Social Development Specialist

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.

Eastern and Southern Africa (E AFR) Region

Home to about 700 million of Africa’s people, Eastern and Southern Africa is a geographically, culturally and economically diverse region of 26 countries stretching from the Red Sea in the North to the Cape of Good Hope in the South. Children under 18 make up almost half of the total population. The subregion boasts of some of the world’s richest human and natural resources and, apart from South Africa, the countries are predominantly raw material exporters.

The subregion harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continues to keep people from reaching their full potential. This creates a huge development challenge, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of people, and hinders regional integration and trade. But it also creates an opportunity to work closely with country leaders, civil society, development partners, and young people to chart a brighter course for the future. 

The World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,207 staff, mostly based in 26 country offices, has been helping countries realize their considerable development potential by focusing on the following priorities:

- Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies: We are working with countries across Africa to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by leveraging all sources of finance, expertise, and solutions to promote investment.

- Building up the Digital Economy: We are supporting Africa’s vision to ensure that every African individual, business, and government is connected by 2030 – a vision that, if realized, can boost growth by up to 2 percentage points per year, and reduce poverty by 1 percentage point per year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.

- Institutions more Efficient and Accountable: Our support is helping governments strengthen public policy processes, manage resources effectively, and reinforce fair and reliable delivery of public services.

- Investing in People: We are at the forefront of helping African countries accelerate human capital gains and empower women by improving their access to education and skills acquisition, sexual and reproductive health services, and employment opportunities. With the influx COVID-19, we are mobilizing financial support and timely analysis and advice to countries across the subregion deal with the pandemic.

- Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption:  In the face of increasing climate-related risks, we are working with African countries to advance efforts to adopt renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green infrastructure. A number of East African countries are currently facing a debilitating Desert Locust infestation, threatening the already precarious food security situation. The Bank has put together a program to help affected countries deal with the scourge.

- Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence: Given the cross-border nature of conflicts in Africa, we are employing an approach that simultaneously focuses on the drivers of fragility while also supporting well-targeted regional initiatives to create opportunities for peace and shared prosperity.
Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent: We are scaling up our work on regional integration, taking a holistic view of the continent that covers both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

- Eastern and Southern Africa (E AFR) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/eastern-and-southern-africa

The Sustainable Development Practice Group

The Sustainable Development (SD) Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy, Environmental and Social Framework, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience & Land, Social Sustainability and Inclusion, and Water.

Social Development Context

The Social Development Global Practice (SD GP) helps countries tackle 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 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 Environment and Social Framework (ESF) standards and strengthen inclusive development.  

Social Development (SD) Units in Africa South region (AFE)

The AFE region has two SD units (SAES2 and SAES3), which are responsible for:  (i) undertaking social analysis during project preparation and implementation, to mainstream social development and inclusion issues throughout the Bank’s work in the region; (ii) ensuring compliance with the Bank’s social safeguards policies on Involuntary Resettlement and Indigenous People and the implementation of the ESF; (iii) undertaking Advisory Services and Analytics in the form of thematic studies on social development issues, country social analysis, and Reimbursable Advisory Services; (iv) leading the preparation and supervision of lending operations that promote social inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people, building cohesive and resilient societies, and making institutions accessible and accountable to citizens; and (v) facilitating partnerships and dialogue with civil society through outreach and engagement. SAES3, the hiring unit, covers three CMUs, which in turn cover the following countries:  Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius; Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Angola, Sao Tome & Principe; and South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini. (SAES2 covers the other three CMUs of the AFE Region, and the two units share responsibility for the Regional Integration program.).  The SAES3 unit has a Practice Manager and a Technical lead, referred to as the Regional Standards Coordinator, along with an ESF Quality Assurance and Support Team covering the whole AFE Region.

Key Duties and Accountabilities:

SAES3 seeks to hire a Social Development Specialist based in Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe (STP) to serve as Country Risk/ESF specialist for the country, and potentially also other CMU countries. The incumbent will work in close coordination with the overall SD CMU Coordinator, with the SAES3 RSC, and with other colleagues across the team. Duties apply to the portfolio of STP, with possible support to other countries, especially Angola as needed.

The Key duties and accountabilities include:

(i) Advise task teams and clients on ESF, social safeguards, social risk management and social benefits optimization across sectors and throughout project cycle;

(ii) Provide technical support on all aspects of social risk management for Projects under ESF including involuntary resettlement, stakeholder engagement, Gender Based Violence, Grievance Redress Mechanisms, labor issues etc. and support to Project Implementation Units in implementing social standards;

(iii) World Bank ESF standards also cover Environment issues such as bio-diversity, waste management, Environment Assessments, Pesticide Management etc. Familiarity with environment standards and the ability to integrate environment and social aspects from a risk management perspective is a significant advantage.

(iv) Participate in missions, attend project-relevant meetings, review instruments such as ESIAs, ESMFs, ESMPs, RPFs, RAPs and other documents such as bidding documents, Operational Manuals etc;

(v) Experience in policy work, knowledge of policy and practice of the country’s laws on environment and social management and exposure to capacity building and training.

(iv) Demonstrate operational and analytical experience leading or co-leading work in other areas of the Social Development strategy such as stakeholder and citizen engagement, gender, GBV and social inclusion, community and local development, social cohesion and conflict-sensitive programming, social resilience, climate change, etc.

(vi) assist/provide training to PIUs as required to build capacity on risk management;

(vii) Support the risk management Unit’s work at a portfolio level as required;

(viii) Ensure timely reporting on issues including ESF for the CMU; proactive monitoring, management, and preparation of relevant management briefs.