ET Consultant

ET Consultant

Job #:
req32989

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Water/Sanitation

Grade:
EC1

Term Duration:
1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:
5/6/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. 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 increasing shared prosperity on a livable planet. 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 As the world's largest multilateral source of financing for water in developing countries, the World Bank is working closely with partners to achieve "A Water-Secure World for All," by sustaining water resources, delivering services, and building resilience.

Water is crucial for economic and social progress, essential for health, agriculture, energy production, environmental stewardship, and job creation. The availability and management of water determines whether poor girls receive education, whether cities thrive, and whether industries and rural villages alike can cope with the effects of floods and droughts.

Eliminating poverty on a livable planet requires a broad and holistic approach to managing the growing water crisis. Water security ranks as one of the highest global risks affecting development and is crucial for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Effective management of water resources and access to reliable water & sanitation and irrigation services are essential to address the sustainable development challenges of the 21st century. Water scarcity impacts over 40% of the global population, and many countries face increasing pressures on water resources. Drought frequency and duration has increased by nearly a third globally since 2000. As incidence of "dry shocks" are increasing with climate change, client countries need to build their resilience to these risks. Today, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safely managed water services, while 3.5 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation, making the achievement of SDG targets 6.1 and 6.2 increasingly out of reach. The lack of access to safe water and sanitation results in significant economic losses and disease burden in many countries. This is further exacerbated by climate change, water pollution, and water scarcity in a fast-changing world.

With a portfolio of water investments of about US$42 billion (US$30.1 billion of water-sector mapped projects and US$12 billion of multi-sector projects related to water), the World Bank is uniquely positioned to achieve the vision of a water secure world for all, developing and sharing global knowledge while amplifying the impact of lending through technical assistance on the ground. Within its broad mandate, the Water Global Practice (Water GP) is housed within the Planet Practice Group, which brings together the cross-cutting sectors of Water with Agriculture, Environment, and Social Inclusion, The Water GP supports client countries in promoting sustainable water usage, building climate resilience, and enhancing integrated water management.

The Water GP has the tools and expertise to integrate internal Bank expertise across Global Practices and country sectors by connecting teams and clients to a menu of solutions for improving water supply and sanitation access, building resilience to floods and droughts and improve the data systems to facilitate better management of water resources.

The Public Expenditure Review Business Line under the Water for Prosperity GSG aims to provide a critical and in-depth analysis of the allocation, management, and performance of public funds within the water sector and its various sub-sectors, as well as to examine the spending gaps in the sector in relation to its goals. The public expenditure reviews also examine the equity and efficiency of spending in the water sector. Three main activities are carried out under this business line: (i) regular updating of spending, spending levels, spending needs and spending gaps at the global, regional and country levels using modelling and updated underlying databases, (ii) regular update of the water public spending dashboard; and (iii) support to the country teams in undertaking water sector public expenditure reviews. Presentations, summary reports, policy briefs and blogs are produced on a regular basis to disseminate the findings.

High-quality data is central to Water GP's mission of advancing water security and sustainable water management around the world. By strengthening various data platforms, promoting the use of trusted datasets, and creating compelling data narratives, Water GP is fostering better decision making, collaboration, and innovation across its operations and with external partners. Through strategic data initiatives and storytelling, Water GP aims to make its knowledge more accessible, actionable, and impactful for a wide range of audiences.

The Water Global Practice is also advancing a Global Water Informatics and Data Initiative, which aims to leverage cutting-edge technologies such as remote sensing, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics to transform water data into actionable insights. By addressing critical gaps in data accessibility, integration, and institutional capacity, the initiative supports the Water GP's strategic priorities of promoting water security for people, food, and the planet. Through the development of innovative tools, user-centered dashboards, and decision support systems, this effort will strengthen resilience to water-related risks, enable sustainable investments, and drive the modernization of water governance toward a more resilient and inclusive future.

The Water GP global unit is thus recruiting a dedicated and proficient professional to support the Water for Prosperity GSG, Water for Planet GSG and the Knowledge Management team as an Extended Term Consultant (ETC). The successful candidate will play a crucial role in developing and implementing the initiatives to expand Water GP's engagement on Public Expenditure Business Line, Water Informatics and Data initiative, and Water Data Dashboard.

Duties and responsibilities

The selected candidate will work closely with the respective team leads, as well as with regional Water GP teams, and will report to the Practice Manager of the Global Unit. The candidate is expected to have expertise and/or international development experience in all the domains listed below and will be responsible for the following:

1. Public Expenditure (50%+)

Support data collection and management of global and country level data on public spending in the water and related sectors.

Support the econometric modelling for estimating spending gaps and trends, at the global and regional levels

Coordinate technical support to country teams in conducting water sector public expenditure reviews.

Assist the PER global team in maintaining the PER data dashboard and act as the key point person in exchanges with the data dashboard consultant firm.

Assist the task leader and the team in writing reports, briefs and power points as well as visualizations.

Support analytical work led by the Water for Prosperity GSG, for example by synthesizing information and reviewing academic literature, conducting independent data collection and analysis, and contributing to the drafting of research studies, policy notes, and flagships.

2. Water Informatics and Data (~25%):

Support the development of interactive dashboards to visualize water-related indicators, trends, and performance metrics at global, regional, and country levels, using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent platforms.

Integrate geospatial datasets (e.g., remote sensing outputs, hydrological models, administrative boundaries) into dashboards to support spatial analysis of water resource availability, use, and sustainability.

Collaborate with remote sensing specialists and data scientists to curate and harmonize input datasets from various sources, including WaPOR, AQUASTAT, and in-country administrative data.

Design and implement user-friendly interfaces and data visualizations that communicate complex water-related information to non-technical stakeholders, including government clients and World Bank teams.

Support quality assurance, documentation, and iterative improvements of dashboards based on user feedback and emerging data needs.

Contribute to internal knowledge sharing on best practices in geospatial visualization and dashboard development within the Water GP and across other sectors.

3. Knowledge Management Workstream (~25%):

Support the management and maintenance of the Water GP's Water Data Hub and related data platforms by coordinating updates, troubleshooting issues, and assisting with content curation.

Coordinate with OTS/DEC teams on the Data360 platform by facilitating access to datasets, supporting data cleaning efforts, and compiling necessary documentation for internal use and external display on Portals.

Provide support to Water GP teams working on data initiatives under ASA, including helping ensure compliance with WBG data policies.

Contribute to data storytelling efforts by working with technical and communications teams to translate complex datasets into compelling, accessible narratives for diverse audiences. Assist in preparing visuals, infographics, and summaries that highlight insights, impact, and key findings from Water GP data initiatives.

4.Collaboration and Communication (cross cutting):

Work closely with interdisciplinary teams, including climate change specialists, remote sensing experts, hydrologists, engineers, irrigation experts, and economists, to develop comprehensive solutions.

Communicate results and insights effectively through reports, presentations, and visualizations to stakeholders.

Selection Criteria

At least a master's degree in economics, public policy, water resources management, environmental policy, water supply & sanitation, data science, or a related field.

Demonstrated at least 5 years' experience in supporting water related projects in development institutions or related work within a government.

Demonstrated experience in working on Public Expenditure Reviews or similar, particularly on water or related sectors

Demonstrated experience in developing interactive dashboards using data visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent, with a focus on integrating geospatial and water-related datasets.

Proficiency in handling econometric and geospatial data tools such as STATA, ArcGIS, and experience in visual design software like Piktochart and Adobe Illustrator.

Experience with survey design and survey software such as KOBO Toolbox, Survey CTO or Survey Solutions.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Excellent writing skills for synthesizing analytics and findings into comprehensive reports

Excellent communication skills in English, and the ability to convey complex technical information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

French or Spanish would be a plus.

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

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.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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.

Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.