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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Background:

The SEAE3 unit is one of three Environment units in the East Asia and Pacific Region (EAP).  Staff in the unit manage a full spectrum of environment, climate change, green growth, blue economy, pollution management and natural resource lending and non-lending tasks in Pacific and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Importantly, the unit provides environmental risk management support to the entire World Bank investment portfolio in these countries, helping them to increase sustainability through managing potential environmental impacts from their Bank-financed development programs by applying the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) or the Environmental Safeguard Policies.

The Senior Environmental Specialist will provide environmental risk management support and report to the SEAE3 Practice Manager.

Pacific Country Context:

The Pacific program has some 150+ projects covering social development, energy and infrastructure, fisheries, agriculture and natural resource management, rural development, social protection, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serve as the Environmental and Health and Safety Risk Management Focal Point for the Pacific and PNG.  This includes overseeing the allocation of assignments among specialists in coordination with the Regional Safeguards Coordinator and Practice Manager, day-to-day mentoring and technical support, coordination of client and staff capacity building activities, and supporting quality assurance.

• Lead integration of environmental risk management lessons and considerations into the country policy dialogue, shaping of the Country Partnership Framework, and Client capacity development initiatives (including strengthening of Borrower Frameworks).

• Ensure effective integration of environmental due diligence, as defined by the ESF, safeguards policies as well as international good practice, into the design, appraisal and implementation of WBG supported projects.

• Provide advice to client and counterpart organizations, project teams and WBG management with regard to the preparation of environmental and social assessments (e.g., environmental and social impact assessments, regional, strategic and cumulative assessments; and environmental management frameworks and plans). Such advice will be based on a detailed analysis of baseline conditions, project scope and impacts, requirements from national legal and institutional frameworks and, and compliance with the ESF and safeguards policies.

• Provide mentorship to clients during project implementation such as, in the preparation of project cycle documentation including terms of reference (ToR) for ESF instruments and in supervising their implementation; the inclusion of contract specifications related to environmental and occupational health and safety risk management; and providing training for counterpart environmental risk management practitioners on the WBG ESF and safeguards policies and requirements.

• Provide environmental, health and safety inputs in project documents in accordance with the Bank operational policies including Project Concept Note (PCN), Project Appraisal Document (PAD), Decision/Negotiations Packages, ISRs and mission documents.

• Contribute to the development and/or supervision of implementation of environment or natural resources activities or components in selected projects, including participation in identification missions; seeking and developing opportunities to integrate sound environmental management and policies in investment project operations; participating in policy dialog with the client and enhancing their capacity for understanding and compliance with environmental policies; and contributing to mission outputs such as back to office reports (BTORs) and Aide Memoires.

• Facilitate and maintain effective communication with relevant development partners and communities of practice, including NGOs, academia, civil society, the private sector as well as specialized international organizations in line with the Bank’s Disclosure Policy and need to harmonize with clients and other international financial institutions in the region. Active participation in communities of practice and global level technical innovation and knowledge sharing will be an important component of this position.

• Collaborate closely with the ENV Coordinator, the Social Risk Management Focal Point Regional Safeguards Coordinator and Regional Safeguards Advisor.

• Coordinate and carry out other tasks as requested by the Practice Manager such as, contribute to the organization of training or knowledge management and knowledge sharing events.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree (PhD or Masters) degree in an environmental management related field.

• A minimum of eight years of full-time relevant professional experience in environmental risk management or related sector.

• Fluency in English is required (writing, speaking, listening and reading).

• Knowledge and experience in environmental assessment and management of environmental compliance across a broad range of investment projects including infrastructure, natural resource management, extractive or industrial activities.

• Experience in occupational health and safety. A formal qualification is desirable.

• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams.

• Experience working across cultures.

• A strong sense of partnership and ability to work independently with limited supervision.

• Strong interpersonal, leadership and communication skills.

• Willingness to travel extensively is vital, including to remote rural areas.

• Experience in the preparation of environmental safeguard/risk management documents.

• Experience with the ESF or similar development partner standards.

• Demonstrated project management skills.

• Experience working with contractors and counterparts that have weak implementation capacity in the area of environmental and occupational health and safety risk management.

• Applicants must have the right to live and work in Australia.

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.