Program Manager | Riyadh, SA

Program Manager

World Bank Group Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Apply now Posted 22 hours ago Permanent Competitive

Program Manager

Job #: req32724
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Other
Grade: GG
Term Duration: 3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): Arabic
Closing Date: 4/27/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is undergoing a transformation in its economy and society towards the achievement of its Vision 2030, a long-term plan to expand the economy and reduce its dependency on oil revenues. Key pillars of Vision 2030 include diversifying the economy, enhancing the private sector role, investing in strategic sectors such as tourism and entertainment, empowering Saudi youth, and fostering innovation and technological advancement. At the same time, the World Bank Group (WBG) is reigniting its role as a Knowledge Bank by renewing and strengthening its global knowledge role in view of the ongoing data and technological revolution. In its reinvented role, the World Bank Group strives to take knowledge to a new level and place it front and center, with the emphasis on ending poverty on a livable planet.

In December 2024, the World Bank Group and the Government of KSA signed a partnership agreement to establish a WBG-Saudi Arabia Knowledge Hub (K-Hub). The K-Hub will act as a platform to facilitate the generation, dissemination and exchange of specialized knowledge and good economic practices. It will act as a vehicle through which KSA can share its experience in areas of its expertise within the neighboring regions and more globally, while also benefitting from the experience of other countries in areas of strategic relevance. The aim is to offer centralized access to information in the focus themes, transferring countries' successful reforms, fostering innovative ideas, supporting evidence-based policymaking, and improving the effectiveness of development efforts across areas of focus. It will also provide a centralized effort for capacity building in key technical skills. The WBG has established similar hubs in many countries, for example in Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, among others. The WBG-Saudi Arabia K-Hub has a global outreach, with focus on particular regions depending on the country's priorities. Regions of particular interest in the initial phases of its establishment are the MENA region and Africa. The Steering Committee, which is set to meet regularly, will determine and review priorities.

The K-Hub is a WBG initiative, led by IBRD and building on its expertise in establishing similar platforms, with endorsement and participation from the International Financial Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). As such, it builds on the institution's global positioning to ensure visibility of KSA's success areas, and benefit from other countries' experience to inform and inspire KSA's transformational journey.

The K-Hub will start with an initial focus on two overarching themes, Competitiveness and Diversification, which will have a range of more focused sub-themes, agreed upon with the Saudi counterparts. As seen in other WBG hubs, these can naturally expand over time to include other relevant themes, or even other pillars. The following four sub-themes have been selected for the first phase of the knowledge hub program: (i) Business Environment Reforms; (ii) Innovation Policy and Quality Infrastructure; (iii) Productivity Growth and Firm Capabilities; (iv) Exports Diversification, Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation; (v) Cross Cutting Theme: Data Modernization (Quality, Availability/Access).
Duties and Accountabilities

MNA MNC05 seeks to hire a highly motivated and seasoned professional with strong technical expertise in areas of specialization listed above and proven record of client relationship management to lead the dialogue and activities of the Knowledge Hub on the ground, and engage with other stakeholders in Saudi Arabia and in beneficiary countries. The duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following main tasks:

• Represents the WBG in the K-Hub and serves as focal point on all K-Hub issues.
• Leads, engages in and shapes high level policy dialogues in areas of core competence.
• Manages the K-Hub day-to-day activities; leads and/or advises K-Hub staff activities and engagements.
• Advises the country director on important policy issues.
• Takes part in discussion with other stakeholders in Saudi Arabia in relation to the K-Hub topics.
• Leads and oversees the analytical work program of the K-Hub and their quality control.
• Connects technical expertise and knowledge across the WBG.
• Actively develops new areas of collaboration that contribute to the evolvement of the K-Hub.
• Mentors and coaches the group of staff working on the delivery of the K-Hub activities.

Selection Criteria

This position reports to the Country Director for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The position requires technical breadth and depth in core areas of Economic Policy (EP) and Finance, Competitiveness and Investment (FCI) to carry out client dialogue and devise development solutions. A combination of integrative skills, strong knowledge experience, policy dialogues, sensitivity to the political economy of the client country, in-depth knowledge of WBG services and products, and strong communication/language skills are required. Specifically, the candidates should have:

• Ph.D. or master's degree in economics, public policy, international development, trade, business, finance or related discipline with at least twelve (12) years of relevant professional experience, including a track record of delivery of high quality analytical and advisory products.
• Strong analytical skills in private sector development, macroeconomics, finance and development economics, or related areas; and proven ability to conduct policy-relevant research.
• In-depth knowledge of WBG analytical and advisory services, including work programming, budgeting, task management, and strong familiarity with WBG knowledge agenda.
• Demonstrated client orientation through identifying and evaluating emerging opportunities aligned with WBG strategy, and challenging others to remove barriers and to deliver beyond client expectations.
• Proven experience in leading high impact knowledge products; GCC experience would be an advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate sectoral inputs into a broader development framework.
• Demonstrated leadership in teamwork, in working across boundaries and in ensuring that diverse talent and capabilities is mobilized.
• Proven ability to work across practices and disciplinary boundaries.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex analyses to non-specialist audiences.
• Strong client-orientation and diplomatic skills combined with candor and courage of opinion.
• Ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments and adjust to a variety of complex evolving tasks to meet deadlines.
• Entrepreneurial capabilities that can be deployed in identifying and securing new business opportunities.
• High energy and demonstrated interest in achieving impact through analytical work and technical assistance.
• Arabic language is a plus but not mandatory.

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.

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