Social Development Specialist at The World Bank

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.



WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA (AFW) REGION:



https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa



GHANA COUNTRY CONTEXT



Ghana sits on the Atlantic Ocean and borders Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. Its population is of about 31.1 million (2021). Ghana has achieved substantial economic and social progress over the past three decades. It is a lower middle-income country with an annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of US$2,063 (2020), and one of the most peaceful countries in the region. For more information please see the link below: https://intranet.worldbank.org/Regions/CountryInfo?name=Ghana&c=GH



Social Sustainability and Inclusion Development Context



(https://www.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/environmental-and-social-framework/brief/environmental-and-social-standards). [...]



POSITION



The Social Development Specialist will be based in Accra, Ghana and will support the Ghana portfolio’s work on social risk management including managing issues related to the old Bank safeguards policies and the new Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). In addition, the specialist may provide support to some projects in other CMU countries, such as Liberia and Sierra Leone. The specialist will also provide technical support on broad social development themes including gender, social accountability and youth centered activities. The specialist will report to the SAWS1 SSI Practice Manager and in close collaboration with the Regional Safeguards Coordinator and the CMU Social Risk Management Coordinator.



Duties and Accountabilities



The Social Development Specialist will have the following responsibilities:



Social Safeguards Risk Management



• Support the preparation and implementation of Bank-financed projects, following different financing instrument (e.g. IPF and PforR) by providing technical advice to Borrowers on social risk management and sustainability.



• Provide technical social risk management support to task teams, Borrowers and clients regarding the identification, preparation and implementation of social risk management measures, ESF compliance and other efforts to enhance the social sustainability of projects in close coordination with the Regional Safeguards Coordinator (RSC) and CMU coordinator. This support may include providing guidance in the preparation of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), resettlement action plan (RAP), social impacts assessments (SIAs) and corresponding social management plans (SMPs), Resettlement Frameworks (RFs), Environmental and Social Commitment Plan, Stakeholders Engagement Plan (SEP), and Labor Management Procedures (LMP), etc.



• Build capacity with clients on issues related to safeguards/ESF and broader SSI issues, including clients’ monitoring and evaluation of social development activities and outcomes and high-quality training and other learning events related to social assessments, social safeguards, and broader social development issues.



• Manage challenging cases of social risk management including responding to complaints and support overall compliance with the World Bank ESF.



• Provide intensive on-site field level support to project teams and/or Borrowers involved in preparation and the implementation of social risk management instruments.



• Monitor social risks, impacts and performance of Bank-financed operations through conducting field visits and collaborating closely with clients.



• Provide inputs for management regarding project related complaints and work to resolve them directly with the task team, RSC, Regional Safeguards Advisor, Grievance Redress Service (GRS), Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS) and the PM.



• Participate in portfolio reviews on selected social risk and social sustainability and inclusion issues.



• Provide technical cross-support as required to other teams across the CMU portfolio for social risk management and to share knowledge and experience.



• Work closely with environment colleagues to enhance the capacity of the client to implement the Bank’s ESF.



Broader Social Development Work:



• Support work on the mainstream social development agenda, including providing analytic inputs to operational activities, with an emphasis on social sustainability, inclusion and cohesion, youth, and migration.



• Support work to develop new areas of focus and business around social sustainability and inclusion issues that emerge in the context of growth and transition (gender, youth, employment, migration, etc.).



• Contribute to the development of learning products/activities such as Technical Assistance, internal BBLs, guidance notes, peer learning events.



• Support task teams and counterparts on technical options for social development programs and operations, on the full range of social development topics, including social cohesion, citizen engagement, social inclusion, gender and youth, social dimensions of climate change with a particular focus on fragile regions.



• Support work to develop new areas of focus and business around social development issues that emerge in the context of growth and transition (gender, youth, employment, migration, etc.).



• Contribute to the development of learning products/activities such as Technical Assistance, internal BBLs, guidance notes, peer learning events.



Other:



• Identify potential partnerships as well as new opportunities for engagement around social development aimed at advancing social development in general and social risk management in Ghana



• Participate as an active member of the Country Office and Country Team as well as the CMU Coordinator team.



• Work independently under general direction of the PM, RSC and provide guidance in close collaboration with SSI staff in Ghana



• Travel regularly to field sites as needed. Sites may be in remote areas with very limited facilities.



Selection Criteria



• Advanced university degree (Masters or PhD) in relevant social science (e.g., Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, and Political Science) or related fields.



• At least 5 years of knowledge and professional experience in addressing issues covered by the World Bank’s ESF and social safeguards policies or similar policies in other international finance institutions in complex and challenging settings.



• Experience with the preparation, implementation and monitoring of Stakeholder Engagement Plans (SEPs) as well as other safeguard instruments such as the Labor Management Procedures (LMP), SEA/SH Action Plan and Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).



• Experience with social assessments and analyzing social risks and impacts on different population groups; involuntary resettlement in different socio-economic contexts and tenure systems; coordination of transparent consultative and stakeholder engagement processes; grievance redress mechanisms, integration of relevant planning instruments such as Resettlement Action Plans in overall project planning and implementation; labor and working conditions community health and safety; and cultural heritage.



• Experience in social sustainability and risk management policy development, including dialogue with governments, collaboration in these areas with other international development agencies, corporate reviews and policy development and improvement efforts.



• Experience leading complex cross-cutting analytical work related to social sustainability and inclusion.



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



• Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, communication and team skills, and ability to think innovatively and strategically to find balanced solutions to complex development problems, with a strong client focus.



• Acting with integrity to build trust and to create an enabling work environment, whether as team leader or team member.



• High level of energy, initiative, and self-motivation; willingness to travel and work under challenging circumstances.



• Ability to work across practices, work in cross-thematic teams, and foster teamwork



• Excellent oral and writing skills in English.



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.



Note: If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group Staff Member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, they will retain their Regular or Open-Ended appointment. If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group Staff Member with a Term appointment that expires later than the end date of this appointment, they will retain the duration of their current Term appointment.