IFC: E T Consultant – Riyadh

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, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. 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. Visit www.worldbank.org.

The partnership between the World Bank (WB) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is growing. The WB engagement in KSA focuses on partnerships and Reimbursable Advisory Services (RASs). The RAS engagements focus on strengthening institutional capacity within the government entities and assisting in developing legislation and policies that advance each country’s development goals. The WB engagement in KSA supports the realization of the Vision 2030 and has expanded to cover various sectors including: improving investment and business climates, education, health, labor markets, transport, energy, urban planning, economic management, public financial management, PPPs, and SME.

Objectives of the Assignment

The primary objective of the assignment is to provide support for the CMU in 1) preparation of Saudi portfolio review in collaboration of the Ministry of Finance; 2) update and manage the internal GCC site. The consultant is expected to prepare various documents summarizing portfolio results, implementation progress, prepare monthly budget and deliverables status reports and provide assistance with scheduling, logistics, promotion, and other aspects of the planned knowledge events.

The consultant is expected to be based in Saudi Arabia to ensure constant engagement with the government counterparts.

Scope of Work

The Consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

• Prepare and maintain Budget vs. Actual and Deliverables Status reports for internal use and MoF submission; coordinate with TTLs to ensure timely edits and reposting; flag delayed deliverables and projects with significant budget variances
• Conduct quality reviews of quarterly progress reports and support the preparation and tracking of quarterly invoices submitted to MoF
• Manage SharePoint portfolio documentation, including folder structure and content integrity; identify gaps in required documentation and follow up with the Operations Officer to ensure completeness
• Maintain and regularly update the GCC internal site with current events, publications, news, and operations documents to ensure content remains accurate and relevant
• Draft presentations and materials on the status of the country program and project issues for meetings and other purposes,
• With guidance from the Operations Team (OT), follow up with country and task team members, and the respective government agencies on the implementation of programs,
• Conduct follow-up discussions with client representatives on selected problems and issues identified by the TTLs and task teams, in coordination with the Operations Officers (OO),
• Provide support to the Sr Knowledge Officer with the preparation and delivery of selected knowledge events and publications,
• Work closely with the Operations Manager (OM) and Team, as well as select Operations Officers (OOs) to undertake portfolio monitoring. Analyze operational data and provide regular and ad-hoc reports to the management and counterparts on the status of the country program
• With inputs from OT, prepare summary presentation on WB KSA portfolio the monthly & quarterly meetings with MoF,
• Support the management to create and monitor the Country Management (CMU) Risk List. Identify issues and raise concerns about the overall portfolio quality. Highlight key issues and issue periodic reports to the OM for review and discussion. Exercise independent judgment by promptly bringing potential problems to the attention of the OM,
• Contribute to select operational activities at all stages of the project design and implementation, including participation in review meetings, facilitating communication between the Bank’s task teams leaders (TTLs) and counterpart agencies, follow up on agreements, reviewing budget planning, monitoring use of funds and assisting with client billing,
• Conduct follow-up discussions with client representatives on selected problems and issues identified by the TTLs and task teams, in coordination with the OO and OM,
• Provide back-up duties when needed by participating in dialogue with clients, joining kick-off/ wrap-up meetings, and informing the OT member responsible for the PG of the main messages and conclusions,
• Contribute to other operational tasks on an as needed basis.

Time Period and reporting

The selected candidate will work on an extended-term Consultant (ETC) contract for one years. The assistant will report to Steffen Janus, Regional Hub Manager.