Practice Manager
| Job #: | req36479 |
| Organization: | World Bank |
| Sector: | Digital Development |
| Grade: | GH |
| Term Duration: | 4 years 0 months |
| Recruitment Type: | International Recruitment |
| Location: | Washington, DC,United States |
| Required Language(s): | English, Spanish |
| Preferred Language(s): | |
| Closing Date: | 5/8/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC |
Description
The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions driven by a bold vision to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, we help solve the world’s greatest development challenges. When you join the World Bank Group, you become part of a dynamic, diverse organization with 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide. We work with public and private sector partners, invest in groundbreaking projects, and use data, research, and technology to bring tangible and transformative change around the globe. For more information, visit www.worldbankgroup.com VPU Context: The World Bank Group serves 33 client countries 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, and to varying degrees face three key challenges – low productivity and growth, low quality jobs and low resilience to shocks. The region is tackling these challenges with a strong WBG approach, underpinned by selectivity and complementarity between the value added of public and private arms, and in strong partnership with relevant regional development partners. A. The challenge of low growth: After recovering lost output, the region is returning to pre-pandemic low growth and productivity scenario. After a solid post-pandemic rebound in economic activity (7.2% and 3.9% growth in 2021 and 2022 respectively), GDP growth returned to the pre-pandemic low growth around 2.2% in 2023 and 2024, with a medium-term outlook of 2.5%. With an average Gini co-efficient of [0.52] LAC remains also one of the most unequal regions in the world. It is a region where the bottom 50% earn 27 times less than the top 10%. It also represents stark differences in opportunity, a child born today in the poorest 20% quintile in LAC will on average be 17 percentage points less productive than a child born in the richest 20%. B. The challenge of quality jobs: the need for better quality jobs is paramount, with 6.2% unemployment rates, these low levels mask a deeper issue of job quality. Reflecting stagnating living standards, labor earnings have only grown by 1% or less per year in most countries over the past decade, and some 19% of workers in the region are earning incomes below the poverty line. • Investing in foundational infrastructure critical to job creation, LAC needs to invest at least 3.1% of GDP in infrastructure investments per year, yet it only invests 2%, which is significantly lower than the world average of 5.4% of GDP. This underinvestment in physical infrastructure, including in key infrastructure sectors (including resilient transport, water, energy etc.) is holding back potential for better jobs. The region is supporting clients by supporting selective transformative infrastructure projects (e.g. urban mobility, regional transport and connectivity). On human infrastructure challenge, firms in the region continue to cite skills shortages (55% of firms in LAC vs 45% in MIC regions) as a key barrier to growth and job creation. A child born in LAC is expected to reach only 56 percent of their productive potential. Three out of four 15-year olds fail basic math proficiency and cannot read adequately the soft side involves supporting clients revamp their education and health sectors. The region is supporting clients to revamp their education and health care sectors. • The LAC region also needs to foster a predictable, business-enabling policy and regulatory environment. These include ensuring macro stability, eliminating restrictive business regulations in product and factor markets, and improving access to finance, especially long-term capital. Labor market regulations in LAC are noted to be on par with the most restrictive labor market regimes among OECD countries. Further, enforcement of competition policy needs to be supported due to high levels of market concentration in LAC markets: the 50 largest firms in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile have revenues greater than 30% of GDP. At 55% of GDP, domestic credit to the private sector remains much lower than EAP (178%). • Private capital needs to be appropriately incentivized to support the provision of public goods and investments in key sectors, especially those that have the highest potential to enable and/or create better quality jobs. However, at only 19.8% of GDP, gross capital formation remains lowest among all regions (EAP is at 38% and South Asia at 30%). Private capital mobilization in the region is being held back by shallow capital markets, lack of long-term finance, high cost of capital, regulatory and institutional barriers (including in PPP frameworks). Based on country contexts, the WBG will support investments in productive clusters (energy/mining, value added manufacturing, agribusiness, tourism, etc) across the public-private spectrum. C. The challenge of vulnerability to shocks. Building resilience of the countries to shocks, including natural disasters, through contingent financing and other innovative risk management platforms at country and regional levels is critical given the high exposure to climate–related disasters and natural hazards. The Central America and the Caribbean have recurrent hurricanes that have impacts on GDP significantly higher than the regional average of 1.7%. Several countries are experiencing deep, long droughts, increasingly intense storms, and floods that disrupt economic activities and affect livelihoods, with impacts on the most vulnerable populations. Digital Development Global Practice The Digital Development (DD) Global Practice plays a critical role in enabling the achievements of the Twin goals and the Sustainable Development Goals. Digital technologies are transforming firms, governments and people’s lives; and with the digital economy growing at a rate significantly higher than that of the global economy, it offers emerging economies a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional paths for development through digital solutions. Collaborating across technical, geographic and institutional boundaries, the DD team helps design and deliver digitally-enhanced solutions aimed at harnessing the full potential of digital transformation. This requires decisive policy action to mobilize private investment, promote competition in digital markets and support the rollout of infrastructure in commercially unviable areas. It also entails working with client countries to develop digital platforms, strengthen data protection against privacy and cybersecurity risks, and leverage the potential of digital technologies to enhance environmental sustainability. The DD Global Practice has been led by a Director supported by several Practice Managers (PMs) and Program Managers with specific regional responsibilities and global responsibilities. This Practice Manager will manage the delivery of DD’s programs in the Latin America & Caribbean (LCR) region. The location for this position is Washington, DC. An alternative location ( i.e. Bogota, Colombia or other LCR locations) may be possible, subject to business needs and management approval. Duties and Accountabilities The PM will collaborate across technical, geographic and institutional boundaries to help design and deliver development solutions to a diverse range of clients, while supporting global knowledge flows to share knowledge and practical development experience with other countries, assuring that lessons from outside the region are reflected in Bank-supported programs in LCR. The PM is a member of the LCR Regional Leadership Team. The PM is also a member of the DD GP Management Team which sets the GP’s strategic global directions and sits in the DD GP Talent Board overseeing the strategic staffing, career development and deployment of DD staff across the Bank. More specifically, the PM is responsible for the following areas: Solutions and Results to Clients: • Leads her/his team to deliver on the GP’s key strategic priorities and specific activities, including by (i) leading business development efforts, (ii) assuring the quality of the lending, ASA and RAS pipeline and portfolio in the region, (iii) working closely with the CMUs, the regional director, Program leaders, and (iv) ensuring alignment with the WBG Regional Strategy and Country Partnership Frameworks. • Draws on global thought leadership and implements know-how to ensure high impact solutions; provides focused, evidence-based and just-in-time analytical insights to clients with a view to inform better decision making. • Builds and maintains a balanced portfolio of innovative, cost-effective and demand-driven products and services. • Works in partnership with other GPs, IFC, MIGA to find tailored solutions to complex development challenges. • Accountable for delivering high-quality and timely results. People/Talent Management: • Models exemplary WBG leadership values and supervisory behaviors and reinforces these qualities in own team and staff. • Drives and inspires technical excellence within the team and the GP by creating an environment of learning and innovation that attracts and develops the best talent reflective of the diversity of our clients. • Supports the GP’s Leadership Team in developing and implementing appropriate strategies for global staffing, deployment, talent and performance management. • Supervises DD staff and agrees on respective responsibilities and work programs. Mentors Washington and field-based staff, being responsive to staff requests, and ensuring they remain well connected with the rest of the team. • Attracts new talent to match the growth and changing nature of the agenda. Knowledge Management and Partnerships: • Responds to global, regional and national challenges and opportunities in the broader DD area. Ensures that the GP is at the forefront of the development debate and contributes to the global dialogue on DD. • Contributes to international fora on DD matters, in coordination with the DD Director and other PMs. • Develops close partnerships with donor agencies, international organizations and other development partners as well as private sector and technology leaders as well as academic institutions active in the DD area. • Strengthens the analytical base of the unit’s work and fosters partnership with leading global institutions and experts, ensures timely flow and capture of knowledge and expertise so that clients receive the highest quality support and knowledge they need, when and where they need it. • Promotes innovative and cross-cutting research, as well as the dissemination of technical and experiential knowledge and learning. • Instills a culture of evidence-based, yet client-tailored engagement for highest development impact. Resource Management: • Establishes funding priorities and manages within available budget constraints. • Provides leadership in fundraising efforts. • In consultation with relevant stakeholders within the WBG, decides on the best use of internal and external resources for maximum client and developmental impact. • Is accountable for delivering the agreed upon work program through cost-effective use of resources (human and budget) within the agreed parameters and in compliance with internal controls and policies and ensures timely delivery and overall quality of the GP’s outputs.
Selection Criteria
• Masters or PhD degree in economics, public policy, private sector development, technology, telecom engineering, or another relevant field. • At least 12 years of relevant experience in positions of increasing complexity and responsibility. Experience working for telecoms operators, digital consultancies or telecoms regulators would be a particular advantage. • Experience in at least two regions, or a combination of regional and corporate assignments. • Excellent operational skills covering policy lending (IPF/P4R/DPF) and ability to lead complex policy dialogue. • Excellent leadership and supervisory skills with established track record managing multi-location and virtual teams. • Strong operational and development experience and track record, including in more than one region. • Technical knowledge and experience in one or more of the DD areas described above is desirable, though solid managerial and influencing skills are at a premium for this position. • Demonstrated in-depth experience and track record of results and successfully working across practices, disciplinary and institutional boundaries. • Ability to influence dialogue and policy on DD and its use in other sectors without direct control or authority. • Strong sense of strategy, including ability to prioritize and exit activities and engagements; track record in streamlining and rationalizing product offerings. • Good partnership experience, including involving multiple stakeholders – both public and private – in building collaborative alliances for results. • Experience in applying practice know-how and effective policy dialogue to achieve development results. • Strong written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish are required with proven experience in dealing with the media, external stakeholder and expert groups. WBG Leadership Values and Managerial Behaviors: • Leadership of Self: Role model the change and values for WBG; Demonstrate courage of convictions, ownership and self-mastery within the organization in accordance with our values. • People Leadership: Lead and inspire staff to perform and deliver for better results; Help others achieve their fullest potential through coaching and mentorship. • Collaborative Leadership: Be mutually accountable for entire WBG’s corporate targets and success; Work across WBG and with clients and partners to achieve better results. • Client Solutions Leadership: Be the leading provider of development solutions for country clients; Provide leadership in both knowledge generation and knowledge sharing. • Decisive Leadership: Take informed risks and make decisions in a transparent manner resulting in transformative impact for clients; Commit to decisions once they have been made.
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.
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.
