Manager, Talent and Career Development, Washington, United States

World Bank Group; Washington; On-site; USD 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

World Bank Group seeks a Manager of Talent and Career Development to shape enterprise talent and career practices across a global institution. You will oversee performance management, succession reviews, promotions, and internal mobility, ensuring fairness and data-driven decisions that align with business priorities.

Based in Washington, DC, you will partner with senior leaders and HR Centers of Excellence to strengthen leadership pipelines and employee growth at scale.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree and at least 12 years of progressive experience in Talent Management, Organizational Effectiveness, or related disciplines.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale talent transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success influencing executives and driving organizational change.
• Strong knowledge of performance management, succession planning, talent reviews, organizational effectiveness, and career development.
• Demonstrated leadership and people management skills, including building and leading high-performing teams.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, relationship-building, facilitation, and communication skills with senior executives and global partners.
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled technology for talent and career development.
• Experience using talent, workforce, employee, and program data to generate insights and demonstrate impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of a cohesive enterprise talent and career strategy linking performance, promotions, and internal mobility.
• Translate organizational priorities into scalable, future-focused talent practices.
• Advise senior leaders on leadership pipelines, succession readiness, and workforce capabilities.
• Lead enterprise talent and succession reviews to strengthen leadership pipelines.
• Oversee enterprise career development strategy including planning, pathways, and manager-led conversations.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Change management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Master’s Degree

Job description

Manager, Talent and Career Development

Job #: req38230

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Human Resources

Grade: GH

Term Duration: 5 years 0 months

Recruitment Type: International Recruitment

Location: Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date: 9/17/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

At the World Bank Group (WBG), your work shapes the future. With 189 member countries and a mission to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity, WBG is one of the world’s most impactful development organizations. We rely on the strength of our people: broad representation, driven, and determined to deliver knowledge and results globally.

The WBG Talent Management and Development Department, a core function within Human Resources, shapes the World Bank Group's talent strategy, building the workforce and leadership capabilities needed to deliver its mission. Through innovative talent solutions and programs, it enables performance, career growth, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness.

The Manager, Talent and Career Development leads the strategy, governance, and delivery of the World Bank Group’s enterprise talent and career development agenda. The role oversees performance management, talent and succession reviews, promotions, career development, and internal mobility, ensuring these practices are integrated, fair, data-driven, and aligned with business priorities. Working closely with senior leaders, HR Business Partners, and other Centers of Excellence, the Manager will strengthen leadership pipelines, improve workforce capabilities, and enable employees to grow and contribute to their highest potential.

This is an opportunity to shape enterprise talent and career practices across a complex, global institution and to build an integrated approach that strengthens performance, leadership pipelines, mobility, and employee growth at scale.

The position is based in Washington, DC, reporting to the WBG Director of Talent Management and Development.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Talent and Career Strategy

• Lead the design and execution of a cohesive framework that shows clear linkages between talent and performance management and their organizational and individual implications (promotions, career development, internal mobility, etc.).
• Translate organizational priorities and workforce needs into simple, scalable, and future-focused talent practices.
• Advise senior leaders on leadership pipelines, succession readiness, talent risks, and workforce capabilities.
• Lead enterprise talent and succession reviews to strengthen leadership pipelines and succession readiness.
• Lead the enterprise career development strategy, including career planning, career pathways, manager-led career conversations, and internal mobility practices that enable employees to navigate opportunities and build future-relevant capabilities.

Program Governance, Analytics, and Innovation

• Establish enterprise standards, governance, decision rights, metrics, and accountability for talent and career practices.
• Use workforce data, employee listening, external benchmarks, and program evaluation to improve effectiveness, fairness, adoption, and business impact.
• Lead the adoption of AI-enabled and digital talent solutions to enhance talent reviews, career development, internal mobility, succession planning, and employee experience while ensuring appropriate governance, transparency, fairness, and human oversight.
• Monitor external trends and translate relevant practices into practical solutions for WBG.

High-Performance Culture

• Strengthen a culture of high performance, accountability, continuous development, mobility, and employee growth.
• Ensure talent decisions and practices are transparent, evidence-based, inclusive, and consistently applied.
• Partner with HR Business Partners, Leadership Development, and other Centers of Excellence to build manager and leadership capability.
• Align performance, development, promotions, talent reviews, succession planning, and mobility into a coherent employee and manager experience.

Leadership, Culture, and Team Management

• Lead, develop, and empower a high-performing team, with clear priorities, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Lead enterprise-wide transformation and change management for new and evolving talent practices.
• Build trusted partnerships across HR and the business and influence senior stakeholders through strong judgment, business acumen, and evidence-based insights.
• Balance long-term strategy with disciplined execution and measurable delivery.

WBG Managerial Competencies

Selection Criteria

• Master’s Degree and at least 12 years of progressive experience in Talent Management, Organizational Effectiveness, or related disciplines; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale talent transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success influencing executives and driving organizational change.
• Strong knowledge of performance management, succession planning, talent reviews, organizational effectiveness, and career development.
• Demonstrated leadership and people management skills, including building and leading high-performing, engaged teams and leading Centers of Excellence or similar functions.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement, relationship-building, facilitation, and communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with senior executives and global partners.
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled technology for talent and career development.
• Demonstrated experience using talent, workforce, employee, and program data to generate insights, improve outcomes, assess fairness and effectiveness, and demonstrate organizational impact.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, change, and complexity with resilience, clarity, and purpose, balancing strategic and operational priorities.
• Commitment to innovation, inclusion, managerial excellence, integrity, and developing future-ready leaders.

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

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.