Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) 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. For more information, visitwww.worldbank.org.
Development Economics Data Group and the Office of the Chief Statistician
Located within the Development Economics Vice Presidency, the Development Data Group (DECDG) is the World Bank's center of excellence on data and statistics. By unlocking the full value of data for development, DECDG helps achieve the World Bank's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Inspired by the World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives, DECDG envisions a world where data are actively transformed into decisions that improve lives and livelihoods of the poor and marginalized.
The World Bank's Office of the Chief Statistician provides a strategic vision for the World Bank's work and innovations in development data and statistics. The Chief Statistician main functions are to: (i) lead and promote the adoption of standards and best practices for data and statistics across the World Bank; (ii) champion data innovations by advising Senior Leadership on the implementation of major data and statistics initiatives, identifying strategic priorities for World Bank data governance, and fostering collaboration among partners on data and statistics priorities; and (iii) represent the World Bank in global discussions and deliberative fora on data and statistics.
Guided by the office of the Chief Statistician, a new Data Academy is being created to define and develop a coherent, bespoke set of data-focused learning offerings for WBG staff and clients. The Academy will also be responsible for supporting learning opportunities and standards for the new Data Talent Board.
World Bank Data Lab (https://datalab.worldbank.org/)
The Data Lab, housed in the Office of World Bank Chief Statistician and the Development Economics Data Group (DECDG) Directorate, supports the integration of modern data science into Bank lending, technical assistance, and economic monitoring operations. To support internal connections, the Lab manages the Data Corps, skill-certified staff recruited to provide data science support to task teams. To streamline external partnerships, the Lab leads the Development Data Partnership and the University Data Fellows programs, which efficiently link staff to external data and data science partners. To improve staff awareness and capacity to implement data science solutions, the Lab organizes workshops and clinics, and more recently, the Lab has begun supporting the production of Data Goods -reproducible data science methods and insights that support Bank client's most pressing challenges. With the establishment of the new Data Academy, it will be important to streamline the Data Lab offerings, particularly in relation to the Academy's staff certification program under the data science career stream.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Data Lab team seeks a talented data scientist -- with experience in data engineering, data analysis and documentation, workflow management, and web development -- to lead the team's technical priorities. Following is an overview of key duties:
•Data Management System Design and Coordination. The candidate shall be responsible for oversight and periodic updating of the Development Data Partnership's data management system design, including: ingest, pre-processing, storage, provisioning, and access management. With support from unit leadership, the candidate shall coordinate with ITS counterparts who are responsible for efficient and secure implementation of the data management system.
•Code and Data Documentation System Design and Coordination. The candidate shall be responsible for maintenance and improvement of our data and code documentation system, which shall utilize industry best practices for metadata, sustainability, efficiency, and usability. The candidate shall be supported by the team for adding content and promoting adoption of the system by Partnership members and the World Bank Data Lab community.
•Advisory. The Candidate shall, as needed and with support from the team, provide advisory on the data management system, code and data documentation systems, data, and/or data science and data engineering methods, to World Bank staff and, on occasion, to Development Data Partnership member staff.
•Data Science Analytics. The candidate shall, in coordination with team members and hired consultants, lead preparation of reusable code, methods, packages, and libraries for internal World Bank clients and/or grant-funded programs to support wider use of alternative data and data science best practices in international development.
•Product Management. The candidate, with support from the team, shall lead the design and implementation of a new front end for our GitHub-based code catalogue, making our data science methods as discoverable and valuable as our data. The candidate will also be responsible for oversight of the peer review process for ensuring certified repositories are recognized and meet the Lab's standards for code and documentation.
•Learning. The candidate will support the team in the implementation of the data science certification program for WBG staff and in the development and delivery of learning events.
Selection Criteria
•Master's degree or equivalent qualification in the field of data science, computer science, or similar area of expertise with at least five years of relevant work experience.
•A record of high-quality and well documented data science work, using modern programming libraries and best practices;
•Ability to design complex data management pipelines for data ingest, storage, and access management;
•Ability to design and implement code and data documentation systems;
•Front-end web development experience;
•Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues in a multi-cultural team;
•Ability to perform in a fast-paced environment;
•Achievement of an AWS certification preferred;
•Proficiency with the following programming languages, libraries, packages, web development resources, and platforms: python (+ NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, Jupyter, Bokeh, Seaborn, etc.), HTML, JavaScript, Hugo, Flask, git, GitHub, Docker, AWS services (S3 buckets, AWS storage options, SageMaker, etc.).
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.
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.
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