Senior Operations Officer, Organizational Development, GPE presso World Bank Group

Senior Operations Officer, Organizational Development, GPE

Description

Are you a very passionate advocate for education? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of children? The Global Partnership for Education Secretariat (GPE) would like to hear from you.

Who We Are 

GPE is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that  every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency. 

What We Do 

GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries to build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We currently support nearly 90 countries where  the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Since 2002, 160 million more children in GPE partner countries have set foot in classrooms for the first time, more than half of them girls. GPE is also the largest provider of education grants in the global COVID-19 response, providing partner countries with vital resources to ensure that learning can safely continue. 

How We Work 

Now, GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Between 2020-2025, GPE will support transformative change in up to 90 countries and territories, which are home to 1 billion children. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact at scale. GPE sets  out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing  reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality. 

Raise Your Hand 

In July 2021, the Global Education Summit put GPE firmly on the path to be fully-funded by 2025, by raising a record US $4 billion from donors for GPE’s Raise Your Hand campaign. At the Summit, Heads of State and Government from partner countries made historic commitments to education financing and GPE also mobilized an unprecedented number of pledges from businesses, private foundations and development banks.
A fully funded GPE would support transformed education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, enable up to 175 million children to learn and help get 88 million more girls and boys in school by 2025. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in GPE partner countries, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect 2 million girls from early marriage.

Governance And Organizational Arrangements 

The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the Partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is HE President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Ms. Christine Hogan. The Board of Directors, with its three standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions.

The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C., with a European office in Paris, an Africa office in Nairobi, a satellite office in Brussels, and a support office in Chennai.

ABOUT THE TEAM

The Secretariat Operations team provides a wide range of support to the GPE Secretariat, including staffing, workforce planning, work and budget planning, organizational design and development, project and change management, IT systems and knowledge management.  Its mission is to help the organization operate as effectively and efficiently as possible.

The Secretariat Operations team comprises three subteams; this position resides within the Organization Development subteam, which focuses on organizational design and development, and design and implementation of major change initiatives.

ABOUT THE JOB

This position will be based initially in Washington DC but may be relocated if business needs arise that make it necessary to do so. The selected candidate will be expected to come to the office 4 days/week.

Description

The selected candidate will report to the Team Lead of the Organizational Development team and will deliver related programs and projects.

The nature of the team’s projects and programs changes often, as this function is, by design, responsive to issues and needs surfaced by the leadership team and by staff.  As such, the position requires adaptability, flexibility, and aptitude to quickly develop and deploy new skills.  

Solutions often require a quick turnaround, with tight timelines.  Additionally, the teams’ clients and stakeholders include all GPE staff and managers, necessitating frequent consultation and concerted change management.

Initiatives the selected candidate may be asked to design, implement or support include, but are not limited to, organizational governance and structure changes, job design, process redesign, workload balancing, performance management/workplace effectiveness, staff development and training, digital transformation, and other performance improvement efforts. He she will be expected to identify opportunities and needs, craft solutions, manage or coach junior staff, and be responsible for meeting deadlines and resolving issues, with little supervision.

This is a senior position and the candidate will be expected to lead major corporate projects, and have experience doing so in prior roles. He/she will also be expected to have strong contract/vendor management experience and expertise.  

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPROVEMENT: 

• Quickly become familiar with client business challenges
• Deploy a suite of organizational development tools to gather information, understand issues and root causes, identify solutions, and implement them. 
• Gather, organize and analyze data to present information in a manner that is clear and meaningful using metrics and analytics to guide organizational decision-making.
• Build credibility with clients through strong analysis and open, but respectful, discussion of findings and issues. 
• Collaborate with leaders to improve leadership and management behaviors.
• Research and share best practices in organizational design and development with teams and leadership, including for organizational structure, processes, roles, and performance management.

PROJECT/PROGRAM MANAGEMENT:

• Lead initiative portfolios, including small and large change initiatives.
• Establish project/program teams and supporting architecture, including charters, project plans, team coordination protocols,  reporting mechanisms, communication tools, monitoring and status reporting plans.
• Track progress, keep stakeholders informed, and address or escalate issues, as needed.
• Conduct after action assessments to learn and refine future approach.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT: 

• Lead on change management strategy and implementation for initiatives with which the OD team is involved, ensuring changes are well planned, sequenced, supported, and ultimately, that they stick. 
• Conduct stakeholder analysis, change impact analysis, training needs assessment, and other up-front work, and gain buy-in through consultation, communication, training or other engagement with managers or staff.
• Integrate change management activities into all project plans.
• Lead clients in successfully implementing change management strategies to drive adoption of changes. 
• Craft communications and key messages for stakeholder engagement activities to build awareness and drive buy in and adoption of change initiatives, or coach and guide communications staff or others in stakeholder messaging and engagement activities. 
• Guide leadership in creating change stories to share the future state vision and strategy. Collaborate with leaders and managers to create resistance management plans and action items to prevent these behaviors.

TEAM PLANNING AND COORDINATION 

• Contribute significantly to team planning efforts, including identification of opportunities/work program, team coordination, budget management for specific workstreams or programs, and team learning and improvement efforts.
• Coach and mentor junior staff, oversee daily work of consultants for some workstreams, and help identify and resolve team issues that arise.

OTHER

• Contribute to corporate initiatives as required.
• Identify and undertake learning and development opportunities to keep skills current.
• Respond to/support other organizational projects or needs identified by GPE leadership.

Selection Criteria

Education
Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Organization Development, Organizational Behavior, Applied Behavioral Science, or Business Operations. 

Experience

Required experience:

1.At least ten years leading design and implementation of change strategies and initiatives, with structure, process, people, and systems elements. Extensive experience in organizational development, delivering data-driven solutions. 
2.Management consulting experience for private and public sector clients. Experience working in a multicultural environment and navigating complex organizational structures. 
3.Strong project and program management and contracts/vendor management experience. 

Desirable: Knowledge of GPE’s organization, policies and processes.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. 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

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

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.

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.