Social Development Specialist

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East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) Region:

EAP is a large and diverse region, ranging from Small Island States of the Pacific to the Philippines and China! Despite substantial economic growth and poverty reduction, the EAP region faces huge development challenges. Growth has been uneven across and within countries, institutions still need strengthening, and most countries are heavily affected by climate change. The Bank plays a significant role on global public goods, including climate, biodiversity, water pollution, and health. The World Bank Group is seen as a premier development institution in the Region, with a leadership role on analytical and advisory services as well as financing.  (East Asia and the Pacific Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eap)

East Asia and Pacific Social Sustainability and Inclusion Unit

The Social Development Unit 1 (SEAS1) in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region is 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 Environmental and Social Framework (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 promotes inclusion of vulnerable groups including women and youth, and (v) facilitating partnerships.

The Unit is seeking a Social Development Specialist to be based in Honiara, to provide social risk management support to project preparation and implementation of the World Bank’s portfolio in the Solomon Islands and the Pacific, and broader operational and analytical support to the social development program in Solomon Islands . The position will help ensure that social development considerations are integrated into project design and implementation, and compliant with the Bank’s social safeguard policies and ESF across all sectors. The World Bank’s Pacific program has some 100+ projects covering social development, energy and infrastructure, health, education, fisheries, agriculture and natural resource management, rural development, social protection, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation.  The program in Solomon Islands includes 13 projects across a range of sectors including social development, energy, fisheries, transport, health and water.

The Pacific team currently comprises eight Social Development Specialists, including four based in Sydney, two in Suva, Fiji, two based in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and one in Honiara, Solomon Islands.  The selected candidate will report directly to the SEAS1 Practice Manager based in Singapore; work under the day-to-day supervision of the social risk management focal point based in Sydney; and be part of the overall social development (SD) team in the Pacific, and the candidate will work closely with task teams they support.  

Duties and Responsibilities:

As a member of task teams supporting the preparation and implementation of projects in the Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific region, the Social Development Specialist will be responsible for advising on the effective assessment and management of the project induced social risks by client counterparts. The Specialist will also contribute to operations and analytical work program managed by SEAS1 in Solomon Islands, including the active portfolio and new areas of engagement.  The main objective of the assignment is to ensure that the projects meet the necessary Environmental & Social standards of the World Bank, with regard to compliance with its social safeguards and ESF, and that they reflect current good practice in terms of social development.

The role provides support to project teams during both project preparation and implementation, requiring the specialist to build strong relationships with implementation units and regular monitoring activities.  To that end, it is anticipated that the Social Development Specialist will also contribute to building the capacity of client counterparts, and others involved with World Bank financed projects and thus raise their awareness of social risk management requirements and good practice.

The Specialist, with the support from the social risk focal point as necessary, will apply their technical expertise to a broad range of social development themes and policy issues.  More specifically, they will:
 
• Under the guidance of the Pacific social risk management focal point provide advice to clients on social risk management in World Bank-financed projects.

• Specifically, 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), Ethnic Minority Development Plans (EMDPs), Labor Management Procedures (LMPs), Stakeholder Engagement Plans (SEPs). 

• Social risk areas of focus will include, but not be limited to, project related involuntary resettlement and adverse impacts on 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. 

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

• 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.  

• Assist implementing agencies of SEAS1 operations with project management and implementation tasks, including monitoring and evaluation and progress reporting. 

• Contribute to develop new areas of focus and/or operational scale-up opportunities around key social development issues, including locally led climate action, decentralization, social inclusion (disability), gender and youth. 

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

• Contribute to the preparation of social development briefs, trust fund progress reports, and knowledge products based on the SEAS1 work program in Solomon Islands. 

• Undertake policy dialogue with clients on social inclusion and social development issues, ranging from upstream inputs into Country Partnership Frameworks, to advising counterparts on related policies or on risks and opportunities.

• Other assignments as and when required by the Practice Manager.