WBG Pioneer -AI/Data Science Intern

WBG Pioneer VPU 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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9 v=VTFGffa1Y7w Unit Context: The WBG Corporate Solutions Department (ITSCO) is focused on the digital transformation of essential corporate services to ensure WBG operations are seamless, resilient, and future ready. Uniting digitalization roadmaps, experience design, process optimization, application delivery, systems management, and technology modernization across some 170 products and services, the department links business ambition with operational excellence—from intuitive employee experiences and precision payroll to data-driven decision making, intelligent automation, and AI enablement. The Corporate Business Solutions (ITSCB) unit oversees vital corporate systems such as personnel administration, benefits, tax, pension, health services, and other essential corporate services. These operations—and their supporting platforms—demand uncompromising accuracy, confidentiality, and resilience, operating in environments where reliability is non‑negotiable. This role is for the Global Payroll and Taxes team which is responsible for providing secure and compliant payroll and tax platforms, incorporating automation, self-service, and regulatory best practices to ensure accuracy and transparency. Duties and Responsibilities • Analyze 5 years of historical payroll exception data to identify patterns, recurring root causes, and predictive indicators across pay groups, countries, and exception categories • Build and validate a predictive model that detects potential payroll exceptions before the pay run completes, using historical labeled data • Analyze 4 years of payroll processing timing data to identify bottlenecks, map processing duration trends, and recommend scheduling optimizations for the payroll dashboard (700+ activities) • Develop data visualizations and summary dashboards to present findings to business stakeholders (Controllers, payroll operations team) • Document methodology, model performance, and recommendations in a format suitable for handoff to the permanent team • Participate in team standup meetings and contribute to the broader AI roadmap discussion