JPA Frequently Asked Questions

The Junior Professional Associate (JPA) program is for young talent to gain experience working in development as a steppingstone in their career or educational journey

JPAs may be hired across all functional areas of the World Bank, at Headquarters and in Country Offices, based on business needs.  

JPAs must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and be 28 years old or younger as of the first day of their appointment with the World Bank.

Young JPAs join on a full-time, two-year Extended Term contract.

No. Staff already on Extended Term contracts are ineligible for the JPA program.

ETT/ETCs are limited to a one-year appointment, extendable to a second year, for a life-time cap of two years. The JPA program is a two-year Extended Term contract, which equals the life-time maximum for ETT/ETC contracts.

No. JPAs have a “cooling off period” following their two-year appointment. They must leave the World Bank following the end of their two-year contract for a minimum of two-years before being eligible for reappointment at the World Bank. The only exception to the two-year cooling off period is if a JPA is accepted into the WBG Young Professionals Program.

Yes, the only exception to the two-year cooling off period is if a JPA is accepted into the WBG Young Professionals Program. 

Per Staff Rule 4.01, JPAs join the Bank on an ungraded Extended Term Consultant (ETC) appointment.  

Yes.  All JPAs are ungraded and paid the same fee, which is set at the minimum of the GD grade of the salary scale for HQ or the respective Country Office.

The fee for a JPA is fixed for the duration of the contract period. When the minimum of GD grade of the HQ or Country Office salary scale is adjusted, which is usually on July 1, the fee for a JPA is automatically adjusted to the new minimum of GD grade. Note: while salary adjustments usually take place effective July 1, the change in the system may happen later in Q1 and is the increase is paid retroactive to July 1. 

• Summary of Benefits and Important Notes for HQ Staff
• Summary of Benefits and Important Notes for CO Staff     

Apply online at the World Bank’s external career website.  

Each hiring manager has access to the JPA candidate database which is searchable based on key words and other criteria. Hiring managers may reach out to candidates in the database, interview and select the relevant candidate/s. There is no clearance required.  

All JPAs must come through the JPA applicant database. If a manager has identified a potential JPA for hire who is not in the database, the hiring manager should ask them to apply and HR will pick them up from the database and process the appointment.  

No. JPAs may be hired at any time during the year.  

That is fine, as long as you are 28 years old on your first day of service. 

JPAs are not allowed to switch to a different ETC position during the course of their two-year appointment.  

No. A JPA may not be appointed/reappointed to any appointment type (Term, Extended Term, Short Term) during the contract period or the subsequent two-year cooling-off period, with the exception of being accepted into the WBG Young Professional Program.  

JPAs will apply to a generic JPA profile on the World Bank’s external careers site, the hiring manager/ team are responsible to provide every JPA with a job description specific to the role for which they were hired, including expected deliverables.  

Yes. JPAs are encouraged to take full advantage of the learning and development opportunities offered by the World Bank. JPAs may enroll in classes through the World Bank’s learning portal, Open Learning Campus (OLC), attend BBLs, speakers’ forum and other development opportunities.  

No. But Hiring Managers are encouraged to match a JPA with a senior staff member in the unit/department who can support and informally mentor a JPA.