Human Development Economist

Human Development Economist

Job #

req37406

Organization

World Bank

Sector

Human Development

Grade

GF

Term Duration: 4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type

International Recruitment

Location

Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s)

English, Spanish

Preferred Language(s)

Portuguese

Closing Date

7/13/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

The Latin American and Caribbean region

The World Bank Group serves 30 client countries in Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state. Despite immense resources, dynamic societies, and an average annual per capita income of nearly $9,000, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region's people living in poverty. The Bank's strategy in LCR is focused on five pillars: (a) stimulating growth and improving competitiveness; (b) reducing poverty and inequality; (c) making governments and institutions work for people; (d) providing a platform for tackling global issues (climate change, trade, disease, migration), and (e) reducing risk, whether from extreme weather events, climate change, crime and violence or other. Latin America and the Caribbean | World Bank Group

The People Practice Group (PG)

Human development is at the core of the World Bank’s strategy to improve people’s lives and support sustainable development. The People research program spans education, health, social protection and social policy. We provide the financial resources and analytical tools to help the governments prioritize investments that support human capital accumulation, protection and utilization, and improve the quality of that spending to achieve better outcomes. The. The LAC People team works at the country an regional level to promote investments in human capital through financing, analytical work, convening power and advocacy.

Education

Education is a a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income and is the most important factor to ensure equality of opportunities.

Health, Nutrition & Population

The World Bank Group (WBG) supports countries’ efforts towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and to provide quality, affordable health services to everyone —regardless of their ability to pay — by strengthening primary health care systems and reducing the financial risks associated with ill health and increasing equity.

Social Policy

Social protection systems help individuals and families, especially the poor and vulnerable, cope with crises and shocks, find jobs, improve productivity, invest in the health and education of their children, and protect the aging population. Social protection programs are at the heart of boosting human capital for the world’s most vulnerable. They empower people to be healthy, pursue their education, and seek opportunities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. The social policy agenda of gender, indigenous population, community driven developments is essential to ensure equality of opportunities and inclusive development.

Duties and Accountabilities

This position reports to the LAC People Regional Director. The selected candidate is expected to be a microeconomist providing support in analytical work, global public goods and communicational and operational activities across all People relevant to LAC. Key duties include:

• Support the LAC People Management team in overseeing the main global and regional HD trends, the implementation and monitoring of the regional human capital activities and HD -related work at the regional and country level.
• Support in monitoring progress in Corporate Scorecard and WB targets
• Contribute to the operationalization of the people agenda by supporting country teams working on operations in any of the department areas.
• Contribute to the design, preparation, and dissemination of analytical products across HD and provide input on a range of issues, particularly multisectoral ones
• Work with cross-sectoral teams in multisector topics like ECD, Nutrition, Skills and Gender.
• Policy Dialogue and Building Client Capacity: contribute to policy dialogue with LAC governments. Working with the practice teams, support in building client capacity to use findings of policy research/analytical work for developing new policies, innovative policy designs, and undertaking sector reforms.
• Contribute to partnership activities on a regular basis, supporting the dialogue with multilateral and bilateral development partners, UN agencies, non-profit organizations, academia, and civil society.
• Work with WBG communications team to help in activities that give visibility and disseminate WBG operational and analytical work, reaching broader audiences.
• Support the LAC HD Regional Director in the management of the HD leadership team (all Practice Managers), key strategic initiatives and preparation for key meetings and presentations.

Selection Criteria

• Graduate degrees (Masters or PhD) in economics, public policy and administration, with specialization in relevant human development fields.
• At least 5 years of experience in positions of increasing complexity and responsibility.
• Knowledge of WBG financing operations, analytical and advisory services, WBG instruments, corporate scorecard and portfolio monitoring.
• Operational experience and client engagement experience in any of the three People sectors.
• Previous public sector experience in policy design, policy evaluation and applied research in academia, or public organizations is a plus.
• Very strong analytical and economics skills in several of the HD areas of work, including education, health, digital technologies or service delivery.
• Ability to think and collaborate across sectors within and outside HD beyond the boundaries of the staff member’s professionally mapped GP
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to write clearly and succinctly. Ability to prepare compelling presentation materials quickly for different audiences. Ability to liaise and work jointly with communication teams to increase visibility of WB work to broader audience
• Proven ability to work effectively and collaboratively across and within practice boundaries, inspire commitment to excellence and teamwork, and to liaise tactfully as a member of a multicultural team. Demonstrated capacity to motivate and align teams without formal line-management authority.
• Excellent command of Spanish. Working knowledge of Portuguese is a plus.

This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/ temporaries). External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

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

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.