Do you want to build a career that
is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique
opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development
challenges.
The World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world's
largest sources of development assistance and global expertise for developing
countries. WBG consists of five institutions that specialize in different
aspects of development: the International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), which
together form the World Bank: the International Finance Corporation (IFC),
the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International
Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). For additional
information, please visit http://www.worldbank.org
With twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared
prosperity, the WBG works in more than 100 developing economies to improve
living standards and to fight poverty. For each of its clients, the WBG works
with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector
to formulate assistance strategies. A network of offices worldwide delivers
the programs in countries, liaises with governments and civil society, and
works to increase understanding of development issues. The World Bank is
owned by 189 member countries whose views and interests are represented by a
Board of Governors and a Washington, DC-based Board of Directors. With more
than 150 offices worldwide, the WBG works 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.
The World Bank Group is one of the world's largest sources of
funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources
and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty,
increase economic growth, and improve quality of life. To ensure that
countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge
knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it
works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting
openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development
information and data.
Legal Vice Presidency. In the context of the
World Bank's broad development agenda, the Legal Vice Presidency (LEG), under
the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel (SVP-GC), is responsible
for providing legal advice and support to internal and external Bank clients
on operational, advisory, financial, administration, and institutional
matters.
Department Context
The Development Finance (LEGDF) Practice Group
in LEG is responsible for the legal work on major aspects of the Bank’s
external funds, including with respect to the International Development
Association (IDA), trust funds and global partnerships and financial
intermediary funds (FIFs). Its principal client is the Development Finance
Vice Presidency (DFi), the Bank’s vice presidency responsible for managing and
monitoring policies and procedures for World Bank development financing
vehicles. DFi engages in strategic resource mobilization, playing an
intermediation role to help align the needs of recipients, World Bank Group
institutional priorities, and priorities of funding partners through a
variety of funding instruments. LEGDF also provides support to other
departments in the Finance Partners (namely TRE, WFA, CRO) as well as to OPCS
and the Regions on trust fund related issues.
The selected candidate will be a lawyer who can
operate independently to handle complex legal, operational and policy issues
related to the Bank’s development financing business - with a focus on trust
funds, programs and partnerships and FIFs - while working collaboratively
with other lawyers within the Practice Group and LEG as a whole.
Responsibilities
and Accountabilities
The Counsel position requires demonstrated
technical depth, ability to apply rigorous analytical skills, to work
harmoniously in a team, and to exercise good judgment within a broad range of
contexts on increasingly complex projects. The level and quality of
these skills will be a determining factor in the selection for the position,
and references will be given consideration in this determination.
The Counsel will function as a principal legal
advisor to one or more assigned internal World Bank clients. The selected
candidate will work under general supervision of the Chief Counsel, with
day-to-day guidance provided by one or more Lead or Senior Counsels working
in the same practice specialties. The Counsel will be expected to handle at
least some of the following areas of responsibility:
Key Opportunities
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the
legal and policy issues related to trust funds, programs and partnerships,
financial intermediary funds, IDA and the mobilization of private investment
in general, particularly in financing responses to various natural and
man-made crises.
• Work on the implementation of recommendations
on trust fund reforms that have been endorsed and approved by the Executive
Directors.
• Work on the replenishment of IDA resources.
• Have a
positive and tangible impact on WBG collaboration and best practices with
respect to trust funds, programs and partnerships, FIFs and IDA, as well as
broaden your exposure to key thought leaders regarding this topic within the
institution.
• Develop an in-depth understanding of creating
and successfully implementing culture change, including facilitation,
communication, and governance practices.
Core Responsibilities
Specifically, the selected candidate will be
expected to:
• Serve as a lawyer in LEGDF, which provides
legal advice and services to the following Vice Presidencies within the World
Bank: Development Finance, Treasury, Chief Risk Officer, Controllers,
Regions, as well as to the Global Practices.
• Address all trust fund issues from a legal
perspective in support of DFi, including assistance on trust fund policy and
procedural issues, development (in conjunction with LEGOP) of model forms of
trust fund documentation, review of trust fund proposals, and drafting and negotiating
of agreements with donors.
• Provide legal support with respect to global
partnerships and programs (GPPs), including business process development for
GPP review, assistance on policy and procedural issues, review of GPP
proposals, and drafting agreements for GPP implementation.
• Provide legal support with respect to
IDA matters.
• Handle a wide variety of other projects
relating to transactional, operational and policy issues as requested by the
Chief Counsel.
The work program will involve frequent
interaction with the following:
• Trust Fund and Partner Relations Department
(DFTPR) and Corporate IBRD IDA (DFCII) financial and operational officers and
managers.
• Other Treasury, Chief Risk Officer,
Controllers, and Development Finance staff, including management.
• Staff in the Regions and Global
Practices, including management.
• Counterpart officials with development
partners and other stakeholders, in particular government, supranational
organizations, bilateral agencies, regional and other multilateral agencies,
foundations and other corporations and clients.
• Outside counsel for the World Bank, regarding
highly specialized matters.
•
Colleagues within the Legal Vice-Presidency.
