E T Consultant

E T Consultant

Job #

req37487

Organization

World Bank

Sector

Legal

Grade

EC2

Term Duration: 1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type

Local Recruitment

Location

Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s)

English

Preferred Language(s)

Closing Date

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

Description

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.

In the context of the World Bank’s broad development agenda, the Legal Vice Presidency (LEG), under the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel (SVP-GC), provides legal advice and support to internal and external Bank clients across operational, advisory, financial, and institutional matters. The Law Advisory & Knowledge Unit (LEGLA) was established within LEG to facilitate the delivery of law and judicial support services across the strategic priorities of World Bank Group activities and to coordinate the development, management, and dissemination of legal knowledge products that advance corporate priorities. LEGLA works in close collaboration with Country Management Units, the Prosperity Vice Presidency (WKPTD), the Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Vice Presidency (DTVPU), and other Global Practices.

LEGLA focuses on supporting other World Bank Units and Global Practices, as well as client countries, in developing robust regulatory frameworks and institutional capabilities while reinforcing the rule of law. It empowers nations to pursue their national policies, enact legislation, and tackle global challenges effectively across a range of areas, including digital governance, regulatory reform, judicial support, and private-sector development.

Duties and responsibilities

Against this background, LEGLA is hiring Counsel (ETC) to provide specialized legal, regulatory, and analytical support across its workstreams, including related to digital regulation and governance, as well as legal and regulatory reform for private sector development and investment. The Consultant position requires demonstrated ability to apply rigorous analytical skills, to work harmoniously in a team, and to exercise good judgment.

As part of his/her duties, the ETC will

• Be responsible for the successful delivery of projects and other transactions within client assignments, including drafting, reviewing, and finalizing legal and policy instruments for World Bank’s operations.
• Provide legal guidance and risk mitigation within specialized areas of concentration, enabling clients and task teams to design and implement effective, legally sound, and institutionally durable solutions.
• Deliver high-quality legal support to active projects and programs, including reviewing project and program documents for adherence to World Bank Group legal policies and procedures, and strategic business objectives.
• Lead comparative legal analyses across complex, multi-jurisdictional landscapes, identify nuanced legal and policy considerations, research precedents across international and domestic legal systems, and develop actionable solutions for colleagues and clients.
• Represent LEGLA in high-level policy discussions and negotiations with senior government officials, regulatory authorities, and development partners, cultivating relationships that advance the World Bank's development mission.
• Author and review major policy papers and legal research outputs, contributing substantively to the WBG's intellectual leadership in digital law, governance, and regulatory reform.
• Prepare legal briefs and analytical notes on diverse topics, as required.
• Participate in task/project teams and operational missions.

ETC will provide specialized expertise to

• Serve as a legal advisor on data governance, Artificial Intelligence, and emerging technologies issues
• Provide legal advisory support on lending and advisory operations related to digital governance, including data governance architecture, data protection, and digital infrastructure.
• Review project and program documents for consistency with World Bank Group legal policies and applicable legal frameworks; monitor compliance and flag legal and regulatory risks.
• Provide legal and regulatory guidance on operational designs in client countries across multiple regions, including advice on national regulatory frameworks and governance architectures.
• Expand and manage LEGLA’s private sector investment portfolio
• Advise on private-sector investment promotion and regulatory reform, including the legal implications of trade and investment frameworks for digital markets and investment climates.
• Oversee and quality-assure analytical and legal deliverables produced under consulting arrangements, ensuring consistency with World Bank standards, applicable legal frameworks, and client objectives.
• Contribute to comparative legal analysis of fiscal and regulatory incentive frameworks for investment, including benchmarking across comparator countries and regions, and draft policy recommendations for government counterparts and task teams.
• Contribute to diagnostics and analytical work on cross-border trade and investment, covering regulatory frameworks, data governance, payments, and consumer protection
• Contribute to knowledge and analytical products
• Lead or contribute to the development of knowledge and analytical products on digital governance, regulatory reform, and related topics, including technical notes, comparative legal analyses, country assessments, policy briefs, and flagship reports.
• Conduct comparative legal analysis of regulatory frameworks across multiple jurisdictions and translate findings into actionable policy recommendations.
• Support the development and operationalization of governance frameworks for client countries, including regulatory roadmaps and coordination with national agencies and development partners.
• Contribute to the development of assessment toolkits and indicators, ensuring legal and regulatory dimensions are adequately captured.
• Policy, institutional engagement, and partnerships
• Engage in policy discussions with internal and external clients on legal and regulatory reform.
• Contribute to the review and assessment of the World Bank's portfolio of operations in relevant areas and provide inputs to strategic recommendations.
• Identify strategic partnerships and resource mobilization opportunities for the Legal Vice Presidency.
• Support trust fund applications and manage coordination, monitoring, and reporting of technical cooperation activities.
• Contribute to LEGLA's knowledge management agenda, including the organization and dissemination of legal knowledge products
• Work across a wide range of Bank units
• Collaborate with lawyers and managers across the LEG VPU and with counterparts in regional operational units.
• Provide operational support across task teams' portfolios, including assistance with task management, document preparation, and coordination of deliverables.

Selection Criteria

• Law degree (JD, LLB, or equivalent) and LLM with specialization in legal practice is required. Admission or qualification to practice law in at least one jurisdiction is required.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in legal advisory services, with exposure to areas such as digital regulation, data governance, regulatory reform, or private sector investment law.
• Proven experience providing legal advisory support across multiple World Bank Group Global Practices, including Prosperity VP and the Digital & AI VP.
• Track record of successful legal and regulatory reform advocacy to governments.
• Proven experience conducting structured comparative legal analysis across multiple jurisdictions.
• Proven expertise data governance, data protection, or digital economy regulatory frameworks.
• Verified high-quality experience in successfully delivering country-level diagnostics and stakeholder engagement across public, regulatory, or private sector entities.
• Strong experience in legal drafting and preparation of technical notes, analytical reports, or policy briefs for institutional audiences.
• Experience in a multilateral development bank, national government, international organization, law firm, or similar institutional context is required.
• IBRD Trust Fund Accredited and previous experience managing and fundraising trust funds is required.

Skills and competencies requirements

• Fluency in English and Spanish, both written and oral, is required.
• Strong legal research, drafting, and analytical skills; ability to produce high-quality written products under limited supervision.
• Ability to apply structured analytical frameworks across diverse legal and institutional contexts.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills; ability to present legal and regulatory findings clearly to a range of audiences.
• Ability to formulate policy positions and contribute to regulatory and institutional knowledge products.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in multicultural and multi-institutional environments.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and deliver results under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to the World Bank Group's core values, including diversity, inclusion, integrity, and accountability.

WBG Culture Attributes

• 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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