Deputy Chief Executive Officer, GPE

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 182 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 www.worldbank.org VPU Context: The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is a shared commitment to end the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. We bring together governments, teachers, civil society, donors, United Nations agencies, development banks, businesses and private foundations to transform education systems so that every girl and boy can have hope, opportunity and agency. What We Do GPE helps low- and lower-middle-income countries build stronger education systems so that all children can get the education they need to thrive. We support more than 90 countries where the needs are greatest and focus on reaching the children who are the most vulnerable, including girls, children with disabilities, and those affected by extreme poverty or conflict. Our unique approach works. Between 2021 and 2025, GPE supported 372 million children in partner countries to get a better education through grants and co-financing. How We Work GPE is working to help governments transform their education systems to get the most vulnerable children in school, improve teaching and learning, and build equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century. Transforming education is about creating lasting changes and achieving impact on a scale. GPE sets out to deliver this transformative change by convening partners, mobilizing funds and catalyzing reforms to help partner countries accelerate access, learning outcomes and gender equality. Multiply Possibility – Financing GPE 2030 GPE launched its 5th financing campaign for 2026-2030, co-hosted by Italy and Nigeria, to mobilize $5 billion for inclusive, high-performing education systems in the world’s most challenging contexts. This funding will unlock $15 billion in total education investment through co-financing and multiplier effects. A fully funded GPE will transform education systems and multiply possibility for 750 million children in 96 countries. Governance And Organizational Arrangements The GPE Board of Directors includes ministerial-level board members and alternates representing 20 constituencies that reflect the partnership’s breadth. The Board Chair is H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete and the Board Vice Chair is Ms. Christine Hogan. The Board of Directors, with its standing committees, provides policy and strategic oversight and approves or delegates funding decisions. The GPE Secretariat, with 160 employees and hosted by the World Bank, is responsible for translating the policies and strategies set by the Board into practical support for partner countries, coordinating with diverse stakeholders and galvanizing global support for SDG 4. The Secretariat’s headquarters are in the World Bank’s offices in Washington, D.C., with a European office in Paris, an African office in Nairobi, a satellite office in Brussels, and a support office in Chennai. ABOUT THE JOB Description The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and shares with the CEO responsibility for leading, managing and representing GPE. The role sits between strategy and execution, translating Board direction and CEO vision into a functioning, coordinated system across a complex partnership model. The DCEO is accountable for making the system work end-to-end, ensuring countries, grant agents, and partners operate coherently, and turning strategy into results. The DCEO directly supervises all managers, including the COO, CFO and CTO, who oversee the full breadth of GPE operations. The DCEO also serves as the manager of the Executive Office and the Governance Team that supports the Board of Directors. The DCEO is an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors and the Board’s Executive Committee. The DCEO represents GPE in various international fora, coordinates high level relationships, and manages a diverse body of work. He/she also oversees the GPE management team and is responsible for ensuring organizational coherence. Duties And Accountabilities Provide Strategic and policy direction: •With the CEO, helps shape and approve strategic direction and policy development. •Advises strategic, policy and operational matters before the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. •Under GPE2030, ensures programs and organizational units are aligned with and maximizes the impact of the three strategic objectives on education reform, finance and partnership. •Champions gender equality and inclusion in all aspects of GPE’s work. Represent GPE to external audiences and partners: •Represents GPE in international fora, including the Sherpa committee of the SDG4 High-level Steering Committee •Engages with senior government officials of donor and partner countries, and leadership in INGOs, foundations and private firms. •Provides leadership to GPE’s efforts to raise critical resources for the GPE Fund and for co-financing. Lead Secretariat operations: •Oversees the breadth of Secretariat functions and operations related to regional/country programs, governance, personnel and organizational development, finance and grants, external relations, evaluation, monitoring and data management. •Ensures internal alignment, cross-team coordination, clear workflows, and efficient processes. •Oversees and drives efforts to improve the coherence, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of Secretariat operations. Manage Corporate Governance: •Manages the governance team •Manages governance operations related to the Board of Directors and its committees. •Supports and advises the Chair and Vice Chair in their Board duties. •Ensures the Secretariat provides strategic, high-quality and timely documentation to facilitate Board and committee deliberations. •Supports the Vice Chair in their role as Chair of the Executive Committee. Oversees portfolio performance and delivery: •Ensures the grant portfolio is on track, and corrective action is taken as needed. Ensures quality and timeliness of partnership compacts, grant applications, and implementation progress. Intervenes when programs stall; grant agents underperform or country processes break down. Orchestrates the GPE operating model: •Ensures clarity on roles, decision rights and escalation pathways. •Encourages partner alignment behind country priorities •Ensures coherence across funding windows •Strengthens the effectiveness of the model by reducing fragmentation, improving clarity and efficiency, and reducing competing incentives. Oversee results, data, and performance management: •Holds partners accountable for delivery timelines, quality of implementation, results reporting. •Ensures strong monitoring frameworks, reliable data flows from countries and grant agents, and performance tracking across the portfolio. •Provides data and reporting to shape Board discussions and make strategic adjustments. Manage risks: •Identifies and mitigates political risk, operational risk, governance risk, financial risk, PSEAH and reputational risks to GPE.