SA Staff Relations Counselor

• SA Staff Relations Counselor
• Job #: req36084
• Organization: World Bank
• Sector: Other
• Grade: GF
• Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
• Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
• Location: Washington, DC, United States
• Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s)

Closing Date: 4/1/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

The 13,000-member strong Staff Association (SA) mission is to promote and safeguard rights, interests, and welfare of all staff to foster a sense of common purpose in pursuing the aims and objectives of the World Bank Group (WBG). We are a small office with a sweeping global mandate, providing services to staff in all Regions, coordinating with Country Office Staff Associations in over 90 member countries.

A key part of SA’s day-to-day activities includes helping staff (including consultants) deal with workplace issues no matter who they are or where they work. As the institution grows so does the need to resolve workplace conflict and with this in mind, the SA is seeking a Staff Relations Counselor (SRC) for an initial period of one year on a short-term assignment at its Washington D.C.-based headquarters.

Duties and Responsibilities

The selected candidate will be part of our Advocacy Team, currently made up of five SRCs (two are based in Regional hubs) and a Senior Legal Counsel, all of whom report to the SA Chair.

The SRCs typically serve about 1,000 staff annually worldwide, providing information and guidance on how best to deal with employment related issues. SRCs are the only position within the Bank Group that are 100% advocates for staff, reporting to the SA chair and no one in corporate management.

Duties Include

Interpreting and applying Staff Rules, HR policies and procedures for a variety of individual situations, including but not limited to entering and ending employment, performance management issues, career development, benefits and compensation, disability, flexible work arrangements, harassment and bullying, and interpersonal conflict with peers or management;

Supports the work of the SA in pursuing World Bank Administrative Tribunal cases and providing legal opinions by conducting legal research, drafting legal memoranda and case assessments, and providing analytical assistance to senior counsel and the Chair across a range of substantive areas, including but not limited to, labor and employment, administrative law, benefits and worker’s compensation. The position offers exposure to the full breadth of the Bank's legal operations, including operational policy, environmental and international law, institutional administration, structured finance, and governance and anti-corruption matters.

Navigating various grievance and internal justice options including Performance Improvement Plans, Mediation, Peer Review Services, and Administrative Tribunal. Similarly, SRCs also refer and work closely with other avenues of staff support, such as the Ombuds, the Anti-Harassment & Discrimination coordinator, Health Services Directorate, and HR, and they are available to support staff during ethics and INT investigations;

Staying current on WBG wide organizational developments and their potential effects on staff; proactively informing the Chair and team on policy issues and trends; interact with the SA’s Executive Committee (EC) members as needed; conducting research to support policy analysis, as well as offering suggestions for policy improvements that would benefit staff including but not limited to initiatives such as disability reform, corporate sponsored taskforces on mental health, anti-racism and respectful workplace, and various SA working groups.

Selection Criteria

• Experience in counseling, conflict resolution, mediation, and human resources development, evidenced by increasing levels of responsibility and authority.
• Strong writing, listening, and coaching skills.

Ability to put a person at ease through strong emotional intelligence, draw relevant facts on a case, provide succinct balanced analyses, and in an empathetic manner offer avenues of additional support and advice on how best to address conflict so it can be resolved in a fair, effective and efficient way with the lowest stress possible.

Thorough knowledge of HR policies and procedures and the ability to anticipate or as needed respond to its shortfalls in a way that is advantageous to staff.

High level of integrity, discretion, and sound judgment in working with sensitive and confidential issues.

Demonstrated interpersonal skills, including ability to work effectively in a team and/or task force with staff at all levels, internally and collaboratively across departments.

Experience working as a law clerk, paralegal, or legal assistant either for courts or law firms, including proficiency in searching legal databases such as Lexis-Nexis or Westlaw, would be an advantage.

• Prior experience of working as a volunteer counselor is a plus.
• Master’s degree and 5+ years of relevant work experience preferred.

Excellent command of English, both written and oral is required; additional proficiency in French and /or Spanish preferred.

Professional Competencies

Clear understanding of Bank Principles of Employment, related staff rules and policies as they apply to staff individually and collectively.

Solid understanding of the various roles of the WBG internal justice services, and related units within Ethics, HR, and legal departments.

Proven conceptual, analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving skills.

Demonstrated strong communication skills (verbal and written), including the ability to improve draft emails from clients to make them as persuasive and professional as possible under tight deadlines as needed.

Ability to work independently with little or no direction as well as contributing to a collaborative style with a team.

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.