Senior Social Development Specialist

Senior Social Development Specialist

Job #:
req19800

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Social Development

Grade:
GG

Term Duration:
4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):
French, Spanish

Closing Date:
11/24/2022 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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.

Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS) plays a pivotal role in achieving the World Bank Group's mission. OPCS assists frontline staff in delivering results to clients through sound operations policy and strong country support. In the World Bank Group structure, OPCS is at the center of operations and delivery, and serves as the link between the Global Practices and the Regions. OPCS develops and oversees the Bank's operational policies for country strategies, lending operations, advisory services and analytical support, financial management, procurement, and environmental and social safeguards. It oversees the Bank Group's Corporate Scorecard; manages interactions with the Bank's oversight units; and co-leads the results measurement and evaluation stream in the Bank Group. OPCS teams provide advice and support to World Bank management and staff as well as hands-on assistance to help teams leverage the Bank's policies, processes, and risk management tools for our country clients. Working in OPCS helps World Bank professionals gain broad exposure to strategic operational issues and develop a deeper understanding of the Bank's business. OPCS's staff are organized in four departments:

• Operations Standards, Environment and Social (OPSES) is responsible for Environmental and Social Standards and Safeguard Policies, including support to operations, learning and training, knowledge management, reporting, interface with the Inspection Panel, and management of the Grievance Redress Service (GRS).
• Operations Standards, Procurement, Financial Management (OPSPF) is responsible for ensuring technical excellence in the financial management and procurement, and manages selected aspects of the anticorruption in operations agenda and the UN agencies engagement in operation program.
• Operations Policy and Quality (OPSPQ) consolidates the corporate support and oversight of country strategies and all financing instruments as well as managing operational learning and the Operations Help Desk.
• Operations Strategy, Risk and Results (OPSRR) supports Bank staff and Management in strengthening the focus on results and risk to achieve the Bank's strategic objectives.

Duties and Accountabilities

As part of the multi-disciplinary team of E&S specialists, the Sr. Social Development Specialist will focus on policy and operations aspects of labor issues. The Specialist will work under the guidance of the OPSES Labor Lead, and support E&S risk management across the lending portfolio, providing practical advice on policy application, project design and implementation and participating in knowledge and learning initiatives.

The Sr. Social Development Specialist will have significant experience dealing with labor issues in a range of jurisdictions. Focusing specifically on labor issues, responsibilities may include the following:

• Provide advice and guidance on the implementation and application of all aspects of ESS2 on Labor and Working Conditions in support of the OPSES Labor Lead including
  • terms and conditions of employment and engagement for different types of workers;
  • protection of workers;
  • non-discrimination and equal opportunity;
  • workforce safety;
  • workforce interface with the community; and
  • workforce related grievance mechanisms.
• Train Bank staff and Borrowers on labor issues, including preparing and disseminating guidance and good practice materials such as toolkits, templates, checklists, and information notes;
• Provide specialist input on other tasks undertaken in OPSES, for example, guidance on practice under current safeguard provisions, WBG EHS Guidelines, and preparing briefs on labor issues;
• Work with environmental and social development specialists in OPSES and across the World Bank to develop, promote and support implementation of methodologies and approaches that integrate environmental and social assessment and risk mitigation, with a specific focus on labor risks;
• Liaise with staff across the entire World Bank Group to develop and promote use of consistent approaches to labor issues;
• Provide advice on the implementation of key analytical pieces on labor, including serve as a peer reviewer for relevant products;
• Provide guidance on the interpretation of the Bank's policies relating to assessment and mitigation of environmental and social risks and impacts. This includes provision of high quality and timely reviews of the environmental and social dimensions of complex or high-risk investment lending operations;
• Provide advice on emerging environmental and social issues, particularly in the areas of labor and worker protection;
• Support the Regional Standards Advisors (RSAs) to ensure coordination, timely distribution, completion and follow-up on environmental and social review processes;
• Review new World Bank investment project proposals to ensure that environmental and social issues are properly addressed as required by the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework policy and standards;
• Provide technical advice to operational teams on the design of operations (or components in sector operations) on labor issues;
• Build and maintain partnerships with key international institutions helping to drive the labor agenda (this will include other IFIs, private sector/contractors as well as bilateral donor institutions, research groups and civil society organizations); and
• Draft briefing notes and talking points for senior management and preparing periodic updates to the WB Board.

Selection Criteria

The Sr. Social Development Specialist must be a team-oriented professional with proven ability to carry out complex tasks as part of multi-disciplinary teams, capacity to work under pressure, meet strict deadlines, communicate clearly both orally and in writing, and work collaboratively with task teams and key stakeholders in advising on labor risks and emerging issues.

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in social sciences, law, economics, or other relevant discipline.
• At least eight (8) years of full-time professional experience dealing with labor issues in both the public and private sector with a sustained record of achieving high quality substantive results.
• Hands on experience in the preparation and review of project environmental and social assessments, environmental management plans, labor management procedures, including OHS plans and procedures, training on labor issues, capacity assessments and institutional strengthening.
• Good knowledge of project contractual structures for complex infrastructure projects.
• Operational experience during different development stages of complex projects, with hands on experience in labor program design and management, and the interface with procurement and project management.
• Detailed knowledge of the international regime of labor standards, and the national labor system in at least 3 Bank-borrowing countries.
• Knowledge and practical experience of ILO labor requirements, guidance and programs, together with good practice on labor issues including capacity building and training.
• Hands-on experience in applying and enforcing labor requirements in an operation or project, detailed understanding of key project labor challenge.
• Hand on experience of the design and operation of different types of workers grievance mechanisms.
• Understanding of emerging labor issues, and good practice in addressing such issues.
• Good knowledge of the World Bank's E&S policies and standards.
• Demonstrated maturity and sound judgment, attention to detail, and ability to convey complex messages succinctly and effectively.
• Proven capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, and ability to represent the Department with internal and external partners and interact effectively with Senior Management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; French or Spanish desirable.
• Ability to present complex issues in a systematic and operational manner.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent workflow management and task organization skills; able to coordinate all aspects of the workflow of assigned responsibilities.
• Ability to coach/mentor more junior staff.

Required Professional Competencies

• Social Development Policy, Strategy and Institutions - Solid understanding of social development policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations.
• Social Sciences and Law - Demonstrates strong knowledge of one relevant thematic areas of social development, and social risk management; deep experience in applying knowledge to policy-related decisions and advice.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Possesses political judgement, diplomatic acumen and negotiating skills; builds and sustains key stakeholder relationships with government and other key stakeholders.
• Integrative Skills - Demonstrates ability to think and work across WBG practices and sectors; integrates divergent viewpoints of multiple external and internal stakeholders into a coherent strategy/program/project.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Fully understands the Bank's development initiatives and policies and practices related to lending and non-lending; Guides research and translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.

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.