External Affairs Officer

Established in 1944, the World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2023, the World Bank committed $72.8 billion in 94 countries. It is governed by 189-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.

The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into seven client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

The mandate of the External and Corporate Relations (ECR) Vice Presidency is to strengthen the WBG's development impact by increasing public support for, and awareness of, the mission and work of the WBG. ECR colleagues provide trusted advice, stakeholder engagement and communications strategies in support of our advocacy goals, while enhancing and protecting the reputation of the institution. ECR manages global engagement with key stakeholders, including media, civil society, private sector, donor countries, and multilateral and international organizations (including the EU, OECD, and UN agencies); and manages corporate communications, including online and social media; issues and reputational risk management; and employee engagement.
External and Corporate Affairs - Western Europe

ECR Western Europe manages relationships with key stakeholders, including government counterparts, parliament, civil society, private sector, media, academia and international organizations in the traditional European development partner and donor countries. As part of the World Bank's External and Corporate Relations function in Western Europe, the World Bank's Rome Office (the Rome Office) is responsible for leading the dialogue between the World Bank and Southern European countries (Italy, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Greece), the Vatican, and support the dialogue with United Nations organizations based in Rome (FAO- Food and Agriculture Organization, IFAD-International Fund for Agricultural Development, and WFP-World Food Program).

ECRWE - Italy and the Rome Office

The ECRWE team in Rome is led by the Special Representative to Southern Europe, based in Rome. The overall objective of the External Affairs Officer is to support the World Bank Group's stakeholder relationships in Southern Europe and raise the visibility of the expanded operational footprint of the Rome Office.

The External Affairs Officer is responsible for providing analysis and advice to ECR Western Europe leadership and WBG Senior Management on policy dialogue, development priorities and overall authorizing environment relative to the WBG mission and activities in Southern Europe. This includes maintaining a strong dialogue with Southern Europe authorities and stakeholders, staying abreast of political and economic developments, and implementing multi-constituency outreach programs in said countries.
S/he reports to ECR Special Representative to Southern Europe, who is also based in Rome.

Country Dialogue with Southern Europe

The External Affairs Officer is part of the ECR Western Europe team of Country Counselors, who advance the development agenda of the World Bank and of the international community across the Western European capitals. Each member of the team works on one specific country or country cluster and, at the same time, contributes to the broader analysis of the partner landscape. This means that, in addition to the primary country responsibility, each team member will have secondary tasks that advance European policy dialogues, business intelligence gathering and resource mobilization.

Specifically, the country dialogue with Southern European countries aims to:

- Maintain a strong dialogue with and enhance the cooperation between the WBG and Southern European countries.
- Strengthen the financial, political, institutional and knowledge partnerships with national institutions and stakeholders.
- Foster communication and outreach with key constituencies, including parliaments, civil society, think tanks, private sector, foundations, and academia.
- Increase the practical collaboration between WBG units, including the Global Practices (GPs) and Operational teams.

European Media Team.

The media team coordinates with ECR Western Europe's Country Counselors on the overall outreach to the media in Western Europe. The External Affairs Officer works closely with the World Bank's corporate media team in Europe.

Duties & Accountabilities:
Country Dialogue with Southern European Countries.

The External Affairs Officer is expected to play a key role in supporting the Co