Jobs at world Bank (Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply)

Job description-Senior Social Development Specialist

 Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

Background / General description:

 

This is a Country Office position in Nepal subject to local recruitment under the Nepal Compensation Plan.  The World Bank offers a locally competitive package.  The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background.  Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

The mission of the South Asia Sustainable Development Department (SASSD) is to reduce poverty by helping the countries of South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) formulate policies and implement programs that support sustainable economic and social development.  The region involves an interesting mix of fragile and conflict states, countries coming out of conflict and countries entering Middle Income Country status.  The South Asia Region is organized into four Country Management Units (CMUs), including the Bangladesh-Nepal CMU.  The Country Director for Nepal and Bangladesh is based in Kathmandu.

Nepal, with a population of 30 million and a per capita income of about $750, is passing through a prolonged political transition following a 10-year violent conflict that ended in 2006. Political instability has been the defining feature of the Nepali state during the last two decades with Nepal having had 20 governments since the introduction of democracy in 1990. The conflict and the prolonged transition to peace and stability have contributed to a progressive erosion of the effectiveness of some state institutions. For instance, poor law and order is a growing concern, particularly in certain geographic areas. Also, the conflict raised awareness that the Nepali state had been associated with exclusionary political, social, and economic institutions that did not reflect the country’s diversity. This has led to the rise of identity politics with an increasing demand for state recognition and greater accommodation of diverse social, cultural, and ethnic identities.  In this context, social development, with its mandate on social inclusion, cohesion and accountability, has an important role to play in the Bank’s work in Nepal.

The South Asia Social Development Sector (SASDS) under SASSD is recruiting a Senior Social Development (SD) Specialist to cover the Bank’s work in Nepal. As of June 2012, the IDA portfolio stands at 19 projects with a net commitment of approximately $1.38 billion. The portfolio is concentrated in education, livelihoods and safety nets, energy, roads, health, agriculture and irrigation, water, and state-building and country systems.  The Senior SD Specialist will be responsible for furthering the social development agenda in Nepal and acting as a technical specialist on social development across the portfolio.

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 3 year term appointment.

 

Duties and Accountabilities:

 

•     Advancing the social development agenda with a focus on promoting programs and interventions that (1) enhance reconciliation, community cohesion and social inclusion, (2) promote social accountability and good governance; and (3) advance gender equality.

•     Providing direct support to clients and Bank teams on social sustainability and safeguards to ensure compliance with Bank policies; supervising and providing technical support to government agencies on preparation and implementation of social sustainability components; and participating in portfolio reviews on social sustainability and safeguards.  Specifically, the Senior SD Specialist will:

o    Provide cross-support as required to the various teams in the portfolio and monitor adherence to the WB Social Safeguards policies.

o    Advise and participate in project teams to help develop operational designs and mechanisms to assess social opportunities, impacts, constraints and risks related to both Bank supported operations as well as in policy dialogue with borrowers.

o    Participate in developing sustainable local and national consultation mechanisms and strategies.

o    Conducting and contributing 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.

o    Develop and evaluate proposed technical solutions, and assist in preparation of project design documentation, supporting reports, annexes, etc.

o    Advise government counterpart agencies on technical options for social development, particularly resettlement, mitigation plans and institutional development strategies.

o    Provide timely and professionally competent technical review of social assessment products prepared for rural development, infrastructure, private sector, transport, urban and other projects, as needed.

•     Carrying out dialogue on social development 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.

•     Managing strategic tasks, including analytical work, and grant-funded activities, and leading in the development of social development lending operations, as needed.

•     Identifying potential partnerships and synergies aimed at advancing social development.

•     Providing overall coordination of social development work including ensuring quality control by reviewing outputs prepared by social development staff.

•     Mentoring  other social development staff, including overseeing their work programs and providing technical guidance to staff.

•     Working as an active member of both the Social Development Unit and the Nepal Country Team

 

Selection Criteria:

 

Advanced degree (Masters) in a relevant social science with at least 8 years of experience in areas relevant to social safeguards and social development.

Extensive knowledge and experience in addressing issues covered by social safeguard policies in complex and challenging settings, and across sectors. Demonstrated ability to translate analytical work related to social safeguard issues into policy advice and actionable, practical recommendations.

Experience on issues of resettlement and relocation, land acquisition and in the analysis, assessment and monitoring of Resettlement Plans and Indigenous Peoples Development Plans.

Ability to present complex social safeguards and social development issues to task teams and Bank audiences, and to engage effectively with Government counterparts, private sector, project beneficiaries and civil society.

Strong analytical skills.

Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and team skills, and ability to think innovatively and strategically to find balanced solutions to complex development problems.

Very high level of energy and initiative.

Ability to work across sector boundaries, work in cross-thematic teams, foster team work and mentor less experienced staff.

Excellent oral and writing skills.

Social Development Sector Competencies:

[CORE]

Analytical Tools for Social Sustainability:

Fluency in a wide range of analytical tools used for ensuring socially sustainable development (e.g. Social analysis at the country and sector level; Poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA); Political economy and stakeholder analysis; Social risk assessment at country, institutional and project level; Monitoring and evaluation).

Participation and Consultation:

Experience in the use of consultative and participatory approaches to give key stakeholders, including groups who are under-represented (e.g., the poor), the opportunity to influence design, implementation, and monitoring of policies, institutions and operations.

Social Sustainability Implications for Policy, Institutions, and Operations:

Ability to integrate social sustainability into policy, institutions, and operations.  Ability to identify and address social opportunities, social risks and social impacts in all types of Bank operations.

Social Safeguards:

Knowledge of and ability to apply social safeguard policies.  Ability to employ strategies to help minimize involuntary resettlement and adverse impacts on indigenous peoples, potentially displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

[SPECIALIZED]
Social Accountability and Demand for Good Governance:

Understanding of strategies to increase transparency and accountability in policies, institutions, and operations and to give the under-represented a voice in governance.  Understanding of formal and informal institutional dynamics.

Social Cohesion and Violence Prevention:

Ability to integrate social cohesion and resilience to conflict and violence, into analysis, policies, institutions, and operations.  Ability to apply an understanding of fragility, violence and conflict dynamics to inform the design of operations.

Inclusion (including youth and gender):

Ability to integrate social inclusion (with respect to gender, age, ethnicity or any other relevant factor) into analysis, policies, institutions and operations.  Ability to design operations that focus on strengthening inclusion.

Social Resilience:

Ability to integrate resilience to climate change and disasters into analysis, policies, institutions, and operations.  Ability to adapt social analysis and consultation methodologies to address climate change and disaster risk in both urban and rural settings.

Community-Driven Development:

Ability to design and supervise Community Driven Development operations, tailoring them to different settings with a view to enhancing inclusion, community empowerment, participatory governance, demand-responsiveness, cohesion, resilience and accountability.

 

Interested candidates are invited to apply to vacancy # 140192 on www.worldbank.org/careers.    This vacancy closes on 3 March 2014.  Only online applications submitted through our careers site will be admitted. The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background.  Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.  All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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