Senior Digital Specialist โ AI Applications for Digital Economy & Society Job #: req34132 Organization: World Bank Sector: Digital Development Grade: GG Term Duration:ย 4 years 0 months Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 9/5/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions driven by a bold vision to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, we help solve the worldโs greatest development challenges. When you join the World Bank Group, you become part of a dynamic, diverse organization with 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide. We work with public and private sector partners, invest in groundbreaking projects, and use data, research, and technology to bring tangible and transformative change around the globe. For more information, visitย www.worldbank.org.
VPU Context: The Digital Transformation Vertical Vice Presidency was established on July 1, 2024, and guides the World Bank Group efforts to establish the foundations of a digital economy, build and enhance digital and data infrastructure, ensure cybersecurity and data privacy for institutions, businesses, and citizens, and advance digital government services. Digital technologies, including AI and data, present a unique opportunity to accelerate development. The Digital Transformation Vertical has the critical mission of delivering on this development promise. The Digital Vice Presidency and its global and regional teams support client countries in building the foundational and cross-cutting elements of digital transformation.
Unit Context: The Digital Economy and Society unit within the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and Services department of the Digital Vice Presidency helps client countries turn digital access into meaningful human and economic outcomes. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a key driver of transformation in economies and societies, offering unprecedented opportunities for productivity gains, innovation, and improved public service delivery.
In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), small AI models, efficient AI systems deployable in environments with limited connectivity, compute capacity, or data, hold particular promise.ย
Duties and accountabilities: This role will focus on the application side of AI: identifying, assessing, and scaling use cases that transform priority sectors, support local ICT industry growth, and address labor market impacts while working closely with other experts on the AI infrastructure (compute, cloud, data platforms side. The emphasis is on bridging the gap between cutting-edge AI technology, especially small AI and development priorities, helping countries harness AI to transform sectors, foster local innovation, and grow their ICT industries. The position will report to the Practice Manager, Digital Economy and Society (Digital Use), and collaborates closely with AI infrastructure specialists, sector leads, and regional teams.
The Senior Digital Specialist will:โข Provide thought leadership and technical advisory on AI applications, especially small AI, for economic and social sector transformation in LMICs.โข Identify and curate combinations of small AI applications (and forge collaborations between application developers, where necessary) to advance solutions that address the pain points of the end user (example: a farmer, a patient in a rural part of an LMIC etc.).โข Advise client countries on integrating AI into national digital strategies, sectoral programs, and investment operations in a way that is inclusive, ethical, and sustainable.โข Support governments in assessing AI solutions, building local ICT industry capacity, and preparing for shifts in the job market.
Key Responsibilities
1. Technical Advisory and Due Diligenceโข Conduct technical assessments of AI application proposals, focusing on small AI and solutions suitable for resource-constrained environments.โข Advise governments and Bank teams on the technical feasibility, scalability, and risks of AI-enabled solutions.โข Review vendor proposals and technology architectures for alignment with local infrastructure, governance, and policy needs.
2. Policy and Strategy Supportโข Lead AI application readiness diagnostics for client countries.โข Provide inputs to national AI and digital economy strategies, ensuring inclusion of high-impact, context-appropriate AI use cases.โข Advise on policy and regulatory frameworks for AI adoption, ethics, and governance.
3. Sectoral Transformation, Local ICT Industry Growth, and Jobsโข Identify and prioritize AI applications in sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, health, education, climate adaptation, and public service delivery.โข Assess implications for job creation, job transformation, and job displacement; recommend workforce readiness and reskilling measures.โข Advise on how AI adoption, especially small AI, can strengthen local ICT industry capabilities, including opportunities in AI services, data labeling and curation, local language model development, and sector-specific applications.โข Support the design of strategies and partnerships to stimulate local innovation ecosystems, encourage AI startups, and connect domestic firms to regional and global AI value chains.
4. Knowledge and Learningโข Lead the development of guidance notes, toolkits, and sectoral roadmaps for AI applications.โข Document and disseminate lessons learned from AI pilots and deployments in LMICs.โข Stay abreast of global AI trends and translate emerging technical developments into actionable recommendations for client countries.
5. Partnerships and Ecosystem Buildingโข Engage with global AI companies, local tech firms, academia, and innovation hubs to co-develop context-appropriate AI solutions.โข Facilitate publicโprivateโacademic partnerships to localize AI applications, including in local languages.โข Represent the Bank in global AI application and governance forums.
Selection Criteria
โข Masterโs degree or PhD in computer science, data science, AI/ML, engineering, economics, public policy, or related discipline, with a strong technical foundation (through formal training or substantial professional experience in computer science, engineering or building AI applications) and demonstrated ability to apply AI and digital technologies to real-world sectoral or policy challenges.โข At least 8 years of experience in AI applications, with deep technical understanding of AI/ML systems, architectures, and deployment models.โข Proven experience evaluating AI solutions for feasibility, scalability, and fit in low-resource environments; familiarity with small AI strongly preferred.โข Strong understanding of sectoral application domains and the intersection of AI with digital economy and society.โข Demonstrated ability to identify, nurture, and catalyze local innovation, including supporting AI startups, local ICT industry growth, and participation in regional/global AI value chainsโข Knowledge of AI ethics, governance, and regulatory considerations.โข Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.โข Experience working in or with LMICs is highly desirable.
WBG Culture Attributes:
1. Sense of Urgency โ Anticipating and quickly reacting to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful Risk Taking โ Taking informed and thoughtful risks and making courageous decisions to push boundaries for greater impact.
3. Empowerment and Accountability โ 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.
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.
Learn more about working at theย World Bankย andย IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.