(Senior) Operations Officer - The Data and AI Department

Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. Digital technologies offer a unique opportunity to transform development through digital solutions. The Digital and AI Vertical Vice Presidency and its global and regional teams support client countries in building their capacities for digital transformation and AI use. The WBG Digital and AI Vertical is led by a Vice President and was established in July 2024. WBG recently published its Digital and AI Strategy which includes four pillars: access, affordability, ecosystem and AI readiness. The strategy identifies the priorities that WBG will engage across the client segment over the next five years. The implementation plan is currently under preparation. The Vertical will deploy a range of products, services, and partnerships to advance global knowledge across the four pillars of the Strategy through: • Supporting World Bank regions that provide financing to governments in the form of grants, loans, guarantees, and risk management products to support digital investment projects and implement policy reforms. • Supporting World Bank regions that provide advisory services including targeted policy guidance, technical assistance, and capacity building. • Knowledge products include data and diagnostics to provide actionable insights at regional, country, and local levels, research and thought leadership to expand the global knowledge base, as well as thematic operational toolkits. • Convening services that bring together key stakeholders, from both public and private sectors as well as international and non-governmental organizations involved in advancing global digital transformation. For more information: <https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/digitaldevelopment>. Within this structure, the Data and AI Department (WKDAI) supports the design and delivery of the WBG’s Digital and AI strategy in the areas of data ecosystems, AI readiness, practical AI adoption, and scalable digital and AI solutions. The departments leads and supports the development and operationalization of replicable and scalable solutions to build national AI and data ecosystems that support the development of practical ‘small AI’ solutions and drives value creation and jobs. A growing area of focus is supporting firms building Small AI: task-specific AI systems that can run locally, work in low-resource settings, and support practical use cases in sectors such as agriculture, education, health, and fintech and beyond. The Data and AI Department is looking for a Washington, D.C. based (Senior) Operations Officer with deep operational fluency in the World Bank Group, relevant industry experience, and strong technical knowledge of AI solutions. The selected candidate will help translate the WBG’s AI agenda into lending and non-lending products and operational approaches that are practical, replicable, and scalable. The role requires strong knowledge of lending and non-lending instruments, project preparation and implementation processes, internal review and quality assurance requirements, and the practical realities of working across regions, Global Practices, CMUs, and corporate functions. It also requires the ability to engage credibly on technical aspects of AI and digital solutions, including solution design, implementation requirements, infrastructure considerations, and operational fit across different sector contexts. The position will report to the Director of Data and AI in the Digital and AI Vice Presidency and work closely with WBG teams across regions and disciplines. Duties and accountabilities: Reporting to the Director of Data and AI in the Digital and AI Vice Presidency and working closely with WBG teams across regions and disciplines, the (Senior) Operations Officer will: Operational Advisory and Delivery • Help translate the WBG’s AI agenda into practical, replicable, and scalable lending and non-lending products, operational approaches, and delivery models that can be applied across sectors, regions, and country contexts. • Work with regional teams and verticals to identify how AI solutions can be packaged for operationalization in different contexts and sectors including public sector, human development, infrastructure, finance, agriculture, and other priority areas. • Advise task teams and managers on how to move from AI concepts and pilots to operational products and engagements that are aligned with client needs, implementation realities, and Bank processes. • Help identify entry points for Data and AI Department support across the project cycle, including upstream analytics, policy dialogue, concept development, appraisal, implementation, restructuring, and results monitoring. • Support the design of operations and advisory engagements that incorporate AI components in ways that are practical, financeable, and aligned with World Bank processes and standards. • Provide hands-on guidance on how to use the Bank’s operational tools, instruments, and delivery mechanisms to support AI-related work, including lending and non-lending instruments, trust-funded support, reimbursable advisory services where relevant, and other internal pathways. • Apply technical knowledge of digital and AI solutions to help teams assess operational fit, implementation requirements, systems implications, infrastructure needs, and the practicality of proposed approaches. • Review and strengthen operational documents, concept notes, technical annexes, implementation arrangements, and results frameworks related to digital and AI engagements. • Represent the team in operational discussions and contribute to problem-solving on complex implementation issues. Cross-Vertical Coordination and Institutional Enablement • Work closely with regional teams, CMUs, Global Practices, IFC counterparts, and corporate units to connect the Digital and AI agenda to broader country programs and cross-sector operations. • Help teams understand what tools, processes, and internal pathways are available inside the Bank to advance AI-related work and how to use them effectively in different operational settings. • Contribute to internal guidance, templates, playbooks, and operational notes that help teams apply data and AI solutions in a consistent and scalable way across the institution. • Capture and disseminate lessons from implementation across regions and sectors to improve quality, consistency, and scalability of operational support. • Lead or contribute to analytical work, technical assistance, policy dialogue, and operational inputs that help mainstream AI across WBG and other MDB operations. • Coordinate closely with technical experts, economists, operational colleagues, and other specialists to develop pragmatic solutions and support implementation. • Mentor junior staff and help build operational capability across the Data and AI Department.