Operations Lead / Senior Specialist, United States Washington D.C.

Inter-American Development Bank; Washington; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Pension Plan

Hybrid work schedules

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Inter-American Development Bank is seeking a senior professional to lead the Office of the Special Advisor on Gender and Diversity. You will shape strategic planning, coordinate actions across the IDB Group, and monitor results to advance gender and diversity commitments.

The role requires deep knowledge of gender and development, strong institutional judgment, and the ability to turn priorities into actionable plans.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent advanced degree required.
• 5+ years progressive experience in global/regional initiatives advancing gender and diversity.
• Experience in multilateral development environment is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide timely strategic evidence-based advice and executive briefings to the Special Advisor on priorities and decisions.
• Translate priorities into initiatives, deliverables, and implementation plans with cross-functional teams.
• Lead the Office’s annual work program, KPIs, and multi-year Gender and Diversity Action Plan.
• Coordinate with organizational units across the IDB Group to align gender and diversity efforts.
• Translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations for senior management.
• Coordinate strategic messaging and visibility initiatives with communications units.

Education

Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or related field

Job description

Posting End Date: 10/25/2026 11:59 PM EST

We improve lives

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About this position

The Office of the Special Advisor on Gender and Diversity supports the IDB Group in translating its gender and diversity commitments into coordinated institutional action and measurable development results.

We are seeking a senior professional to lead the Office’s strategic planning, institutional coordination, and results monitoring. Reporting to the Special Advisor on Gender and Diversity, the incumbent will develop executive-level analysis and recommendations, coordinate the preparation and implementation of the Office’s work program, and help align gender and diversity priorities across the IDB Group.

The role requires a combination of substantive knowledge of gender and diversity and development, strong institutional knowledge and judgment, and the ability to convert strategic priorities into actionable plans and results. The successful candidate will work across organizational boundaries and stakeholders, identify emerging global and regional issues, strengthen accountability for agreed commitments, and provide trusted advice to the Special Advisor.

What you’ll do

Strategic advisory

• Provide timely strategic evidence-based advice, executive briefings, senior management type presentations, reports, and other decision-support materials to the Special Advisor on institutional priorities, emerging issues, and strategic decisions related to gender and diversity.
• Translate institutional priorities and decisions into concrete initiatives, deliverables, and implementation plans. Coordinate and mobilize relevant operational, knowledge, financial, corporate, and communications teams to ensure effective execution and achievement of agreed results
• Monitor and analyze operational, policy, and organizational and external developments and recommend practical courses of action.

Planning and results

• Lead the preparation and monitoring of the Office’s annual work program, objectives, deliverables, and KPIs.
• Coordinate the preparation, implementation monitoring, and annual reporting of the multi-year Gender and Diversity Action Plan.
• Assess progress against relevant IDB Group commitments and identify implementation gaps, risks, and corrective actions.

Institutional coordination

• Manage coordination mechanisms with organizational units across the IDB Group.
• Promote alignment and synergies among operational, knowledge, corporate, and communications activities related to gender and diversity.
• Convene stakeholders and facilitate resolution of cross-organizational issues.

Knowledge and communications

• Help define priority gender and diversity issues for the IDB Group’s analytical and knowledge agenda.
• Translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations and high-quality products for senior management.
• Coordinate strategic messaging and visibility initiatives with relevant communications and technical units.

What you'll need

Education: Master’s degree (or equivalent advanced degree) in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or other fields relevant to the responsibilities of the role.

Experience: At least 5 years of progressive experience for grade 4 and 6 years for grade 3, in leading high impact initiatives at the global and regional level towards advancing diversity and gender initiatives, preferably with 6 years at a senior technical leadership level. Proven experience advancing gender and diversity related development topics in a multilateral development environment is a plus.

For a grade 4, the candidate hired would provide technical support, coordinate internal and external stakeholders, represent the Office in internal working groups, and provide support to projects or institutional regional or sectoral initiatives. In addition to these responsibilities, a grade 3 would be expected to represent the institution externally, contribute to shape institutional strategy and policy, and drive organizational change.

In-depth knowledge and practical experience with a proven track record in government, multilateral development organizations, international organizations, international financial institutions, or the private sector in the fields of gender and diversity and development, with hands-on experience of navigating institutional aspects of policy formulation and planning.

Practical knowledge and understanding of the functions and working of international financial institutions.

Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively influence and work with all levels of staff and internal and external counterparts.

Proven record of working collaboratively and fostering a synergistic engagement environment.

Languages:

• -Proficiency in English and one of the other Bank official languages (Spanish, French or Portuguese) is required.

Requirements

You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. We may offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your eligible dependents.

• Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

Type of contract and duration

• Staff:
  - International: International staff contract, 36 months initially, renewable upon mutual agreement.

What we offer

The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee's life. These benefits include:

• -A competitive compensation package, including an annual base salary expressed on a net-of-tax basis.
• -Leaves and vacations: 24 days of paid time off + 8 personal days + sick leave + gender-neutral parental leave.
• -Health Insurance: IDB Group provides employees and eligible dependents with a robust medical benefits program that covers medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and prescription drugs.
• -Pension plan: defined benefit pension plan that provides financial security and support employees in planning for their future.
• -We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
• -Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
• -Health and well-being: Access to our Health Services Center that provides preventive care and health education for employees.
• -Development support: We offer tools to boost your professional profile, such as mentoring, 1:1 professional counseling, training and learning opportunities, language classes, mobility options, among others.
• -Other perks (country specific): Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, spouse career support, and others.

Our culture

At the IDB, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work while finding their purpose. Our people consistently strive for excellence, and we recognize and celebrate the impact of their contributions.

In our efforts to drive innovation, we intentionally include all voices, cultivate a sense of belonging and champion fairness. We welcome individuals from underrepresented groups to join us and share their unique perspectives.

We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job interview process. If you require an accommodation to complete this application, please email us at [e-mail] .