External Affairs Officer

ECA is seeking an experienced, innovative, and dynamic communications professional for the World Bank Country Office in Bucharest, Romania, who will work across all areas of the Romania country program to amplify and build support for the work of the World Bank, reinforcing its role as a global leader in development knowledge, data, and research. The position will support strengthening the World Bank’s partnership and collaboration with the European Commission and other international partners, in addition to overseeing outreach for Hungary, where there are selective engagements.

• The External Affairs Officer will drive the implementation of an overall communications and engagement strategy that advances understanding and awareness of Bank support and initiatives in the ECA region.
• The External Affairs Officer shall work independently within the structure of the World Bank External Affairs family, seeking guidance from management, proactively collaborating with operational staff and other members of the country team, and building partnerships with internal colleagues from around the ECA region, the Global Practices (GP)s, and other areas of the institutions.
• The External Affairs Officer shall report directly to the ECA Communications Manager based in Washington, DC.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• The World Bank Romania Country Office is seeking an experienced and dynamic communications professional who will work across all areas and instruments of the Romania and Hungary country programs to share knowledge, build partnerships, promote key dimensions of these programs, and “market” the results of the programs to internal and external audiences.

Specific Duties – The External Affairs Officer’s major responsibilities will include, but are not limited, to the following:

• Develop and execute a communication strategy to support the Bank’s work in Romania and that demonstrates Bank impact and results.Identify, facilitate, and maintain strategic partnerships with a cross-section of local and international partners, including with the government, the media, CSOs, academia, the international development community, and others.Manage media relations and broaden outreach opportunities with media based in Romania.
• Provide regular communications advice to the Country Manager and work closely with the EU regional team in Brussels, including the Country Director.Manage and provide support to major outreach efforts and launches in the region.
• Designs media and stakeholder engagement plans, coalition building strategies and key messages to position the World Bank on major issues/projects/initiatives and maintains effective relationships with key national and international audiences.
• Provide real-time insight and analysis of ongoing political developments, changes, and potential outcomes.Provide general advice to management and project teams on navigating client relations/responses during a reputational risk challenge.
• Prepare and oversee delivery of relevant communication briefing notes, PRs, Speeches, OpEDs/blogs, social media posts, web stories and talking points, etc.
• Provide advice and support for the review of operational documents and coordinate submission of communications inputs at relevant stages during the project cycle.
• Work with technical teams to increase the adoption of innovative and creative communications approaches with an emphasis on short, clear and concise messages.

Selection Criteria:
We require a relevant mix of education and experience:

• Master’s degree with 5 years of experience OR equivalent combination of education and experience in a relevant discipline (communication, journalism, international affairs, or other related fields).
• Experience working in an international environment and in-depth knowledge of international trends and political/economic issues related to development.Knowledge of, and experience working with the Romanian government and public institutions, ideally national and subnational, CSOs, think tanks and other key actors in Romania.
• An understanding of WBG operations and key corporate issues and priorities; up-to-date knowledge of current development topics and issues, and ability to identify communications and reputation-related risks and opportunities in an international environment.
• Demonstrated political awareness and ability to diplomatically handle sensitive situations with target audiences and to otherwise cultivate effective, productive client relationships/partnerships.
• Experience working with senior executives including experience of managing reputational risks and issues, messaging, stakeholder engagement, and media engagement; and ability to think strategically and rapidly analyze diverse information from varied sources.
• Excellent English and Romanian language skills and proficiency to write and edit complex communications products for purposeful structure, clarity of ideas, and logical, persuasive presentation, in an accessible way to different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability and the necessary personal organization skills to multitask, take initiative, personal ownership, and accountability to meet deadlines, work under pressure, and achieve agreed-upon results.
• Understanding of project management concepts sufficiently to propose and develop drafts of communications plans and strategies.Teamwork orientation with strong diplomatic and interpersonal skills, and sensitivity to working in a multicultural environment.

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=25928&site=1