WBG Young Professional

Job #: req38194
Organization: World Bank Group
Sector: Urban
Grade: GF
Term Duration:  2 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date: 9/30/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Are you ready for a career with a lasting impact? 
The World Bank Group’s Young Professionals Program (YPP) offers exceptional professionals from around the world the opportunity to apply their specialized technical expertise, broaden their experience, and contribute to solutions to some of the most pressing development challenges. Young Professionals (YPs) work across the World Bank, IFC, MIGA, and ICSID in support of our mission to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more than 60 years, this highly competitive program has selected outstanding professionals to contribute to the institution’s work and develop as future leaders in global development. 
We seek candidates who demonstrate strong leadership potential, exceptional technical skills, and a clear commitment to our mission and values. As a YP, you will collaborate with colleagues across disciplines and institutions, applying your expertise to help address pressing development challenges and improve lives around the world. 
YPs join the World Bank Group on an initial two-year term contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance. During this period, YPs complete three eight-month rotations: one with their primary function and area of expertise, one cross-institutional rotation, and at least one rotation based in a country office.  These assignments enable YPs deepen their technical and operational knowledge while gaining experience across different areas of the institution.
Through the YP Academy, YPs undertake a structured learning and development journey that includes technical and operational training, language programs, negotiation and business skills, and leadership development. They also receive individual coaching, connect with mentors, and participate in strategic dialogues with senior leaders.
Urbanization is one of the defining development challenges of the twenty-first century. More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and that share is projected to reach two-thirds by 2050, with the fastest growth occurring in low- and middle-income countries. How cities are planned, financed, governed, and connected will determine outcomes for poverty reduction, climate resilience, economic opportunity, and quality of life for billions of people.
The World Bank Group’s Urban, Subnational Finance, Tourism and Disaster Management department works at the intersection of these challenges, supporting client countries through lending operations, technical assistance, analytics, and knowledge generation across urban development, housing, land administration, municipal finance, transport, and resilience. The department engages a diverse portfolio of projects spanning city diagnostics, infrastructure investment, spatial planning, and local government capacity building.
As cities in the developing world grow rapidly — often informally and with limited planning capacity — the demand for evidence-based, scalable approaches to urban development has never been greater. Addressing challenges such as insecure land tenure, inadequate housing, climate vulnerability, and unequal access to services requires both deep sectoral expertise and the ability to harness new tools and data sources. The department is increasingly drawing on geospatial analytics, satellite-derived indicators, AI-assisted diagnostics, and digital platforms to strengthen the quality and reach of its operational and analytical work.
What You’ll Deliver
  • Urban Development Analytics and Diagnostics: Support the teams in the preparation and delivery of urban diagnostics, analytical notes, and evidence products that underpin lending operations and technical assistance. Drawing on substantive knowledge of urban systems, including land tenure, housing markets, spatial planning, and municipal service delivery, the YP will help teams analyze country and city contexts, synthesize findings, and develop actionable recommendations for client governments. You are expected to bring both rigorous analytical skills and an understanding of the political economy and institutional constraints that shape urban outcomes in developing countries.
  • Land, Housing, and Spatial Planning Support: Contribute to the team’s portfolio of work on land administration, housing, and urban planning — areas that are central to the department’s operational mandate and among the most pressing challenges facing rapidly urbanizing countries. This includes supporting project preparation and implementation, reviewing technical approaches, and contributing to the development of knowledge products and operational guidance. You will engage with operational teams across regions, providing analytical support tailored to specific country contexts and client needs.
  • Geospatial Data and Spatial Analytics: Contribute to the development and application of geospatial tools and workflows that support urban diagnostics, project design, and monitoring. This includes integrating multiple spatial data sources — including remote sensing, OpenStreetMap, administrative data, and household surveys — into analytical pipelines and producing maps and dashboards for operational use. A key focus will be supporting the scale-up of SPARC (Smart Parcel Atlas for Resilient Cities), the unit’s initiative to build open, parcel-level geospatial data infrastructure for urban applications in developing countries. You will contribute to data processing, methodology documentation, and country-level implementation of SPARC, as well as helping teams apply its outputs in diagnostics and project design.
  • Digital Technology and AI Applications for Urban Development: Work with urban specialists and economists to identify and apply digital technologies — including AI, machine learning, and data analytics — to priority urban development challenges. This may include the use of satellite imagery and computer vision for informal settlement mapping or land use classification, predictive approaches to infrastructure planning or climate risk assessment, and AI-assisted tools for synthesizing urban research and evidence. You will be expected to bring practical experience in applying such methods, support teams in interpreting and using outputs, and help prototype scalable solutions suitable for low-resource environments.
  • Knowledge and Capacity Building: Contribute to the department’s knowledge agenda and support efforts to build the capacity of both unit staff and client counterparts. This includes preparing knowledge products such as technical notes, good practice summaries, and operational guidance; contributing to learning events and communities of practice; and helping teams build familiarity with relevant digital tools and data-driven approaches. The goal is to strengthen the department’s collective ability to deliver high-quality, evidence-based urban development support at scale.

What You’ll Bring
  • A minimum of a master’s degree in urban planning, urban economics, geography, development studies, public policy, or a related field. Candidates with degrees in computer science, data science, or engineering who have substantial applied experience in urban development contexts will also be considered.
  • 2-6 years of relevant professional experience in urban development, land administration, housing, spatial planning, or a closely related area. Demonstrated experience applying digital technologies — such as geospatial tools, data analytics, or AI — to urban or development challenges is required. Experience working in developing country contexts or with multilateral institutions or government clients is an advantage.
  • Solid grounding in urban development, with knowledge of one or more of the following: land tenure and administration, housing policy, urban planning and spatial development, municipal finance, or urban resilience.
  • Familiarity with the development finance context and the types of analytical and operational challenges faced by multilateral institutions working in urban settings.
  • Understanding of urban data ecosystems in developing countries, including the limitations and opportunities associated with administrative data, household surveys, and remotely sensed information.
  • Demonstrated ability to apply geospatial tools and methods to urban development challenges (e.g., QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, or Python-based geospatial libraries).
  • Experience with data analysis and visualization, including familiarity with tools such as Python, R, or equivalent
  • Exposure to AI or machine learning applications in urban or development contexts — such as satellite imagery analysis, predictive modelling, or natural language processing — is highly desirable.
  • Experience with data collection platforms, dashboard development, or digital tool design is an asset.
  • Fluency in English, with the ability to translate technical findings for non-technical audiences and to present analytical results clearly in operational and policy contexts. Proficiency in additional languages is an advantage.
  • Proven ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced, matrix environment.
  • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams independently.
  • Intellectually curious, with a genuine interest in applying emerging technologies to urban development challenges in a practical, context-sensitive way. 

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense
of Urgency – Anticipating and quickly reacting to the needs of internal
and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful
Risk Taking – Taking informed and thoughtful risks and making courageous
decisions to push boundaries for greater impact.
3. Empowerment
and Accountability – Engaging with others in an empowered and accountable
manner for impactful 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.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.