Chief Counsel

Note: This requisition holds two positions: Chief Counsel AFW/MENAAP based in Washington, DC; and Chief Counsel ECA based in Vienna, Austria. At the World Bank , a member of the World Bank Group (WBG) , you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd VPU Position Context: The World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life. To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include development and measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data. In the context of the World Bank's broad development agenda, the Legal Vice Presidency (LEG), under the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel, is responsible for providing legal advice and support to internal and external Bank clients on operational, advisory, financial, administration, and institutional matters. LEG provides legal services required by the World Bank Group and plays an active role in all the World Bank's activities. In addition, the Legal Vice Presidency helps to ensure that all World Bank activities comply with the Institution’s Articles of Agreement, policies and procedures. Organizationally, the Legal Vice Presidency includes geographically based regional Operational Practice Groups devoted to the legal and policy aspects of the World Bank's lending operations, and Corporate Practice Groups, which provide advice on corporate finance, administrative and institutional matters for the World Bank. The Regional Operational Practice Groups, under the oversight of the Deputy General Counsel Operations, are led by Chief Counsels covering all of the 7 Regions. They are currently grouped in 3 practice groups based on volume of deliverables and geographic proximity. The 7 geographic Regions currently are: (i) East and Southern Africa (AFE); (ii) West and Central Africa (AFW); (iii) Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP); (iv) Europe and Central Asia (ECA); (v) Latin America and the Caribbean (LCR); (vi) East Asia Pacific (EAP) and (vii) South Asia Region (SAR). Each Chief Counsel is responsible for leading LEG’s support to the World Bank’s operational programs in the Regions, collaborating with other WBG Practice Groups within LEG such as the Environment and International Law Unit (LEGEN), the Legal Operations Policy Unit (LEGOP), Legal Development Finance (LEGDF), Legal Corporate Finance (LEGFI), Legal Institutional Administration (LEGIA) and Regional Operations practice groups and staff, in providing advice on legal and policy issues in World Bank-financed operations. The Chief Counsels manage the staff (Counsels at various grades, Legal Operations Officers, Legal Analysts, Paralegals and A2D), and are responsible for setting annual objectives, distributing assignments, quality control and performance management. They are also an integral part of the Regional Leadership Teams headed by the respective Regional Vice Presidents. The Chief Counsels will report directly to the Deputy General Counsel (DGC) Operations and serve as members of LEG's Management Team under the general supervision of the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel. For more information visit our Legal Vice Presidency Website https://worldbankgroup.sharepoint.com/sites/wblegal Responsibilities and Accountabilities The Chief Counsels are expected to fulfill the following roles: • Oversee the provision of legal advice, services, support and guidance to all World Bank operations in the areas under her/his purview. • Set standards for and supervise the provision by staff of effective, efficient, timely and practical legal advice and services to World Bank operations, including the organization and management of staff with responsibility for acquiring, cultivating and maintaining a deep understanding of country and regional strategies, objectives and priorities in order to best provide legal support; • Supporting, coaching, mentoring and guiding staff in their individual and collective (team) performance of their responsibilities, and overseeing the planning and performance of their responsibilities; including knowledge dissemination, knowledge-sharing, thought leadership and training across the regions served by staff in collaboration with IFC and MIGA staff, as appropriate; • Working together with the DGCs and other LEG Chief Counsels and staff across LEG, to provide advice to the World Bank General Counsel and Senior Management as appropriate, on Policies, Directives, Procedures and Guidance – both generally and in their application in World Bank operations or as they affect the World Bank Group – from a legal perspective and from the practically useful, solutions-oriented perspectives gained from years of experience and judgment; • Under the guidance of the DGC Operations and in coordination with others in LEG Management, providing intellectual and strategic leadership and advice to the World Bank Group General Counsel and the LEG Management team on all matters relevant to LEG functions within the World Bank Group, including matters relating to the responsibilities of LEG and matters relating to any support or advice that LEG may provide to others across the World Bank Group; • Leading consultations and negotiations and representing LEG in the international community on operational matters as designated by the DGC Operations and/or the World Bank General Counsel; • Ensure effective legal support to operational clients, as well as the integrity and accuracy of legal documentation to be sent to the Board or Regional Management for approval; • Represent LEG in Senior Management meetings on operational matters in the absence of the DGC Operations; • Fulfilling all of the above and leading the team by example with a collaborative, team-oriented mindset and approach and instilling that approach and values in others; and • Such other or different responsibilities and functions as may be specified from time to time by the DGC Operations and/or the World Bank General Counsel.