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 consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges.
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 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 cross-GP efforts of achieving the new Corporate Scorecard digital indicators.
Data Hosting and Cloud Business Line
As societies and economies advance in their digital transformation, the need for secure, scalable, and resilient infrastructure to host these digital data and systems grows increasingly acute. Cloud computing, with its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and availability, supports the rapid evolution of digital services while enhancing data security. However, significant barriers prevent low and middle-income countries (LMICs) from adopting these technologies, including inadequate procurement, regulation, software development, cybersecurity capacities, and costly or unavailable underlying infrastructure such as broadband connectivity and green energy.
The Data Hosting and Cloud Business Line aims to bridge this digital divide by encouraging cloud adoption, expanding the supply of cloud-enabled data centers, and creating a supportive regulatory enabling environment. We provide public and private sector decision-makers with tools and resources to adopt cloud technologies securely and sustainably, promoting government digital transformation and digital entrepreneurship ecosystems. Additionally, we support the development of local and regional cloud and data center markets in underserved regions, ensuring equitable access to modern digital technologies. By understanding and disseminating emerging good practices, trends, and innovations, we translate this knowledge into actionable insights for internal and external audiences alike.
The World Bank’s Digital Vice Presidency is recruiting a Senior Digital Transformation Specialist to be based in Washington, DC. This role focuses on understanding emerging good practices, trends, and innovations in digital infrastructure and translating these insights into actionable information for task teams and client countries. Key responsibilities include helping governments comprehend hybrid cloud environments, the necessary changes in data infrastructure for the new AI revolution, and the potential to develop local and regional cloud and data hosting markets. The Senior Digital Transformation Specialist will also contribute to or lead new research, analytics, and thought leadership strategies. The position will report to the Program Manager for Data Infrastructure and Digital Industry (DDTDI).
The Senior Digital Transformation Specialist will contribute to designing and implementing the World Bank’s strategic market-based approach to data hosting and cloud computing. This includes (1) Knowledge: developing analytical products, tools, and research; (2) Action: supporting countries and regions to implement good practices; and (3) Convening: building partnerships, norms, and public goods.
Job Duties and Responsibilities
The duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Leading Technical Inputs to Client Engagements
Lead the development and operationalization of the Digital Transformation Global Department’s data center and cloud computing workstream.
Provide expertise and guidance on regulatory and policy frameworks to support cloud adoption and cloud and data center market development in LMICs.
Shape the design, preparation, and supervision of World Bank projects aligned with principles and good practices by providing technical and strategic guidance to country teams.
Contribute to policy dialogue, convening, and consensus-building across stakeholders, including ministries, agencies, private sector, and civil society.
Shaping and Disseminating Global Knowledge and Thought Leadership
Generate policy-relevant insights and tools for relevant to the constraints, challenges and opportunities faced by low and middle-income countries (LMICs) related to hosting data.
Develop and manage a comprehensive analytical and knowledge program related to data centers and cloud in synergy with the Knowledge Bank approach.
Lead or contribute to policy-relevant knowledge products and resources such as policy notes, toolkits, guides, and presentations.
Synthesize and disseminate best practices and trends on government cloud adoption and cloud market development.
Provide thought leadership, staying abreast of the latest trends and developments in cloud computing and data centers, ensuring continued alignment with cutting-edge innovations.
Lead the dissemination of knowledge and best practices related to cloud computing and data centers to internal and external audiences.
Effectively communicate World Bank knowledge and thought leadership on data centers and cloud to various audiences and represent the Bank in high-level meetings and conferences.
Analyze and offer solutions to mitigate risks associated with cloud technologies, including data security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.
Building and Fostering Partnerships
Build strategic partnerships with industry, academia, development partners, and civil society to exchange knowledge and best practices and foster collaboration and innovation.
Foster internal collaboration to leverage World Bank Group products, including those from IFC and MIGA, to help mobilize private capital to close the data center digital divide.
Selection Criteria
Master's degree in Telecommunications, Private Sector Development, Digital Development, Technology, International Development, Gender and Development, or other related field, with a minimum of 5 years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Strong technical and analytical skills at the intersection of gender equality, digital inclusion, and digital development issues.
Prior experience with World Bank corporate support and strategy, including the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines, while delivering high quality outputs.
Prior experience with World Bank operations—especially leading analytical work, supporting client dialogue, designing inclusive interventions, developing sex-disaggregated indicators, and supporting project implementation.
Excellent written communication skills as demonstrated in a proven track record of effectively delivering technical information in a clear, easily understandable, and effective manner.
Driven, self-starter who can proactively solve problems constructively and effectively and with professionalism.
Strong attention-to-detail, creative problem-solving, and coordination/logistics skills.
Proven ability to function effectively as a team member of multi-disciplinary teams and resolve conflicts constructively.
