Social Development Specialist
Job #: req2686
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Social Development
Grade: GF
Term Duration: 3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Goma, Congo Democratic Republi
Required Language(s): English, French, Kiswahili
Preferred Language(s): English, French, Kiswahili
Closing Date: 5/15/2019 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
To apply go to http://www.worldbank.org/en/about/careers . Click on the Current Openings link and look for the position announcement in the list of open positions.
Description
Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with about 15,000 staff located globally.
The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). IBRD and IDA are commonly known as the World Bank, which is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and as of July 1, 2014 has introduced fourteen Global Practices (GPs) as well as five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.
GLOBAL PRACTICES & CROSS-CUTTING SOLUTIONS AREAS:
The 14 GPs are: Agriculture; Education; Energy and Extractives; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance and Markets; Governance; Health, Nutrition and Population; Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management; Poverty; Social Protection and Labor; Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience; Trade and Competitiveness; Transport and ICT; and Water. The 5 CCSAs are: Climate Change; Fragility, Conflict and Violence; Gender; Jobs; and Public-Private Partnerships. The new operating model is part of a broader internal reform aimed at delivering the best of the World Bank Group to our clients, so that together we can achieve the twin goals of (1) ending extreme poverty by 2030, and (2) promote shared prosperity for the bottom 40% of the population in every developing country.
The Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice (GSURR) works to help clients build inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities, villages and communities, with strong linkages to the WBG's twin goals:
Ending extreme poverty: 75% of the world's poor live in rural areas. At the same time, 1 billion people live in slums today and poverty is urbanizing. 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of violence. In the past decade, the number of people affected by natural disasters tripled to 2 billion.
Boosting shared prosperity: Past rural development efforts have not been enough to address the rural poor's vulnerability and marginalization. Although 80% of GDP is generated in urban areas, social exclusion and inequality are rapidly growing in cities. Since 1980, low-income countries have accounted for only 9% of the disaster events but 48% of fatalities. Increasing the resilience of cities, villages, and communities is critical because the burden of disasters, conflict, crime, and violence falls disproportionately on the poor and the bottom 40% of the population.
Sustainability: 1 billion people are expected to move to cities by 2030. The growth path of cities, human settlements, and rural areas has local and global implications for sustainability and climate change. Ensuring that the marginalized and vulnerable segments of society have a say in defining their development path is indispensable.
To pursue these goals, GSURR collaborates with other GPs, CCSAs, and global partnerships through platforms of engagement in:
• Social inclusion and sustainability;
• Mainstreaming resilience in all dimensions development;
• Territorial and rural development; and
• Urban planning, services and institutions.
THE ‘SOCIAL, URBAN, RURAL AND RESILIENCE’ (SURR) PRACTICE
The SURR GP covers a wide gamut: (i) developing green, inclusive and resilient cities; (ii) addressing the social inclusion of the poor, vulnerable and excluded groups through accountable institutions, and ensuring compliance with the new Environmental and Social Framework; (iii) enhancing urban and rural development through supporting and managing the urban-rural transition, assisting local development through developing land tenure, management and information systems; and (iv) assisting in disaster risk management through issues of risk assessment, risk reduction (including flood management, urban drainage, coastal management, and retrofitting of infrastructure), disaster preparedness (including hydromet services, early warning systems, and civil defense), risk financing, and resilient reconstruction (including post-disaster damage and loss assessment). A key responsibility of the GP is to provide professional expertise and operational support to other GPs to implement the WBG social policies (the WB's Environmental and Social Framework and the IFC's Performance Standards) to deliver sustainable development results that ensure that any adverse impacts
of WBG interventions are limited and mitigated.
COUNTRY CONTEXT
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country with huge development potential. Since 2001, the country has been gradually recovering from a conflict that began in 1996. While the return to peace opens the way to political and institutional reforms, the country remains a fragile state with huge needs for reconstruction and economic growth in a context of fiscal constraints and weak institutions.
The focus of the government is to lift millions of people out of poverty. The DRC is the fourth most populous country in Africa with 70 million people, 60% of which live in rural areas and 64% below the poverty line. Millions of people are dependent on forests for fuelwood and practice slash-and-burn agriculture. The country therefore faces enormous challenges to transition from a poor, post-conflict position to an improved socio-economic and sustainable development model. The sustainable management of natural resources such as forests is considered as key to the DRC’s future, particularly as the DRC emerges from conflict and enters into a renewed period of economic growth.
Roles & Responsibilities:
The Social Development Specialist provides direct support to clients and Bank teams on social sustainability, social risk management and stakeholder engagement to ensure compliance with the Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) which consists of ten Environmental and Social Standards. In particular, (s)he will focus on:
Operational work:
• Provides technical support to government agencies on preparation and implementation of project related social risk management activities and activities to enhance the social sustainability of projects;
• Provides timely and professionally competent technical review of social assessment products prepared for rural development, human development, infrastructure, private sector, transport, urban and other projects, as needed;
• Undertake activities designed to manage the social risks on major projects as a technical expert;
• Interacts with clients at the operational level;
• Participates in project teams to help develop operational designs and mechanisms to assess social opportunities, impacts, constraints and risks related to both Bank supported operations;
• Develops and evaluates proposed technical solutions, and assists in preparation of project design documentation, supporting reports, annexes, etc;
• Contributes to the interface with the Government of DRC including project implementing agencies in resolving implementation issues including where the project has inadvertently impacted the local community adversely; Provides cross-support as required to the various teams in the portfolio and monitors adherence to the World Bank Environmental and Social Standards;
• Guides the preparation of Stakeholder Engagement Plans to ensure that the level of consultations is proportional to project risks and impacts – and monitor implementation; also, ensures projects include and operate grievance redress mechanisms;
• Advises government agencies and task teams on managing gender-based violence/sexual exploitation and abuse risks; and
• Other relevant tasks, as required.
Policy work:
• Actively contributes to dialogue on the implementation of the Environmental and Social Framework with policy makers and government officials, international development partners, civil society, and other stakeholders, and coordinating the Bank's relations with clients on social development;
• Participates in portfolio reviews on social sustainability and social risk management;
• Makes recommendations on strategies and policy options for counterparts in local and central government agencies;
• As part of a team, advises government counterpart agencies on policy options for social risk management, particularly resettlement, social risk mitigation planning and institutional capacity development;
• Provides implementation support to existing projects that will continue to operate under the Bank’s previous social safeguards policies (OP4.01, OP4.10 and OP 4.12); and
• Works closely with environmental colleagues to enhance the capacity of the client to implement the Bank’s new environmental and social framework for managing project risks and enhancing the sustainability of World Bank financed projects.
Analytical work:
• Evaluates studies and practice related to the development of project documentation; and
• Conducts and contributes to formal and informal analytical advisory activities and research work on key social development issues, notably related to local governance and service delivery, gender mainstreaming, and land property and tenure rights.
Capacity building:
• Participates in developing sustainable local and national consultation mechanisms and strategies;
• To strengthen client capacity, deliver ESF training on specific social standards and tailored to individual projects; and
• Supervises the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure consistency and conformity to Bank standards.
Other:
• Identifies potential partnerships as well as new opportunities for engagement around social development aimed at advancing social development in general and social risk management in particular;
• Position will be based in the World Bank liaison office in Goma, Northern Kivu Province, and will include travel within the Kivus and other provinces in Eastern Congo
• Works as an active member of the Country Office and Country Team;
• Works under the guidance of Senior Social Development Specialist and CMU Social Safeguards & Standards Coordinator based in Kinshasa, and under the general direction of the Lead Social Development Specialist (Regional Social Safeguards/Standards Coordinator, based in Washington, DC). Reports to Practice Manager, GSU07, based in Washington, DC
Selection Criteria
• Masters degree in relevant social science (anthropology, sociology, political economy, social development, etc.)
• Extensive knowledge and experience in addressing issues covered by the World Bank’s new Environmental and Social Framework in complex and challenging settings, and across sectors;
• Demonstrated experience supporting clients in the implementation of the World Bank’s previous social safeguard policies (OP4.01, OP4.10 and OP4.12)
• Demonstrated experience in social risk management, resettlement and relocation, land acquisition and in the analysis, assessment and monitoring of resettlement plans and indigenous peoples plans;
• Experience with community consultation and the preparation, implementation and monitoring of Stakeholder Engagement Plans;
• Ability to present complex social safeguards and social development issues in a simple way to people of different technical backgrounds;
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with Government, private sector, project beneficiaries and civil society;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving skills, and ability to think innovatively and strategically to find solutions to complex development problems;
• Very high level of energy and initiative;
• At least 5 years’ of experience working in social risk management in DRC and/or elsewhere in the subregion, with demonstrated experience in situations affected by fragility, conflict and violence (FCV); and
• Readiness for frequent travel within DRC and the region.
• Experience working Eastern Congo, including North and/or South Kivu, other Eastern DRC provinces
• Demonstrated ability to work in and actively contribute to teams and foster a positive team dynamic
• Experience working in a multicultural setting;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Core Competencies:
• Demonstrated experience managing the social risks of infrastructure projects and other development interventions in DRC.
• Experience managing social issues identified in the World Bank’s new Environmental and Social Framework – Particularly: Environmental and Social assessment (ESS1), Land Acquisition, Restrictions on Land Use and Involuntary Resettlement (ESS5), Indigenous Peoples/Sub-Saharan African Historically Underserved Traditional Local Communities (ESS7) and Stakeholder Engagement and Information Disclosure (ESS10) – on both high and low risk projects. Experience in Cultural Heritage (ESS8) is also an asset for the position.
• Solid understanding of social analysis and the implications of social development on policy, institutions, and operations.
• Experience with consultative and participatory approaches to project design and implementation while deriving results that resonate with the client;
• Experience developing and monitoring grievance redress mechanisms to ensure accountability and ensure problems are addressed in a timely fashion;
• Experience conducting social development analyses, deriving results that resonate with the client; ability to coach others in the application of the tools.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Demonstrated ability to translate technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies;
• Demonstrated experience in interacting with governments to bring about changes to policy;
• Demonstrated ability anticipating needs in the field and conducting independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners to develop strategies to meet these needs.
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team to develop innovative solutions to complex social risk management problems.
• Achieves results and identifies mission-driven solutions for the client;
• Demonstrated ability to create, apply and share knowledge from a range of sources to strengthen internal and or external client solutions.
• Recommends and takes decisive action.
The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
