Senior Social Development Specialist

Senior Social Development Specialist

Job #:

req23161

Organization:

World Bank

Sector:

Sustainable Development

Grade:

GG

Term Duration:

4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:

International Recruitment

Location:

Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):

English and French

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:

6/27/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Background

Doyou want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bankprovides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatestdevelopment challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities - theInternational Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and theInternational Development Association (IDA). It is a global developmentcooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank inthe world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products,and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries,and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. For moreinformation, visit www.worldbank.org.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region

We need the best and brightest talent focusedon Sub-Saharan African countries to harness the potential and innovationhappening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a youngpopulation and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed tomaking the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.

Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered bypersistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa onlyreaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, growing conflictand fragility, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces ofclimate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has beenmade over the past decades.

In West and Central Africa, the World Bank isa leading partner with a growing portfolio of 387 projects totaling more than$44.1 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy,education, health, water and sanitation- all to support job creation, genderequality, poverty reduction, and better lives. Across the continent, the WorldBank's program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% ofthe world's extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so thisis where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.

However, despite significant efforts to stabilize the West and Central Africa region, the security situation in the Sahel remains dire and Sahel-based terrorist groups progressively threaten many parts of these as well as other coastal West African countries. Moreover, political instability in several Sahelian countries and tensions between Mali and its neighbors have undermined cooperation among all G5 Sahel countries. In this increasingly complicated context, Bank financing has been steadily increasing with a strong and diverse portfolio in all countries in the region.

Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people's lives and ensure shared prosperity for all.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa

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 SSI Global Practice (GP) supports countries to address 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 GP engages with citizens, communities, and governments to deepen resilience, build inclusion, and empower vulnerable and marginalized groups to have influence and voice. The SSI GP prioritizes participatory, multi-sectoral approaches that build on norms and informal institutions to address social challenges and to build more inclusive, empowered communities. It also works across the Bank's portfolio to implement the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and strengthen inclusive development. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/socialsustainability

POSITION

The Africa West Social Sustainability and Inclusion Unit (SAWS4) is looking to recruit a Senior Social Development Specialist to provide high quality technical support regarding, citizen engagement and community participation mechanisms for the Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal Country Management Units (CMUs), with a strong focus on countries affected by FCV. The selected candidate will be based in Washington DC and will report directly to SAWS4 Practice Manager. S/he will be expected to work closely with the RSC, task teams, E&S teams and CMU teams across the 3 CMUs.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 4-year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities

The Senior Social Development Specialist will have the following responsibilities:

• Lead and coordinate the unit's work on participatory social development, citizen engagement and community participation mechanisms to support high impact analytics and operational support for Bank financed projects, with a strong focus on countries in FCS and conflict contexts;• Provide specialized technical assistance to Borrowers, project teams and country management units regarding participatory social development, citizen engagement and community participation mechanisms. This will include coordinating technical inputs for project documents, piloting innovative and conflict sensitive approaches, piloting technology-enabled solutions to enhance effectiveness in fragile and conflict-affected settings and identifying resources to support these initiatives;• Lead the design and implementation of sub-components and activities intended to promote community mobilization for social cohesion and violence prevention and effective citizen engagements in areas affected by conflict; • Lead and manage a technical capacity building program on participatory social development, citizen engagement and community participation mechanisms for Bank teams and Borrowers that includes preparing effective training materials, coordinating workshops and training schedule with project teams and CMUs and working to build a cadre of qualified trainers and local experts, with a strong focus on countries in FCS and conflict contexts;• Facilitate ongoing policy dialogue with Government counterparts and other stakeholders in collaboration with the E&S team, Bank task team and other specialists regarding how to improve participatory social development, citizen engagement and community participation mechanisms across the portfolio in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency; • Lead the preparation of inputs and analysis regarding citizen engagement for corporate briefs and reports as needed; • Coordinate technical support for the portfolio by recruiting, training and managing consultants, supervising the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure consistency and compliance with Bank operational policies, support the teams in regular monitoring of the portfolio, preparing reports and identifying gaps in team coverage as needed;• Contribute to knowledge sharing, dissemination and awareness raising activities with both Bank staff and clients by preparing knowledge products and learning opportunities;• Support and actively participate in the Bank-wide professional community of practice engaged in social sustainable and inclusive development by participating in thematic groups, exchanging best practices, and drafting technical notes;• Other tasks as required by the hiring unit.

Selection Criteria

Qualifications

This position is suited for a constructive, highly motivated team player with an eye for detail, understanding of the bigger picture context of operations, countries in fragile and conflict affected environments and creative problem-solving abilities. The successful candidate should have strong operational experience, management skills and extensive experience in fragile and conflict affected settings.

• Master's degree or PhD in social sciences (anthropology, sociology, political economy, social development, etc.) or related fields;• At least 8 years of demonstrated experience in social development, citizen engagement, community development and violence prevention at the community level;• Extensive field-based experience addressing community development, violence prevention and social cohesion, working on these issues at the local and national level with government including traditional authorities, CSOs, women and youth groups, other development partners and humanitarian organizations; • Extensive proven experience in program development and management for projects related to community led development including in fragile and conflict affected settings;• Extensive experience in low capacity, fragile and conflict-affected environments, and working on complex multi-sectoral development challenges;• Strong organizational skills, with a demonstrated ability to prioritize, deal with frequent and unexpected changes, and work within tight deadlines;• Proven capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, international organizations, development agencies, government counterparts, beneficiaries of Bank projects, and civil society organizations, demonstrated ability to effectively negotiate and build consensus to achieve constructive outputs;• High level of energy, initiative and self-motivation and willingness to travel extensively and work under challenging circumstances is essential;• Outstanding interpersonal, communication, problem-solving, and team skills, and ability to think innovatively and strategically to find balanced solutions with a strong client focus; • Experience working on citizen and community engagement in the Sahel in particular or West Africa in general would be considered a significant advantage;• Excellent oral and writing skills in English and French essential;• Ability to travel extensively essential.

The World Bank Group values diversity andencourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Groupmember countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion,race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan Africannationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouragedto apply.

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.