Senior Partnership Specialist

• At 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 www.worldbank.org

• The GIF Management Unit resides within the WBG Infrastructure VPU. The World Bank Group Infrastructure VPU helps developing countries build smart infrastructure that supports inclusive and sustainable growth, expands markets, creates job opportunities, promotes competition, and contributes to a cleaner future. Infrastructure improves lives by connecting people to opportunity.

• To learn more, visit the World Bank Group Infrastructure VPU website

• Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF)

• Despite infrastructure’s vital role in driving economic growth, job creation, and sustainable development, emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) face a persistent and widening infrastructure investment gap. Public balance sheets are stretched; while private investment into infrastructure in EMDEs has stagnated, constrained by the limited supply of well-structured, bankable projects. Fewer than 10% of government-initiated infrastructure projects in EMDEs reach commercial or financial close.

• GIF was established in 2014 as a G20 initiative to address this critical challenge to private investment in infrastructure, namely, the shortage of bankable pipelines of investment opportunities that are attractive to private capital. GIF does this by providing funding and technical support to its MDB partners to help client governments prepare infrastructure programs that crowd-in private investment. Over the longer term, GIF aims to help expand the market for private infrastructure finance in EMDEs; that is, to help increase the number of structurally sound, sustainable, quality, and bankable projects seeking finance, and broaden the range of private investors that are willing to risk capital in those projects. Since inception, GIF has approved over US$ 160 million in support for project preparation and transaction advisory services, for 219 project activities across 83 countries. As of June 30, 2026, a total of 51 projects have reached commercial close, 31 of which have subsequently reached financial close. The expected private sector mobilization of these projects is estimated to be US$ 28.1 billion.

• Delivering bankable investment pipelines at scale requires the systematic collaboration of EMDE governments, development partners and private investors at global and country level. As the only global MDB-led project preparation platform, a key part of GIF’s mission is to foster continuous public-private dialogue around enhancing commercial infrastructure investment and other relevant topics through its private sector Advisory Council and its extensive network spanning governments, MDBs/DFIs, other development partners and the private sector (developers, banks, investors). Leveraging its platform approach enables GIF to act as a convener for knowledge exchange on relevant topics for sustainable infrastructure finance, and, as an honest broker to make the upstream-midstream-downstream eco-system work for bringing infrastructure PPPs to market. The GIF is also engaged at the global level, maintaining an independent seat at the G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG), where it provides technical support and thought leadership to successive G20 Presidencies upon request. Its global positioning is further strengthened by the growing recognition of project preparation as a cornerstone of the private capital mobilization (PCM) agenda. In addition, the GIF actively contributes to other global initiatives across the infrastructure finance landscape, reinforcing its role as a trusted platform for advancing sustainable and bankable infrastructure.

• GIF is structured as a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) hosted by the World Bank. Funding for the GIF is provided by GIF’s Funding Partners1, which currently includes sovereign donors and the World Bank, who also provide strategic direction to the GIF. GIF activities are implemented by its MDB Technical Partners, as implementing entities that have been accredited to receive funding from the GIF. Currently, GIF collaborates with 11 accredited MDB technical partners. Additionally, the GIF is distinctive through its engagement of the private sector, as Advisory Partners. Among the GIF’s 50+ Advisory Partners are pension funds, insurers, asset managers, and investment and commercial banks, together representing more than US$18 trillion in assets under management. These Advisory Partners are called upon throughout the structuring process and during market soundings on GIF-supported infrastructure programs and projects to maximize attractiveness to private capital when investment opportunities are brought to market.

• For more information about GIF please visit: http://www.globalinfrafacility.org/

• This role provides support to a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF). Roles funded by a FIF are subject to the WBG Staff Directives and Procedures. Additionally, the FIF's governance framework and funding are also relevant to this role.

• Duties and Responsibilities

• GIF is seeking an experienced, strategic, and highly motivated Senior Partnerships Specialist to support and strengthen GIF’s donor relations, strategic partnerships, governance, and institutional engagement agenda. The selected candidate will report to the Head of GIF and work closely with the GIF Management Unit, World Bank senior management, Funding Partners, Technical Partners, Advisory Partners, the Trustee, Legal, and other internal and external stakeholders.

• The role requires strong judgment, political sensitivity, excellent drafting and briefing skills, and the ability to operate effectively in a complex multi-stakeholder environment. The Senior Partnerships Specialist will serve as a trusted advisor to GIF leadership on donor engagement, governance processes, stakeholder management, strategic positioning, and resource mobilization.

The Senior Partnerships Specialist will be responsible for, but not limited to, the following:

• Strategic Sovereign Donor Relations

• Lead and support strategic engagement with GIF Funding Partners, including sovereign donors, prospective contributors, and other priority financing partners.

• Develop and implement tailored donor engagement strategies informed by donor priorities, political economy dynamics, budget cycles, institutional processes, decision-making frameworks, and evolving policy objectives.

• Monitor and analyze political, budgetary, legislative, and policy developments across priority donor countries, providing strategic intelligence, risk assessments, and briefing materials to support GIF leadership, resource mobilization, and partnership engagement.

• Lead stakeholder mapping and engagement planning for priority sovereign and non-sovereign partners, identifying opportunities to strengthen existing relationships, cultivate new contributors, and expand the GIF's funding base.

• Support resource mobilization efforts through the preparation of donor outreach materials, funding proposals, contribution negotiations, senior management briefing packages, talking points, and other strategic communications.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with ministries, development agencies, permanent missions, executive offices, MDBs, foundations, private-sector partners, and other key stakeholders, serving as a trusted focal point for strategic engagement.

• Plan and coordinate high-level engagement with ministers, deputy ministers, executive directors, and other senior officials, including bilateral meetings, strategic missions, and major international events, to advance GIF priorities and partnerships.

• Governance and Governing Council Operations

• Lead the strategic planning, preparation, and execution of the GIF's governance processes, including meetin