E T Temporary - Program Assistant

E T Temporary - Program Assistant Job #: req35291 Organization: World Bank Sector: Administration/Office Support Grade: ET3 Term Duration: 1 year 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Sint Maarten - Dutch part Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 1/19/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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, visit www.worldbank.org.
VPU Context: 
The World Bank Group serves 33 client countries in Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state, and to varying degrees face three key challenges – low productivity and growth, low quality jobs and low resilience to shocks.  The region is tackling these challenges with a strong WBG approach, underpinned by selectivity and complementarity between the value added of public and private arms, and in strong partnership with relevant regional development partners. 
A. The challenge of low growth. After recovering lost output, the region is returning to pre-pandemic low growth and productivity scenario. After a solid post-pandemic rebound in economic activity (7.2% and 3.9% growth in 2021 and 2022 respectively), GDP growth returned to the pre-pandemic low growth around 2.2% in 2023 and 2024, with a medium-term outlook of 2.5%.  With an average Gini co-efficient of [0.52] LAC remains also one of the most unequal regions in the world. It is a region where the bottom 50% earn 27 times less than the top 10%. It also represents stark differences in opportunity, a child born today in the poorest 20% quintile in LAC will on average be 17 percentage points less productive than a child born in the richest 20%.
B. The challenge of quality jobs: the need for better quality jobs is paramount, with 6.2% unemployment rates, these low levels mask a deeper issue of job quality. Reflecting stagnating living standards, labor earnings have only grown by 1% or less per year in most countries over the past decade, and some 19% of workers in the region are earning incomes below the poverty line.  
•   Investing in foundational infrastructure critical to job creation, LAC needs to invest at least 3.1% of GDP in infrastructure investments per year, yet it only invests 2%, which is significantly lower than the world average of 5.4% of GDP. This underinvestment in physical infrastructure, including in key infrastructure sectors (including resilient transport, water, energy etc.) is holding back potential for better jobs. The region is supporting clients by supporting selective transformative infrastructure projects (e.g. urban mobility, regional transport and connectivity).   On human infrastructure challenge, firms in the region continue to cite skills shortages (55% of firms in LAC vs 45% in MIC regions) as a key barrier to growth and job creation. A child born in LAC is expected to reach only 56 percent of their productive potential. Three out of four 15-year olds fail basic math proficiency and cannot read adequately the soft side involves supporting clients revamp their education and health sectors. The region is supporting clients to revamp their education and health care sectors.   •   The LAC region also needs to foster a predictable, business-enabling policy and regulatory environment. These include ensuring macro stability, eliminating restrictive business regulations in product and factor markets, and improving access to finance, especially long-term capital. Labor market regulations in LAC are noted to be on par with the most restrictive labor market regimes among OECD countries. Further, enforcement of competition policy needs to be supported due to high levels of market concentration in LAC markets: the 50 largest firms in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile have revenues greater than 30% of GDP.  At 55% of GDP, domestic credit to the private sector remains much lower than EAP (178%).•   Private capital needs to be appropriately incentivized to support the provision of public goods and investments in key sectors, especially those that have the highest potential to enable and/or create better quality jobs. However, at only 19.8% of GDP, gross capital formation remains lowest among all regions (EAP is at 38% and South Asia at 30%). Private capital mobilization in the region is being held back by shallow capital markets, lack of long-term finance, high cost of capital, regulatory and institutional barriers (including in PPP frameworks). Based on country contexts, the WBG will support investments in productive clusters (energy/mining, value added manufacturing, agribusiness, tourism, etc) across the public-private spectrum.  C. The challenge of vulnerability to shocks.  Building resilience of the countries to shocks, including natural disasters, through contingent financing and other innovative risk management platforms at country and regional levels is critical given the high exposure to climate–related disasters and natural hazards. The Central America and the Caribbean have recurrent hurricanes that have impacts on GDP significantly higher than the regional average of 1.7%. Several countries are experiencing deep, long droughts, increasingly intense storms, and floods that disrupt economic activities and affect livelihoods, with impacts on the most vulnerable populations. 
Country Context:
On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma hit the Caribbean Island of Sint Maarten, an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with catastrophic effects. Hurricane Irma made landfall as a Category 5 storm, packing winds of more than 180 mph (290km/h) and leaving a trail of devastation. The country begun the reconstruction and recovery efforts in 2018, though with limited financial and human resources. The Netherlands made available EUR 550 million (partially through funding and partially through in-kind support provided by the Netherlands to Sint Maarten) to support the country’s recovery and reconstruction efforts. Given the government’s limited capacity to manage the massive reconstruction effort and the World Bank’s extensive experience, the Netherlands requested the World Bank’s support as its Trustee and Manager. The World Bank brought global expertise and resources by establishing a single-donor trust fund (SDTF) to help Sint Maarten manage this complex recovery, reconstruction and resilience building program. The Netherlands and the Bank signed the EUR 470 million (US$533 million) Administration Arrangement on April 16, 2018.
Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Program:
The Sint Maarten Reconstruction, Recovery, and Resilience Trust Fund program finances and provides technical support for implementing selected activities under the Government’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, prepared with the World Bank’s support. The NRRP outlines the Government’s vision, principles, and a proposed approach for rebuilding a “better and stronger Sint Maarten” following Hurricane Irma. 
Duties and Accountabilities:
We are seeking a Program Assistant (extended term temporary) to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a proven track record in executive support, with exceptional organizational skills and the ability to anticipate the needs of management to enhance efficiency and communication. The successful candidate will ensure the smooth operation of the Program Manager’s office and the entire unit by providing comprehensive administrative and support services. The Program Assistant should be capable of working with minimal supervision and possess excellent interpersonal and project management skills.
The Program Assistant duties and accountabilities include, but are not limited to, the following: 
Operational and administrative support: •   The selected candidate will be assigned to support a set of sectors, as well as for tasks associated to the Unit’s overall work program for which ad-hoc support may be needed from time to time. The Program Assistant (ETT) will be expected to:•   Work on interpreting existing operational procedures and processes, independently determine which should be used, and apply these appropriately.•   Undertakes duties on behalf of the Operations Manager, to include serving as first point of contact for the office and liaison with clients and officials as needed.•   Fully responsible for time management and front office administrative activities. •   Extensively coordinate with other World Bank Group (WBG) units, and frequently liaison with team members regardless of location, and with external counterparts.•   Provide primary assistance in the implementation of the unit's work program, including some specialized support in a specific area(s), e.g. task management, procurement, database management, knowledge management, information technology, etc.•   Work regularly and substantially in more than one language, to include translating/drafting a variety of standard documents, applying effective proofreading and grammar skills in English.•   Identify and resolve diverse issues/problems as they arise, while following and independently applying existing procedures and processes.•   Suggest ways to enhance work organization and effectiveness.•   Exercise quality enhancement function for project and other documents by ensuring adherence to departmental, Vice-President Unit (VPU) and institutional guidelines.•   Participate in developing project/product timelines, using appropriate software.•   Attend meetings, draft minutes, and ensure timely clearance and distribution.•   Serve as an information resource on status of project/products (e.g. procurement, disbursement, audit, trust fund/co-financing, and legal issues) and draft a variety of standard project-related correspondences.•   Monitor task budget/trust funds for specific projects on behalf of the team.•   Undertake ad hoc inquiries in standard and non-standard databases, retrieves, manipulates and presents data.•   Participate in mission field work as required.•   Coordinate schedules, taking priorities into account, monitor changes, and communicate the information to appropriate staff, inside and outside the immediate work unit, including officials outside the WBG.•   Assist in preparation and logistical planning for various events, e.g. conferences, workshops, negotiations, etc.•   Maintain current distribution lists, phone/address lists of project/product contacts, and distribute documents for the team.•   Maintain up-to-date work unit projects and other files (both paper and electronic).•   Responsible for submitting travel requests, following up on approvals, and arranging bookings through designated office travel agent.•   Mentor less experienced staff.•   Undertake ad-hoc assignments and provide support to other staff in the unit as required.

Selection Criteria

“Preference will be given to local talent, that is, applicants that are authorized to work in the duty station for any employer. Internal applicants may apply per existing guidelines.” •   Bachelor’s degree with 4 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience. Prior experience in administration assistance in multinational or international organizations is preferred.•   Previous experience in handling administrative duties in busy front offices.•   Proficient English skills (verbal and written), including the ability to draft routine correspondence and edit materials using accurate grammar, punctuation and style.
Effective time management and organizational skills:
•   Demonstrated use of initiative and ability to make appropriate linkages in work requirements and anticipate next steps, and to follow through on team priorities in the absence of the team leader and respond to requests for information•   Ability to retrieve reference materials from various sources (e.g. databases or other filing systems, Internet, etc.)•   Demonstrated initiative and resourcefulness.