Associate Product Manager, Washington DC

Associate Product Manager Job #: req38000 Organization: World Bank Sector: Information Technology Grade: GG Term Duration: 2 years 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 8/20/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is 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 world’s 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, visit  
ITS Vice Presidency Context
The Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) Vice Presidential Unit (VPU) enables the World Bank Group to achieve its mission of ending extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet by delivering transformative information and technologies to its staff working in over 150+ locations. For more information on ITS, see this video:

Department Context
The World Bank Group (WBG) is committed to supporting country clients in achieving sustainable development outcomes, including improved health systems, economic growth, education access, climate resilience, and social equity. In this context, digital platforms and data play an increasingly critical role in how development projects are designed, implemented, and adapted. 
The ITS Operations Products unit (ITSOP) enables digital enablement of the Bank's business processes through a modern, flexible, and user-friendly digital platform that integrates and optimizes critical functions for thousands of front-line staff. It also drives the delivery of AI-powered business solutions to support business priorities and accelerate data-driven decision-making across the institution.
To strengthen the feedback loop between the realities on the ground and the digital tools that support operations, ITSOP is seeking a Regional Partner embedded within regional operations. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to task teams, regional leadership, and product teams in identifying opportunities to optimize operations through fit-for-purpose technology solutions and smarter business processes. 
As the organization accelerates its adoption of emerging technologies to support development goals, the Regional Partner will play a critical role in identifying, analyzing, and promoting innovative solutions that enhance business processes, service delivery, and knowledge management.
Responsibilities
A. Eliciting Business Requirements
• Engage with business stakeholders to understand product requirements and goals; synthesize needs, pain points, and opportunities across the Financing domain.

• Direct market and user research to inform hypotheses to be tested in product strategy; incorporate user feedback and analytics to validate and refine requirements. B. Managing the Product Roadmap
• Define and communicate the product strategy, roadmap, and overall vision; ensure alignment with ITS/WBG priorities and client outcomes.

• Drive product decisions by balancing business value, operational risk, compliance requirements, technical feasibility, and user experience considerations • Identify opportunities for process simplification, automation, and operational efficiency across the financing lifecycle.

• Lead collaboration with the Agile Release Train to ensure timely and successful delivery of the product roadmap and continuous value delivery. • Design clear governance structures for the product (decision rights, roles, cadences) and ensure compliance with WBG governance policies and standards.

• Balance new investments, enhancements, and technical debt to maximize value and manage risk. C. Stakeholder Engagement
• Facilitate stakeholder communication to identify opportunities for improvements to the product roadmap and vision; build consensus across business and technical teams.

• Serve as primary point of contact for the product; communicate roadmap, status, risks/issues, and outcomes to leadership and user groups. • Oversee vendor relationships (as applicable) to ensure resource availability, scope/quality adherence, and successful product vision delivery. D. Financial Management and Performance
• Propose strategic investments to support product development and manage technical debt; prepare inputs for governance and funding decisions.

• Monitor the financial management of the product to ensure budget availability and adherence to WBG processes. Official Use Only • Define and track success metrics (OKRs/KPIs) for outcomes, adoption, reliability, and operational efficiency; guide prioritization using evidence and analytics.

• Monitor product operational health and support volumes; drive actions that improve user value and reduce total cost of ownership.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in computer science/STEM with 8 years of relevant experience; or bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Demonstrated expertise in product management for a complex product portfolio including backlogs, performance, portfolio health etc. • Advanced expertise in stakeholder engagement, product performance management, value proposition development, data driven decision making, human centered design, product roadmap and requirement analysis, sprint planning and product development lifecycle.

• Demonstrated expertise in emerging technologies, systems thinking, change management, and innovation methodologies (e.g., AI, design thinking, agile)• Experience working in large, complex organizations or international development settings and delivering solutions in a global delivery model

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills • Plans and coordinates crossteam delivery within Agile/SAFe environments (e.g., Azure DevOps); understands technical constraints and tradeoffs

• Demonstrated ability to provide thought leadership, and experience in developing and presenting high-impact business cases, portfolio analysis to large stakeholder group • Expertise in World Bank financing operations, operational policies, lending instruments, and project lifecycle management preferred.

• Strong understanding of operational modernization initiatives, process simplification, workflow automation, and digital transformation within operational environments preferred • Knowledge of World Bank’s Financing domain, business value drivers, and operational constraints preferred

• Certified in SAFe Product Manager/Product Owner, SAFe Agile Product Manager, Certifications in other areas such as Design Thinking, AI would be preferred.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for 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 the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.