Team Assistant

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. 

Latin America and the Caribbean (LCR) Region. The WBG serves 30 client countries in the 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 about $4,000, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region’s people living in poverty. The last Bank’s strategy for LCR focused on three pillars: (a) supporting the foundations for inclusive growth; (b) investing in human capital and protecting the poor; and (c) building resilience. In the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic, this strategy will need to be adjusted to better support the countries deal with a health crisis without precedents and an economic crisis not seen since modern statistical records started in 1900. Yet, the basic elements of the strategy: accelerating growth (following a projected GDP contraction in 2020 of 7.2%), investing in human capital, including in health (in the most affected region by COVID19), and building resilience appear fully relevant.

• The Infrastructure Practice Group. Globally, 840 million people live more than 2 kilometers from all-weather roads, 1 billion people lack electricity, and 4 billion people lack Internet access. Access to basic infrastructure services is critical for creating economic opportunities for the poor. The Infrastructure Practice Group is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies.
• The World Bank Group helps developing countries build smart infrastructure that supports inclusive and sustainable growth, expands markets, creates job opportunities, promotes competition, and contributes to a cleaner future. We help countries address their unique infrastructure needs by working with the public and private sectors. Infrastructure improves lives by connecting people to opportunity.
• In Latin America and the Caribbean Region, the Infrastructure Department (ILCDR) is responsible for delivery of the transport and energy programs in the LCR region, and it comprises a Transport unit (ILCT1) headed by a Transport Practice Manager and an Energy unit (ILCE1) headed by a second Practice Manager (PM) as well as a small front office.
• The LCR Transport Unit (ILCT1). The LCR Transport Unit (ILCT1) has an active portfolio of 24 lending operations with total commitments of about US$4.3 billion, 11 ongoing Analytical and Advisory Activities (ASA) and approximately 4-6 new investment lending deliveries per FY. ILCT1 also provides significant policy input to an increasing number of policy-based lending operations (DPLs).  The current portfolio is evenly split between inter-urban and rural roads projects (39% by number) and urban transport operations (39% by number), followed by airports/aviation operations (17% by number) and waterways projects (4% by number).
• The Transport LCR unit is seeking to recruit a Team Assistant to be based in Washington DC.  The position seeks candidates with outstanding organization and administrative skills as well as fluency in English, Spanish and, if possible, Portuguese.
• Note: if the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, she/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment.

Duties & Responsibility:

• ILCT1 is hiring a team assistant to join its Transport unit based in Washington DC. This is a proactive and key role in providing effective, high quality operational and administrative support to the operational teams in the unit.

Operational Support

• Provide administrative support to task team leaders (TTLs), staff and other visiting secondees.
• Initiate, edit, format and distribute Mission Announcement Letters, Aide memoires and Management Letters, Terms of Reference (TOR), Back to Office Reports, and other mission-related documents under the guidance of TTLs and delegated team members.
• Organize and coordinate review meetings, draft invitations, follow up on clearances and distribute to participants, provide support to TTLs on preparation of Decision Notes (for Concept Note Review Meetings, Decision Meetings, QER, Negotiations, Board, Extension of Closing Date and restructuring packages) as requested.
• Check and update project milestones in SAP and/or Operations Portal, assist teams in processing Project packages in Operations Portal.
• Liaise with the country offices for logistics of visiting missions (book meeting rooms and various appointments).
• Perform research for the teams using various internal/external information resources, including contributing to one-page summaries.
• Ensure that all team members are informed of changes to Bank/Regional operational policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Provide support to properly file and disclose Project documents as requested by TTLs. Organize and maintain an electronic (WBDocs) filing system for all institutional documents related to work program.
• Assist TTLs with the Admin Portal and the E-consult process involved in the hiring of consultants. Assist TTLs with the creation, maintenance and tracking of contracts for consultants and firms within E-consult.
• Maintain a Consultant Roster with updated resumes and key data. Provide support to unit staff in the processing of travel requests and statements of expenses for STCs.
• Support website maintenance and social media as required.
• Perform other ad-hoc duties as assigned by the Practice Manager (PM).

PM Support and portfolio monitoring

• Manage proactively calendar and appointments for the PM, prepare background documents required for meetings.
• Serve as leave and time recording (LARS and TRS) coordinator for the unit.
• Monitor leave and missions in a table.
• Organize VCs, events and meetings (with Webex) for the unit, as and when the need arises and ordering food and beverages as required.
• Taking notes and preparing minutes of meetings including Leadership Team meetings
• Coordinating the assignment of space for visiting staff and consultants
• Assure a back-up role for other administrative (ACS) staff during absences and/or peak periods.
• Monitor proactively key portfolio preparation and supervision deadlines through SAP, Operations Portal, and portfolio monitoring reports, and follow up with TTLs to ensure up to date reporting and follow-up, in particular:
• Monitor project milestones in SAP/Project Portal to keep them updated.
• Monitor trust funds (TF) and including submission of GRMs or proper closing of TFs.
• Monitor budget burn rate and consultant commitments and follow up with TTLs to commit/decommit as needed.
• Monitor projects and ASAs to ensure timely submission of deliverables, ISRs, ACS, etc…
• Attend and represent the unit in portfolio and deliverables meetings.

Selection Criteria

• The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree and two years of working experience in an office environment.
• Experienced computer literacy in software for word processing, spreadsheet, and database. Strong knowledge of technology and systems –MS Office skills, internet search, and social media competency.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare reports.
• Proven experience in administrative assignments supporting executive staff.
• Proactive attitude, a self-starter, and team player with a high degree of motivation, initiative, reliability, and willingness to help others to meet the Unit’s work objectives.
• Excellent organizational, administrative, and time management skills.
• Strong practical problem-solving skills, and resourcefulness.
• Proven ability to work promptly, independently, and efficiently under pressure to meet tight deadlines –with an emphasis on accuracy and attention to details, and ability to follow through to completion.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work within a multicultural team, and with staff at all levels, as well as with others (inside and outside of the Bank) with demonstrated ability to respond effectively and professionally in a multicultural team.
• High degree of flexibility with work schedule, and a willingness to work extended hours (on occasion).
• Familiarity with the World Bank (desirable).
• Strong writing and editing skills in particular in English and Spanish.
• Fluency, oral and written, in English, Spanish, and, if possible, Portuguese. Candidates who cannot demonstrate a solid knowledge in these languages will not be considered. Please see description on the Background section. Please document your language experience in the application (native, language level A, B or C or TOEFL score).
• Work experience in developing countries is a plus.

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=28275&site=1