Senior Social Development Specialist

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. 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, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. 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

VPU Context:

The World Bank Group serves 33 client countries in Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state, and to varying degrees face three key challenges – low productivity and growth, low quality jobs and low resilience to shocks.The region is tackling these challenges with a strong WBG approach, underpinned by selectivity and complementarity between the value added of public and private arms, and in strong partnership with relevant regional development partners.

A. The challenge of low growth. After recovering lost output, the region is returning to pre-pandemic low growth and productivity scenario. After a solid post-pandemic rebound in economic activity (7.2% and 3.9% growth in 2021 and 2022 respectively), GDP growth returned to the pre-pandemic low growth around 2.2% in 2023 and 2024, with a medium-term outlook of 2.5%.With an average Gini co-efficient of [0.52] LAC remains also one of the most unequal regions in the world. It is a region where the bottom 50% earn 27 times less than the top 10%. It also represents stark differences in opportunity, a child born today in the poorest 20% quintile in LAC will on average be 17 percentage points less productive than a child born in the richest 20%.

B. The challenge of quality jobs: the need for better quality jobs is paramount, with 6.2% unemployment rates, these low levels mask a deeper issue of job quality. Reflecting stagnating living standards, labor earnings have only grown by 1% or less per year in most countries over the past decade, and some 19% of workers in the region are earning incomes below the poverty line.

•Investing in foundational infrastructure critical to job creation, LAC needs to invest at least 3.1% of GDP in infrastructure investments per year, yet it only invests 2%, which is significantly lower than the world average of 5.4% of GDP. This underinvestment in physical infrastructure, including in key infrastructure sectors (including resilient transport, water, energy etc.) is holding back potential for better jobs. The region is supporting clients by supporting selective transformative infrastructure projects (e.g. urban mobility, regional transport and connectivity).On human infrastructure challenge, firms in the region continue to cite skills shortages (55% of firms in LAC vs 45% in MIC regions) as a key barrier to growth and job creation. A child born in LAC is expected to reach only 56 percent of their productive potential. Three out of four 15-year olds fail basic math proficiency and cannot read adequately the soft side involves supporting clients revamp their education and health sectors. The region is supporting clients to revamp their education and health care sectors.

•The LAC region also needs to foster a predictable, business-enabling policy and regulatory environment. These include ensuring macro stability, eliminating restrictive business regulations in product and factor markets, and improving access to finance, especially long-term capital. Labor market regulations in LAC are noted to be on par with the most restrictive labor market regimes among OECD countries. Further, enforcement of competition policy needs to be supported due to high levels of market concentration in LAC markets: the 50 largest firms in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile have revenues greater than 30% of GDP.At 55% of GDP, domestic credit to the private sector remains much lower than EAP (178%).

•Private capital needs to be appropriately incentivized to support the provision of public goods and investments in key sectors, especially those that have the highest potential to enable and/or create better quality jobs. However, at only 19.8% of GDP, gross capital formation remains lowest among all regions (EAP is at 38% and South Asia at 30%). Private capital mobilization in the region is being held back by shallow capital markets, lack of long-term finance, high cost of capital, regulatory and institutional barriers (including in PPP frameworks). Based on country contexts, the WBG will support investments in productive clusters (energy/mining, value added manufacturing, agribusiness, tourism, etc) across the public-private spectrum.

C. The challenge of vulnerability to shocks.Building resilience of the countries to shocks, including natural disasters, through contingent financing and other innovative risk management platforms at country and regional levels is critical given the high exposure to climate–related disasters and natural hazards. The Central America and the Caribbean have recurrent hurricanes that have impacts on GDP significantly higher than the regional average of 1.7%. Several countries are experiencing deep, long droughts, increasingly intense storms, and floods that disrupt economic activities and affect livelihoods, with impacts on the most vulnerable populations.

ESF

On October 1, 2018, the World Bank launched a new Environment and Social Framework (ESF) to help protect people and the environment in the investment projects that it finances. The ESF brings the World Bank’s environmental and social (E&S) protections into closer harmony with those of other development institutions, and makes important advances in areas such as transparency, non-discrimination, social inclusion, public participation, and accountability – including expanded roles for grievance redress mechanisms. The ESF helps to ensure social inclusion, non-discrimination, and explicitly references human rights in the overarching vision statement.

As the World Bank Group (WBG) advances with modernizing its ESF approach, a new organizational arrangement has been established involving “Makers” (responsible for preparation, implementation support, and monitoring and problem solving) and “Checkers” (responsible for monitoring and risk-based oversight, and identifying and flagging challenges and problems that need to be addressed) to ensure a strengthened approach to risk management on E&S matters. The new arrangements also demonstrate a commitment to promoting “One WBG” and the key role that the environmental and social leadership in IDA/IBRD, IFC and MIGA, will play in this effort.

The ESF team in LCR is managed under two units, one (SLCM1) covering the Northern CMUs of the Region, and the other (SLCM2) covering the Southern CMUs, each including specialists with expertise in Environmental and Social dimensions of the ESF.SLCM2 seeks to recruit a qualified and motivated individual for the position of Senior Social Development Specialist, as part of the Brasilia-based ESF team.

The Position

The selected candidate will be based in Brasilia, Brazil, and report directly to the SLCM2 Practice Manager, who is based in Washington, DC.

This position will focus on implementing the World Bank’s environmental and social risk management policies and standards, and support efforts towards enhancing national systems and capacity in this regard.All World Bank-supported investment projects must meet ambitious environmental, social, health and safety standards. As such, the candidate will ensure that the objectives and requirements of the ESF are considered across the project Lifecyle of projects.

The Senior Social Development Specialist will have the following key responsibilities:

As a core member of World Bank Task Teams, the Senior Social Development Specialist will advise teams and clients in various sectors, and support project designs and implementation, making sure that Bank-assisted projects are inclusive and present clear and implementable measures for addressing social risks whilst enhancing the social development outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Social risk areas of focus will include, but not be limited to, project related involuntary resettlement and adverse impacts on traditional communities, indigenous peoples and other ethnic minority communities, labor and working conditions on projects, engagement with project stakeholders, gender-based violence due to project induced labor influx, discrimination and exclusion of vulnerable project beneficiaries etc.

The specialist will lead and promote the social inclusion agenda in the design and implementation of projects in Brazil. The Specialist will have the following key responsibilities:

•Ensure the effective integration into the design, appraisal and implementation of WBG-supported projects of social, environment, community health and safety due diligence as defined by the World Bank Group (WBG) Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESF), World Bank Operational Policies on safeguards (for older projects that predate the ESF), WBG EHS guidelines, IF Performance Standards and other international good practice documents (e.g. Equator Principles).

•Prepare inputs for internal documents including the Environmental and Social Review Summaries (ESRSs), Project Concept Notes (PCNs), Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs) Mid-Term Reviews (MTRs), Implementation Completion Reports (ICRs) and others as needed.

•Review and advise on client-developed terms of reference (ToR) and deliverables for social assessments and social risk management instruments; e.g. Resettlement Plans (RPs), Indigenous People Plans (IPPs), Labor Management Procedures (LMPs), Stakeholder Engagement Plans (SEPs) , and Project Operational Manuals (POMs). Assist with handling timely and accurate disclosure procedures and public consultation requirements for all required environmental and social assessment and management instruments.

•Advise and mentor clients and counterparts on implementing social risk management instruments such as resettlement and livelihood restoration plans, environmental and social assessments, E&S management plans, monitoring and reporting, public consultation, and grievance mechanisms. Guidance will be based on baseline analysis, project scope, potential impacts, mitigation measures, national requirements, and ensure compliance with WBG ESF and applicable operational policies

•Support efforts to build capacity among colleagues and counterparts including understanding of Social Impact Assessment and stakeholder engagement as it relates to projects.Where appropriate promote and contribute substantively to analyses and efforts to strengthen country systems.

•Participate in portfolio reviews and briefings for World Bank Management on social risk management.

•Support, mentor, and coach other Social and Environment Specialists in handling complex technical, institutional, and program implementation issues regarding social risk management and social development in Brazil

•Contribute to analytical and advisory tasks on social inclusion as institutional and policy environment and social in the Brazil for improving social inclusion and social risk management.

•Other assignments as and when required.

Selection Criteria

This is a challenging position suited to constructive, highly motivated team players with an eye for detail, understanding the bigger picture context of operations, and creative problem-solving abilities. The successful candidate should have strong analytical skills, have practical experience with participatory processes of stakeholder engagement, and be able to integrate social development considerations in an operational context. Experience working in complex and challenging settings is essential. It is expected that the successful candidate will meet the following selection criteria.

•At least a Master’s degree in social sciences (i.e., Development Studies, Social Anthropology, Sociology, International Development, Environmental Sciences, and similar qualifications.)

•Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience in sustainability and E&S risk management, aligned with the World Bank’s ESF and ESS1–ESS10, preferably within World Bank–financed operations or comparable MDBs, including hands-on delivery of analytical and operational products under tight timelines.

•Familiarity and proven experience in managing social risks (e.g., community health and safety, involuntary resettlement, and indigenous peoples) related to complex or large infrastructure, extractives, manufacturing, agribusiness, and/or services sectors. Previous experience with managing risks in roads and highways, dams, electrical sector, large water conveyance systems would be highly beneficial.

•Working knowledge of World Bank’s (or other International Finance Institution’s) operations, particularly the ESF and social safeguard policies on involuntary resettlement Indigenous peoples, labor and community health and safety risks.

•Strong analytical skills, ability to think strategically, analyze and synthesize diverse information sources, and draw conclusions from sometimes limited data of social issues, including social assessment and consultation/participation methodologies, working with vulnerable groups.

•Demonstrated project management/operational skills, including community health and safety management and experience working with contractors with weak implementation capacity.

•Proven capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, development agencies, government counterparts, community groups/project affected persons, and civil society organizations.

•Knowledge and experience of WB operations is preferred.

•Experience in capacity building for social, community health and safety risk management would be beneficial.

•Ability to develop innovative approaches to mitigate social risks or overcome difficult challenges across a range of investment projects.

•Demonstrated ability to work across practices, work in cross-thematic teams, and foster teamwork.

•Experience working in Latin America and the Caribbean, understanding the institutional, political, and social context of Brazil.

•Strong interpersonal analytical and communication skills.

•Skilled in maintaining a diplomatic approach and performing effectively in high-pressure environments.

•Acting with integrity to build trust and to create an enabling environment as a team member or lead.

•Ability to operate in a multi-cultural environment, manage multiple tasks, identify and respond to evolving project contexts, and remain flexible and self-motivated in a dynamic, fast-paced work environment.

•Proven ability to engage effectively with Government, private sector, project beneficiaries and civil society.

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

•Excellent oral and written skills in English and Portuguese essential.

•Readiness to travel extensively in Brazil, including to remote rural areas.

“Preference will be given to nationals of the duty station”

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

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.

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