Lead Evaluation Officer, Digital

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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. 

About the World Bank Group

• Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.
• The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

IEG’s Role

• The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is responsible for the assessment of the relevance, efficacy, and efficiency of World Bank Group operational policies, programs and activities, and their contribution to development effectiveness. IEG’s evaluations aim to enhance accountability and learning to inform the formulation of new directions, policies and procedures, country and sector strategies, and programs for the World Bank Group’s work.

IEG is directly responsible for:

• Assessing whether the World Bank Group Institutions’ operational policies, programs and activities are producing the expected results, including global, regional, and other programs in which the Institution(s) is (are) a participant.
• Incorporating evaluation assessments and findings into recommendations designed to help improve the development effectiveness of the World Bank Group’s programs and activities, and their responsiveness to member countries’ needs and concerns.
• Appraising the Institutions’ self-evaluations of strategies and projects and attesting to their adequacy to the Boards.
• Reporting periodically to the Boards on actions taken by the Institution(s) in response to evaluation findings, and on the measures being taken to improve the overall operations evaluation system including dissemination and outreach activities.
• Identifying and disseminating evaluation findings and lessons to maximize contributions to the World Bank Group’s learning and knowledge framework and reinforce learning and accountability within the World Bank Group in service of achieving its corporate goals.
• Encouraging and assisting developing member countries to build effective monitoring and evaluation associations, capacities and systems.

IEG operational departments

• IEG is led by the Director General, Evaluation (DGE), who reports directly to the Board of Executive Directors through the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE). IEG’s organizational structure comprises two operational departments: Finance, Private Sector, Sustainable Development and Infrastructure (IEGSP) and Human Development and Economic Growth (IEGHE), which are responsible for leading the evaluation of WBG programs and projects, analytic and advisory products, country strategies, corporate evaluations, and sector, thematic or focused evaluations across the WBG. The IEGSP department comprises three units: IEGFS, IEGSD and IEGFP.

Duties and Accountabilities

The Lead Evaluation Officer reports to the Manager of IEGSD and is a member of IEGSP’s Leadership Team (SPLT). He/she will lead IEG’s work on digital, covering related topics on policy, digital infrastructure, GovTech, cyber security, green tech, artificial intelligence, digital finance and network aspects of the WBG’s support to clients. He/she will be directly responsible for digital related evaluations and advise the SD manager, SP director other members of IEGSP’s leadership team on digital work, including on WBG corporate evaluations where they will engage in WBG internal systems. He/she will provide guidance to the members of the SD and SP teams working on digital topics and will coordinate closely with the lead for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure and the lead for Finance and Private Sector on cross cutting issues.

Below are the key duties and accountabilities of the Lead Evaluation Officer.

Leads – and provides technical advice to staff working on – evaluations related to digital development and supports the IEGSD manager in supervising digital related evaluation work. 

• As TTL, leads the design, implementation and dissemination of IEG evaluations related to digital development, including thematic evaluations and other evaluation products, such as Evaluation Insight Notes (EINs), Learning Engagements (LEs) and other IEG products related to digital development.
• Provides strategic advice and technical insight on digital-related evaluation work led by other colleagues.
• Serves as a member of the IEGSP management team, engaging on issues such as strategic directions and work program; collaboration with other units in and outside IEG and with development partners.
• Leads or participates in evaluations mapped to other IEG units.

Provides technical and strategic advice to the SP Director on digital development related topics.

• Participates in the SP department leadership team, providing advice on evaluation quality, work program, and collaboration.
• Maintains the SP department strategic dialogue with World Bank Group counterparts and with partners on digital related topics. Keeps abreast – and informs the SP director and the DMT – of strategic developments regarding digital development which are relevant to the work of IEGSP.
• Provides technical stewardship and keeps IEGSP staff informed of WBG’s initiatives in digital development areas, including through presentation at IEG staff meetings on the WBG’s strategic direction in these areas and organization of Brown Bag Lunches on digital development topics.
• Facilitates generation and exchange of information on digital development in the department, to promote cross-unit collaboration and learning.
• Reviews and provides comments on thematic evaluations of other IEG units, on behalf of the SP leadership team.
• Advises on outreach strategies for evaluations related to digital thematic areas.
• Mentors IEGSP staff engaging in digital development themes by providing technical, professional and career development guidance.   
• Advises IEG Extended Leadership Team (ELT) on policy developments and emerging digital development issues, including the review of WBG corporate strategies and policy documents requiring feedback based on IEG evaluations.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate is required to have the following minimum qualifications, skills, motivation, and personal attributes:

• Master’s or PhD degree in directly relevant area of expertise. Typically, the successful candidate will have 12-15+ years of relevant experience.
• Prior experience, both operational and policy-related, in digital development and related sectors and substantial background in analytical work.
• Strong familiarity with World Bank, IFC and MIGA operations and ideally in-depth knowledge of the digital operations of at least two of the three institutions.
• Ideally, exposure to evaluation knowledge and management: awareness and experience in understanding the design and delivery of evaluations, preferably in a multilateral development bank context; or solid experience in overseeing or leading the successful preparation and effective dissemination of highly complex analytical products for maximum impact, combined with some familiarity with evaluation principles, criteria and methods.
• Prior experience in successfully supervising a diverse group of highly skilled professionals; demonstrated capacity to motivate and develop teams.
• Excellent communication, diplomatic and negotiating skills, with demonstrated strong personal maturity, balanced judgment, and a track record of building and maintaining partnerships with colleagues and clients.
• Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills, and ability to operate collaboratively across organizational boundaries.
• Proactive, inclusive and innovative, with an open and collegial work style and ability to listen and integrate ideas from diverse points of view.
• Ability to coach, mentor, develop and empower more junior staff, to provide seasoned advice to more senior staff and managers, and to work collaboratively with peers.
• Engaging on evaluations with operational teams: strong practical understanding of how to engage with operational teams effectively in the design and delivery of evaluations, protecting independence and credibility while promoting learning and ownership from operational staff.

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=28767&site=1