The appointment marks Zoellick's second stint at Goldman Sachs. Before taking the helm at the World Bank in 2007, he served as vice chairman, international, at the bank.

President Barack Obama opted not to renominate Zoellick when his term expired in 2012, choosing instead to tap Dr. Jim Yong Kim, the former president of Dartmouth University.

Since leaving the World Bank, Zoellick has also joined the board of Temasek Holdings, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore, as well as the international advisory board of the Rolls-Royce Group .

At Goldman Sachs, Zoellick will oversee an advisory board that helps identify sources of international business or investment for the bank's clients. Other members of the international advisory board include Otmar Issing, a former member of the executive board of the European Central Bank, and Erik Åsbrink, a former Swedish finance minister.

(Reporting by Peter Rudegeair; Editing by L Gevirtz)