that enables staff to innovate and deliver impactful governance outcomes.
- Provide coaching, feedback, and growth opportunities to strengthen technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and future-ready skills across the team.

Selection Criteria

Skills Required

* Strategic governance and policy development

* Data and information management (metadata, lineage, classification)

* AI ethics and responsible AI practices

* Risk and compliance management (privacy, copyright, records, access to information)

* Enablement and training program design

* Stakeholder engagement and facilitation

* Performance measurement and impact evaluation

* Understanding of a broad range of data, information and knowledge platforms, products and services – from data and AI, through to unstructured documents and archives - and an ability to identify appropriate balance between standardization and customization to unique needs

* Vendor management

Prior Experience

* 12 years, with at least 10 in leadership experience in governance for data, information, or AI domains, elevating governance to be a strategic enabler for navigating complexity

* Developing and operationalizing data, information and AI strategies, governance frameworks, policies, and standards

* Developing and operationalizing business-led IT or citizen data science governance capabilities

* Managing risk, compliance, and audits in complex organizations

* Building partnerships internally and externally for governance best practices

* People Management

Education & Certification

* Advanced degree in Information Management, Computer Science, or related field

*Required certifications: Data/information governance (e.g. DMBOK), Agile/SAFe, Azure Fundamentals

* Preferred: TOGAF, Business Process Engineering (e.g. Six Sigma), Change Management (e.g. Prosci), R or Python certification

Within the first year, this leader will deliver the following:

* Consolidate Governance capabilities and team.

* Define a roadmap for transforming governance into a strategic enabler, shifting its perception from compliance control to a mechanism that fuels innovation, trust, and AI-driven transformation across the Group.

* Define and mature the stewardship and ownership model, ensuring business-led governance.

* Establish and facilitate cross-functional governance councils and working groups to ensure shared ownership and alignment.

* Collaborate with ITSTO and the ‘business-led IT’ initiative to define the citizen data science framework

* Embed data, information and AI governance into existing governance mechanisms across the institution and into ITS product delivery and platform operations (‘lean governance’)

* Partner with product, engineering, and business teams to “shift governance left” and make it integral to day-to-day decision-making.

* Establish robust partnerships internally and externally, positioning the Group as a thought leader in responsible data and AI governance and ensuring alignment with global best practices.

* Demonstrate measurable improvements in data and information management maturity, with clear metrics showing progress toward enterprise-wide AI enablement and responsible innovation.

* Develop, manage, and grow a skilled, engaged delivery team by setting clear expectations, building capabilities, and fostering a culture of accountability and innovation to ensure sustainable, impactful delivery.

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.