WBG Knowledge Bank Manager, Competition Policy

The World Bank Group is seeking a Manager to lead its Competition Policy unit within the Trade, Competition and Business Department. The role involves delivering global thought leadership, managing a multi-location team, and supporting scalable solutions in competition policy, value chains, and innovation to achieve development impact.

Responsibilities

• Deliver global thought leadership, cutting-edge analytics, and lead innovations and frontier approaches to supporting efficient and contestable markets, resilient value chains, and stronger innovation ecosystems.
• Define model policies, laws & regulations, and institutional approaches in the unit’s core topic areas.
• Work closely with regional teams across the WBG to provide in-depth technical inputs and quality reviews in support of analytics, advisory, and lending operations.
• Collaborate across technical, geographic, and institutional boundaries to define and implement scalable solutions in the unit’s core topic areas, as well as monitor and assess the impact of these solutions.
• Model exemplary WBG leadership values and managerial behaviors and reinforce these qualities in own team and staff.
• Lead, drive and inspire technical excellence within the team and the Department by creating an environment of learning and innovation that attracts and develops the best talent reflective of the diversity of clients.
• Closely support and advise staff on their performance, skills development and career planning.
• Ensure that the unit is at the forefront of the development debate and contributes to the global dialogue on competition, value chains, and innovation, working across the WBG and DEC.
• Ensure alignment between the team’s knowledge-generation and solutions-delivery functions to produce, curate, validate, and share knowledge with operational teams, clients, and partners; capture, scale, and replicate innovations; and monitor the impact of solutions.
• Promote innovative and cross-cutting analytical, as well as the dissemination of technical and experiential knowledge and learning.
• Lead efforts to produce, curate, validate, and disseminate competition, value chains, and innovation policy-related knowledge and information, including contributions to the Data360 and Knowledge360.
• Maintain and grow dissemination channels to ensure knowledge reaches operational teams, clients, and partners.
• Establish and maintain external partnerships relevant to the unit’s agenda (e.g., OECD, WIPO, EUIPO).
• Design, implement, and deliver training, learning, and capacity-building programs for internal and external clients.
• Decide on the best use of internal and external resources for maximum client and developmental impact in consultation with relevant stakeholders within the WBG.
• Be accountable for delivering the agreed-upon work program through cost-effective use of resources (human and budget) within the agreed parameters and in compliance with internal controls and policies, and ensure timely delivery and overall quality of the unit outputs.

Requirements

• A Ph.D. (preferred) or Master’s in economics or related areas such as international development or business with at least 12 years of relevant experience in positions of increasing complexity and responsibility.
• Recognized international thought leadership in one or more of the unit’s core areas — competition policy, value chains, and innovation/technology adoption — and demonstrated ability to expand this expertise to other areas and develop synergies across team members and work streams for maximum development and operational impact.
• Demonstrated leadership and people management skills, including high emotional intelligence, courage of conviction, and experience managing multi-location teams with diverse professional backgrounds.
• Proven ability to lead effectively through periods of institutional change, using both formal and matrixed authority.
• Knowledge of World Bank Group operations, instruments, and processes, including policy and investment lending, complex operations and policy dialogue across multiple regions, Global Practices, and institutional settings (IBRD, IFC, MIGA).
• Strong strategic orientation and ability to prioritize, streamline, and rationalize activities across a complex portfolio.
• Excellent communication and representational skills, with proven experience engaging senior stakeholders and external constituencies.
• Commitment to proactively position the SME and Enterprise Development agenda both externally and internally, including through donor engagement, client country dialogue, and the development and nurturing of internal and external partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate budget and HR management systems, as well as adaptability, flexibility, and resilience in supporting and guiding staff through evolving institutional contexts.

Skills

• Competition Policy
• Value Chain Analysis
• Innovation Adoption
• International Development
• Thought Leadership
• People Management
• Multi-location Team Management
• Institutional Change Management
• World Bank Group Operations
• Policy and Investment Lending
• Strategic Planning
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Donor Engagement Strategies
• Client Country Dialogue
• Partnership Development
• Budget Management
• Human Resources Management
• Communications Skills

Languages

English