ET Consultant - Governance & Public Administration

World Bank Group; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The World Bank Group seeks an ET Consultant in Governance and Public Administration to support reform efforts across public institutions, focusing on strategic planning, data-driven management, and interministerial coordination. You will report to the Practice Manager of the Global Public Administration Unit and collaborate with regional Task Teams.

The role emphasizes senior-level leadership, international experience, and ability to drive reforms, with a strong focus on delivering high-quality

Qualifications

• Advanced degree required in a relevant field such as public administration, public policy, economics, political science, law, management, development studies.
• Minimum of 12 years of relevant professional experience in the public sector, academia, or international organizations.
• Competency in change management, strategic/executive leadership, and data-driven management systems.
• Leadership experience in managing reforms, process transformation, or innovation within government agencies or large organizations.
• Hands-on experience in business process reengineering in the public sector.
• International experience leading complex public-sector reform engagements across developing, emerging markets, or fragile contexts.
• Technical expertise in at least one core public-administration domain with breadth to address institutional/political-economy challenges.
• Ability to develop strategy, influence senior decision-makers, lead multidisciplinary teams, and manage complex client relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to key activities across Gov Tech, Public Administration, and reforms.
• Provide technical advice for design/implementation of operations in client countries.
• Develop partnerships and convening activities with external/internal partners.
• Fulfill reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Change management

Strategic leadership

Data driven management

Education

Advanced degree in public administration/public policy/economics/political science/law/management/development studies

Job description

ET Consultant - Governance & Public Administration

Job #: req38386

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Public Sector Development

Grade: EC4

Term Duration: 1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date: 9/28/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) 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

The Institutions Global Department at the World Bank Group aims to help countries build capable, effective, accountable, transparent, and inclusive institutions that provide citizen-focused services, promote private-sector growth, and foster trust in government. The ability of governments to efficiently deliver public goods, support an environment that creates jobs and growth, address market failures, and involve citizens in the process is more crucial than ever. Countries with strong institutions are more resilient, better at encouraging private sector development, reducing poverty, delivering valuable services, and gaining citizens' confidence. The Institutions Department brings together experts in public financial management, public administration and service delivery, state-owned enterprise management, public employment, regulatory policy, transparency, digital governance, law and development, anti‑corruption, performance management, monitoring and evaluation, and social accountability to develop innovative, integrated solutions to complex institutional issues. The practice employs a problem-driven, diagnostic approach, merging global knowledge of reform successes and failures with a deep understanding of the institutional challenges and opportunities faced by developing countries.

Public Administration Global Unit

The Public Administration Global Unit within the Institutions Global Department is dedicated to helping countries develop capable, effective, accountable, transparent, and inclusive institutions that provide citizen-centric services, promote private-sector growth, and foster trust in government. The Global Unit concentrates on five key thematic areas and related programs: Public Administration Performance; Anticorruption; Public Sector Innovation and GovTech; Justice and Rule of Law; and Coalitions for Reforms. Each program is organized around four main functions: knowledge and innovations; data and analytics; operational work; and convening and partnerships.

Because many governments lack the necessary capabilities to leverage innovation and expertise to collect, manage, and analyze data effectively, hindering their ability to implement evidence-based policies and interventions, the unit program supports countries and World Bank teams through various activities under four main pillars:

• Knowledge and Innovation: Supports in-depth research and case studies on public sector innovation across regions and countries. The activities aim to contribute to the global debate on innovation, as well as to provide good practices and guidance to client countries and World Bank teams. It also supports the development of innovative public sector interventions as prototypes and proof of concepts to support client countries.
• Data and Analytics: Supports the development of cross-national datasets and sophisticated data analytics that can assist World Bank task teams, development partners, academia, civil society, the private sector, policymakers, and client governments.
• Operational Work: Provides direct technical support on innovative methods, tools, prototyping to World Bank country and regional teams.
• Convening and Partnerships: Supports the development of partnerships and convening activities by mobilizing external and internal partners through peer‑to‑peer learning, global/regional events on Public Sector innovation, as well as thematic working groups with global representation that explore frontier work.

Duties and accountabilities:

The candidate will contribute to the implementation of key activities across the programs, in particular on Gov Tech, Public Administration, and Coalitions for Reform. The candidate will report to the Practice Manager of the Global Public Administration Unit and will closely coordinate his/her work program with the Program Manager. The candidate’s main duties and responsibilities will be to:

• Lead the production of knowledge products and global public goods related to center of government and the work of reform, delivery and/or coordination agencies within public administration, with a special focus on their core functions of strategic planning, the use of data for results and performance tracking, interministerial coordination and multistakeholder engagement, change management, and performance management to incentivize collaboration of senior civil servants.
• Support regional Task Teams by providing technical advice and input for the design and/or implementation of operations in client countries, specifically on reforming organizational structures and strengthening the center of government for better policy formulation, coordination, and implementation.
• Develop partnerships and lead convening activities by mobilizing external and internal partners through peer-to-peer learning, global/regional events on the above-listed topics.
• Fulfill reporting, monitoring, and evaluation requirements as part of your responsibilities.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree in public administration, public policy, economics, political science, law, management, development studies, or another relevant field
• Minimum of 12 years of relevant professional experience in the public sector, academia, or in international organizations;
• Demonstrated technical competency in one or more of the following areas: change management, strategic and executive leadership, and data driven management systems.
• Relevant leadership experience in managing reforms, process transformation, or innovation within government agencies or large organizations.
• Hands-on experience in business process reengineering in the Public Sector.
• Demonstrated international experience leading complex public-sector reform engagements, including the design and implementation of reforms in developing, emerging-market, and/or fragile contexts.
• Recognized technical expertise in at least one core public-administration domain, combined with sufficient breadth to address institutional and political-economy challenges across related fields.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategy, influence senior decision-makers, lead multidisciplinary teams, manage complex client relationships, and deliver high-quality operational and analytical outputs.
• Strong record of thought leadership, knowledge generation, and translating evidence into implementable policy and operational solutions

WBG Culture Attributes:

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

World Bank Group Core Competencies

As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

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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