WBG Young Professional

The World Bank Group’s Young Professionals Program offers exceptional professionals the opportunity to apply their technical expertise and contribute to development challenges. The role focuses on structured finance advisory and sector-specific financial analysis in urban infrastructure projects, supporting the World Bank Group's mission to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

Responsibilities

• Assess the financial viability and creditworthiness of urban infrastructure projects, including municipal utilities, special purpose vehicles (SPVs), and public-private partnership (PPP) structures.
• Design and evaluate structured finance solutions appropriate to the project context, including revenue-backed bonds, municipal bonds, project finance structures, land value capture mechanisms, blended finance structures, viability gap funding, output-based aid mechanisms, green bonds, blue bonds, and sustainability-linked financing instruments.
• Advise on risk allocation frameworks, credit enhancement tools, and de-risking strategies to improve bankability of urban projects.
• Provide technical inputs on the deployment of WBG financing instruments across the urban infrastructure portfolio, including IBRD/IDA loans and guarantees, IFC equity, quasi-equity, and senior debt, and MIGA political risk guarantees.
• Support teams in structuring operations that leverage WBG products to crowd in additional financing from bilateral donors, DFIs, and commercial lenders.
• Assist in preparing financial models and investment memoranda that articulate WBG value-added in financing structures.
• Analyze tipping fee structures, off-take agreements, and revenue adequacy for waste management concessions and PPPs.
• Support financial analysis of water utility reform, tariff studies, operating cost benchmarking, and capital investment planning.
• Advise on financing mechanisms for last-mile water connections to low-income households.
• Evaluate non-revenue water reduction programs and their impact on utility financial sustainability.
• Analyze land value capture instruments as financing sources for urban infrastructure.
• Assess feasibility and financial structuring of large-scale urban development schemes.
• Support financial analysis of affordable housing programs and evaluate PPP models for social and affordable housing delivery.
• Build and review project financial models for urban infrastructure operations.
• Conduct financial due diligence on project sponsors, utilities, and municipal counterparts.
• Prepare sensitivity and scenario analyses to assess project resilience under stress conditions.
• Review and comment on financial models prepared by clients, consultants, and co-financing partners.
• Advise client governments, municipalities, utilities, and private sector sponsors on financing strategies for urban infrastructure programs and projects.
• Prepare and deliver capacity-building sessions, workshops, and training to strengthen client understanding of structured finance and WBG financing instruments.
• Prepare technical notes, policy briefs, and financial advisory reports for client counterparts.
• Support the structuring of capital market transactions and accompany clients through transaction execution as a technical advisor.
• Contribute to the development of knowledge products, good practice notes, and sector strategies on urban infrastructure finance.

Requirements

• Minimum of a master's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• CFA, CPA, or equivalent professional certification is an advantage.
• 2-6 years of relevant professional experience in infrastructure finance, project finance, or structured finance, with a focus on urban sectors.
• Experience working with or alongside multilateral development banks (MDBs) or DFIs is highly desirable.
• Experience in emerging markets and developing economies is a plus.
• Advanced financial modeling skills (Excel; knowledge of dedicated project finance software is an advantage).
• Strong command of project finance, blended finance, and municipal finance concepts.
• Knowledge of land value capture, green/blue bonds, and sustainability-linked finance instruments.
• Familiarity with urban sector policy and regulatory frameworks in developing economies.
• Fluency in English. Proficiency in other languages is an advantage.
• Ability to synthesize complex financial and technical information for non-specialist audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in multidisciplinary, multicultural teams.

Skills

• Infrastructure Finance
• Project Financing
• Structured Finance
• Financial Modeling
• Excel
• Project Finance Software
• Blended Finance Structuring
• Municipal Finance
• Land Value Capture
• Green Bonds
• Blue Bonds
• Sustainability-linked Finance
• Urban Sector Policy
• Regulatory Frameworks
• Multilateral Development Banks Governance
• Development Finance Institutions
• Emerging Markets Finance
• Financial Analysis
• Technical Information Synthesis

Languages

English