Lead Corporate Services Specialist

About the Role

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is seeking a Lead Corporate Services Specialist for a contract position in Jeddah. This role provides senior substantive advice to the Director-General, Corporate Services (DGCS) on cross-cutting Corporate Services policies, operating models, service delivery, transformation, and governance matters. The specialist will evaluate proposals, assess strategic implications, benchmark industry practices, and present practical options and recommendations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide evidence-based advice to the DGCS on Corporate Services policies, operating models, and service-delivery arrangements.
• Assess strategic, operational, financial, organizational, technology, sourcing, governance, control, risk, and implementation implications.
• Review interfaces and dependencies across Corporate Services functions, including HR, administration, facilities, technology, and procurement.
• Benchmark relevant MDB and industry practices and evaluate their applicability to the Bank’s context.
• Quality-assure the technical and policy substance of assigned Corporate Services submissions, business cases, and transformation initiatives.
• Evaluate operating-model and organizational-design proposals for clarity, accountability, capacity, cost, and strategic alignment.
• Advise on transformation and digitalization initiatives, including process simplification, automation, and data use.
• Coordinate technical inputs from Corporate Services units to develop integrated analyses or recommendations for the DGCS.
• Facilitate resolution of substantive cross-functional policy, process, operating-model, and service-delivery issues.
• Identify inconsistencies, gaps, or overlaps across Corporate Services policies, processes, and service standards, recommending corrective action.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration, Strategy, Public Administration, Economics, Organizational Design, Governance, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
• Experience: Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience, with substantial exposure to Corporate Services, operating-model design, policy analysis, transformation, governance, service delivery, or executive advisory work.
• Certifications: Relevant certification in strategy, organizational design, business process improvement, quality management, project management, sourcing, or change management is preferred.

Required Skills and Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of Corporate Services operating models, governance, service delivery, and cross-functional interfaces.
• Proficiency in strategic, policy, organizational, and business-case analysis.
• Ability to assess transformation, digitalization, sourcing, workforce, cost, risk, control, and implementation implications.
• Knowledge of MDB governance and relevant Corporate Services benchmarks and practices.
• Excellent executive writing skills and the ability to synthesize complex evidence into clear options and recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, constructive challenge, facilitation, and influencing skills.
• High level of judgment, integrity, discretion, and protection of confidential information.
• Proficiency in research, data analysis, digital productivity, and data-visualization tools.