ABOUT THE COMPANY:

non profit

JOB SUMMARY

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org.

WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA (AFW) REGION:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa

Sustainable Development Practice Group 

The Sustainable Development Practice Group helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food; Climate Change; Environmental and Social Framework (ESF); Environment, Natural Resources, and Blue Economy; Social Sustainability and Inclusion; Urban, Resilience, and Land Development; and Water.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND INCLUSION GLOBAL PRACTICE

The Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice helps countries tackle deep-rooted social problems stemming from fragility, climate change, exclusion, and the digital age with people-centered solutions that build on local values and institutions. The Practice engages with citizens, communities, and governments to deepen resilience, build inclusion, and empower vulnerable and marginalized groups to have influence and voice. It prioritizes participatory, multi-sectoral approaches that build on norms and informal institutions to address social challenges and to build more inclusive, empowered communities.  The Practice also works across the Bank’s portfolio to implement the Environment and Social Framework (ESF) standards. The ESF offers an overarching platform for fostering inclusive approaches to ensure vulnerable groups benefit from Bank investments and mitigate against related risks.

The Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice has adopted a new strategy that aims to promote inclusive sustainable development anchored on four pillars:

– Social Inclusion: enhancing opportunities for equality and inclusion of all people irrespective of income level, geography, gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds of discrimination; Advancing inclusive laws, regulations, policies, and institutions; and investing in access to markets and services for hard to reach and marginalized groups living in lagging regions.
– Social Resilience: Strengthening social risk management for social sustainability; Enhancing social cohesion and opportunities in fragile communities; Strengthening social resilience to climate extremes and natural hazards and Supporting emergency response and an inclusive recovery from COVID-19.
– Social Empowerment: supporting community empowerment for more effective service delivery; Fostering accountable governance including from the bottom up; and Promoting community-driven women empowerment and livelihood support programs.
– Social Opportunities and Risks: support social risk management, and enhanced inclusion, efficiency, and transparency of public and private investments; Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) project preparation and implementation; Environmental and Social (E&S) country dialogues, systems assessments, and regulatory reform; Finance to strengthen Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) institutional capacity and professional cadre.

POSITION

The Social Development Specialist will be based in Washington DC and will provide support in meeting the Bank’s expanding Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and social safeguards agenda and will promote the social sustainability of its investments. She/he will report directly to a regional Practice Manager. The selected candidate will also be expected to work collaboratively and develop good relations with the corporate safeguards team, and the Bank-wide Social Sustainability and Safeguards Global Solutions Group (GSG).

Duties and Accountabilities

The Social Development Specialist will have the following responsibilities:

*Social Risk Management

– Support the preparation and implementation of Bank-financed projects, following different financing instrument (e.g. IPF and PforR) by providing technical advice to Borrowers on social risk management and sustainability.
– Provide technical advice to Borrowers on social risk management to assigned projects.  This support may include providing guidance in the preparation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), resettlement action plan (RAP), Social Impacts Assessments (SIAs) and corresponding Social Management Plans (SMPs), Resettlement Frameworks (RFs), Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP), Stakeholders Engagement Plan (SEP), and Labor Management Procedures (LMP) etc.
– Provide technical support to Borrowers on range of processes related to the implementation of the ESF instruments. This should include but will not be limited to consultations, stakeholder engagement, labor and land issues.
– Advise and participate in project teams to help develop operational designs and mechanisms to assess social opportunities, impacts, constraints, and risks related to Bank supported operations; develop and evaluate proposed technical solutions and assist in the preparation of project documentation.
– Providing orientation and training to counterpart agencies working on Bank-financed investments in terms of social risk management.
– Provide support to implementation of the 10 actions of ESF streamline and simplification.
– Track the social requirements for assigned projects and programs and communicate upcoming deadlines, and any new or changing social risks as identified.
– Provide intensive on-site field level support to project teams and/or Borrowers involved in preparation and the implementation of social risk management instruments.
– Monitor social risks, impacts and performance of Bank-financed operations through conducting field visits and collaborating closely with clients.
– Provide technical support to Bank teams during the processing of Bank-financed projects under preparation and ensure proper internal documentation during both project preparation and implementation. 

*Broader Social Development Work

– Support work on the mainstream social development agenda, including providing analytic inputs to operational activities, with an emphasis on social inclusion and cohesion, gender, gender- based violence (GBV), youth and migration.
– Support task teams and counterparts on technical options for social development programs and operations, on the full range of social development topics, including social cohesion, citizen engagement, social inclusion, gender and youth, social dimensions of climate change with a particular focus on fragile regions.
– Support work to develop new areas of focus and business around social development issues that emerge in the context of growth and transition (gender, youth, employment, migration, etc.).
– Contribute to the development of learning products/activities such as Technical Assistance, internal BBLs, guidance notes, peer learning events.
– Travel regularly to field sites as needed. Sites may be in remote areas with very limited facilities.

Selection Criteria

This position is suited to constructive, highly motivated team players with an eye for detail, an understanding of the bigger picture context of operations, and creative problem-solving abilities. The successful candidate should have strong operational and analytical skills, have practical experience handling complex/sensitive social development issues through participatory processes of stakeholder engagement, and be able to integrate social development considerations in an operational context.

* Master’s degree or Ph.D. in social sciences (gender studies, anthropology, sociology, social development, public health, conflict, violence prevention, etc.).
* A minimum of five (5) years of directly relevant professional experience in social development and inclusion; women’s economic empowerment, and gender/GBV.
* Knowledge and experience in addressing social risk management covered by the World Bank’s ESF and social safeguards policies or similar policies in other international finance institutions in complex and challenging settings, and across practices. This includes experience with: social assessments and analyzing social risks and impacts on different population groups; involuntary resettlement in different socio-economic contexts and tenure systems; Indigenous Peoples’ issues; transparent consultative and stakeholder engagement processes; grievance redress mechanisms, integration of relevant planning instruments such as Resettlement Action Plans and Indigenous Peoples Plans; labor and working conditions including community health and safety; and cultural heritage.
* Experience in social risk management dialogue and collaboration with governments, other international development agencies
* Ability to present complex social development and ESF/safeguards issues to task teams and Bank audiences, and to engage effectively with government counterparts, the private sector, project beneficiaries and civil society.
* Proven leadership in social risk management skills and experience with World Bank IDA and/or IBRD (or other comparable international organizations) lending operations, policies, and procedures
* Experience in areas of social inclusion such as gender, gender-based violence (GBV); disability; conflict, fragility, and violence (FCV), displacement etc.
* Strong operational (task management) and analytical skills and demonstrated ability to translate analytical work into policy advice and actionable, practical recommendations.
* Experience with working in low capacity, fragile and conflict-affected environments, working on complex multi-sectoral development challenges.
* Strong organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize, deal with frequent and unexpected changes and work within tight timeframes.
* Experience in collecting, analyzing, and effectively using data related to women empowerment/ gender equality /GBV prevention and response.
* Proven capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, international organizations, development agencies, government counterparts, beneficiaries of Bank projects, and civil society organizations; ability to effectively negotiate and build consensus to achieve constructive outputs.
* Good interpersonal, communication, problem-solving, and team skills, and ability to think innovatively and strategically to find balanced solutions to complex development problems, with a strong client focus.
* Excellent oral and writing skills in English are essential, including proven track record in communicating complex issues in a clear and concise manner to different stakeholders and ability to present and facilitate sessions.
* High level of energy, initiative, and self-motivation; willingness to travel and work under challenging circumstances.
* Demonstrated ability to work across practices, work in cross-thematic teams, and foster teamwork.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.

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