Communications Specialsit, Washington, DC

World Bank Group; Washington; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

World Bank Group in Washington, DC seeks a Communications Specialist to lead FRLD’s strategic communications for a new Loss and Damage Fund. You will guide strategy, manage a team, and collaborate with stakeholders across the Secretariat and external partners.

Ideal candidate has 5+ years in external relations, media relations, and digital communications; fluency in English is required; experience in climate finance is a plus.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in public policy, international development, finance, economics, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in managing external relations and communications, especially in climate/adaptation.
• Experience with newsroom-style media relations, press targeting, and executive broadcasting.
• Strong networks with media contacts and experience with digital presence.
• Excellent written and verbal English; knowledge of other languages is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead FRLD communications strategy and plan aligned with the Fund's priorities.
• Manage visibility and awareness, promote FRLD value proposition.
• Develop strategic engagement plan and prioritize targets.
• Provide advice for high-level engagements and organize events.
• Coordinate messaging for stakeholders across countries and partners.
• Produce content and manage communications channels for the Fund.
• Support Board meetings with communications materials and branding.

Skills

Media relations

Social media management

Relationship building

Executive communications

Written communications

Education

Master's degree in public policy, international development, finance, economics, or related field

Job description

Communications Specialsit

Location: Washington, DC, United States

Closing Date: 10/22/2026 at 11:59pm UTC

Description

At the World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd

Background & General Description

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA), at COP27 and CMA4, established funding arrangements to assist developing countries particularly vulnerable to climate change. This decision included the creation of a dedicated Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD).

Since then, the COP/CMA formally approved the Fund’s Governing Instrument, authorized the FRLD’s Board to secure a hosting arrangement with the World Bank, which includes hosting the Fund’s Secretariat. The FRLD Secretariat, based in Washington, DC, supports FRLD Board, manages institutional relations, aids in strategy, policy, and program development, and oversees management systems.

With the documented demand for FRLD resources ($2.8 billion worth of Funding Requests) and Board’s decision to begin execution of the resource mobilization strategy, the role of Strategic Communication comes into a sharp focus. Strategic Communications is a cross-cutting institutional function that conveys the Fund’s positioning and narrative through carefully calibrated engagements with external audiences. It translates the Fund’s mandate, decisions, delivery and results into clear, accessible, adaptable, and audience-specific communications; safeguards coherence, quality and reputation across channels; and establishes the systems, standards and forward planning needed for timely and effective communication.

The FRLD Secretariat is hiring a Communications specialist to lead the Strategic Communications work of the Fund. The position will report to the Program Manager for Resource Mobilization, Communications, and Partnerships (RMCP) unit, will lead communications team, will collaborate closely with other teams within the RMCP, across the FRLD Secretariat and FRLD stakeholders.

Duties and accountabilities

FRLD communications strategy and plan

• Lead the development and implementation of coherent FRLD communications and outreach strategy and plan, aligned with and informed by the evolving priorities of the Fund
• Update the strategy and the plan on an annual basis
• Maintain coherence of the strategy and the plan by facilitating contributions and feedback from the teams across the Secretariat

FRLD visibility and awareness raising

• In close collaboration with the Partnerships function of the Secretariat, strategically leverage content and evolving operational realities of the Fund towards relevant, prominent and consistent messaging promoting FRLD visibility and value proposition
• Lead the communications team to build institutional knowledge management systems to capture lessons, produce flagship knowledge products, promote learning across countries and stakeholders.

Strategic engagements

• In close collaboration with the Partnerships function of the Secretariat develop strategic engagement plan and identify priority engagement targets for the Fund
• Provide advice to the RMCP Program Manager on efficient and adequate representation of the Fund at various engagements, including high-level engagements
• Provide leadership and strategic support to organizing and attending high-level bilateral engagements and events (FRLD own and external) by the FRLD Secretariat. Coordinate broader engagements

Secretariat’s messaging

• Lead the communications team and coordinate across the Secretariat to provide timely, accessible and consistent information on the Fund's mandate, access pathways, programming processes and emerging delivery, to the relevant stakeholders (countries, national focal points, funding arrangements, contributors, Board members etc.)

Content production and communication channels

• Lead the communications team to produce content or strategically synthesize and package content produced by other FRLD teams
• Coordinate maintenance and enhancement of communications channels (including digital communication and social media) for the Fund to be able to timely, accurately, consistently, and in alignment with the FRLD’s strategic objectives share relevant information

Support to Board meetings

• Coordinate provision of communications support (content development, branding consistency, visual identity; IT elements as feasible) for the Secretariat’s delivery of Board meetings

Selection Criteria

• Master's degree in public policy, international development, finance, economics, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in managing external relations, communications, journalism, in particular in climate, ideally in adaptation/L&D space.
• Experience with newsroom-style media relations, press targeting, and executive broadcasting
• Working knowledge of network news architecture, including the specific target audiences and programming formats of major broadcast networks (e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC), cable news (e.g., CNN, MSNBC, Fox News), and top-tier digital news syndicates is a plus
• Network of personal media contacts, including network executive producers, segment bookers, line producers, reporters, and national news anchors
• Portfolio of produced media, news, press releases pieces
• Experience managing social media channels or corporate digital presence. Experience collaborating with graphic designers, marketing teams, or external vendors
• Ideal candidate will possess strong relationship-building skills and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English required, knowledge of other language(s) is a plus.

Note: This role provides support to a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF). Roles funded by a FIF are subject to the WBG Staff Directives and Procedures. Additionally, the FIF's governance framework and funding are also relevant to this role.

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.

WBG Culture Attributes

• Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
• Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

WBG Five ManagerialCompetencies Includeonly for managerial positions

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.