Lead Social Development Specialist

Job #:
req38119

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Safeguards

Grade:
GH

Term Duration:
4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English, French

Preferred Language(s):
English, French

Closing Date:
9/4/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region

We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.

Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.

In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 387 projects totaling more than $44.1 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation- all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives. Across the continent, the World Bank's program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% of the world's extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa

Environmental and Social Risk Management.

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. 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 agreed 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 WBG is also moving gradually to promote a "One WBG" and the key role that the Environmental and Social leadership in IDA/IBRD, IFC and MIGA, will play in this effort.

In AFW, two E&S units (SAWM1 and SAWM2) are responsible for supporting task teams and clients in managing project-level E&S risk for investment operations and ensuring compliance with the Bank's World Bank Safeguard Policies and ESF. In addition to project support, the units also support clients to build systems, institutions and capacity in country to manage E&S risk for WBG funded activities. The units also provide E&S support and advice on PforR operations and Development Policy Operations (DPOs). To this end, units work closely with staff across all Country Management Units (CMUs) and Global Practices in AFW.

Position

SAWM2 is looking to recruit a Lead Social Development Specialist to be based in Washington DC. The selected candidate will provide technical leadership for risk management (implementing World Bank Safeguard Policies and the Environmental and Social Framework) for the Senegal, Mali and Cote d'Ivoire CMUs. She/he will report directly to the SAWM2 Practice Manager and will be expected to work closely with the Lead environmental specialist.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Lead Social Development Specialist's responsibilities include:
• Providing expert technical and policy support, advice, and assistance to E&S specialists, Task Teams, CMU and AFW management during preparation and supervision of projects that are High or Substantial risk, complex, and/or challenging. This includes elements related to World Bank Safeguard Policies and ESF policy application to projects, such as formulation of strategies, guidelines, and design of innovative approaches.
• Providing hands-on support to high risk or complex operations, advising and participating in project teams to help develop operational designs and mechanisms that are socially inclusive and assess social opportunities, impacts and risks related to Bank operations, supporting the identification of technical solutions and assisting in the preparation of project documentation.
• Participating in Concept and Decision Review meetings of projects with significant social complexity; representing the PM, when needed, and supporting the social specialists in the discussions and briefings.
• Ensuring high-quality and timely social risk management support to projects in the pipeline and portfolio through supporting the ESF E&S specialists in troubleshooting for projects with complex challenges, as well as GRS and Inspection Panel cases.
• In partnership with the Lead Environment Specialist, leading the unit's quality advisory team and assuring high quality for ESF documents in accordance with World Bank policies and procedures, with a particular focus on E&S documents for High-risk operations.
• Tracking ESF readiness of the pipeline and performance of portfolio and reporting to the ESF PM on issues and/or escalating cases that require management attention.
• Lead efforts towards building the capacity of the unit's E&S specialists through mentoring and coaching, particularly new and junior staff, facilitating the ESF accreditation process, and organizing internal training on social and environmental risk management policies, approaches, and tools, in close coordination with AFW E&S colleagues.
• Identifying opportunities, leading, coordinating and/or contributing to client capacity building and institutional strengthening on ESF, including implementing Action Plans from the Overview Assessments.
• Providing strategic leadership and engaging in sector dialogue with clients on social risk management, social and environmental licensing, and sustainability issues, ranging from upstream inputs into Systematic Country Diagnostics and Country Partnership Frameworks, to country-level E&S related strategic analyses and engagements, to specific operations, to advise counterparts on policy issues and/or risks and opportunities in relation to Bank-supported operations.
• Developing close collaboration with IFC and MIGA E&S risk management team in AFW, and the Global Makers and Checkers units. Supporting the PM and Sr. management in a smooth transition to WBG E&S units at the end of FY27.
• Leading in close coordination with the PM and the environmental lead specialist portfolio risk management and reviews with the AFW front office, Checkers and Global Makers units.
• Providing knowledge leadership and disseminate lessons learned and best practices from AFW with other regions and vice versa through contributions to knowledge and learning on social risk management and ESF.
• Demonstrate technical leadership by participating in World Bank internal policy discussions and dialogue on ESF, including with corporate, legal, and environmental and social colleagues on global/corporate ESF initiatives.

Selection Criteria
• Advanced degree in a relevant social science (anthropology, sociology, political economy, social development, economics, etc.) with substantive professional experience (a minimum of 12 years in the case of a PhD or 15 years in the case of a Master's degree) working on social risk management, sustainability and inclusion.
• Deep knowledge and practical operational experience with World Bank's Safeguards Policies and ESF. Experience and understanding of IFC Performance Standards and environmental risk management a plus.
• Extensive practical experience working on social risk management - including social impact assessments, social risks and impacts on vulnerable groups, involuntary resettlement/land acquisition/access restrictions in different socio-economic contexts and tenure systems and consultative and stakeholder engagement processes, GBV/SEA/SH, labor and working conditions, and community health and safety, etc.
• Proven track record in management of grievance mechanisms including leading responses for GRSs, trouble shooting and supporting the team to improve project level grievance mechanisms including the preparation and closure of ESIRT cases. Experience with Inspection Panel cases a strong asset.
• Proven track record supporting complex, high risk projects, particularly complex infrastructure projects during preparation and supervision with pragmatic approaches to handling social risks such as land acquisition, resettlement, livelihood restoration, vulnerable groups and working in multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience working as a social risk management professional in operations in at least two of the World Bank's seven regions or Global units.
• Proven ability to effectively communicate ESF/Safeguards policy and application issues internally (with TTLs, technical staff, and all levels of WBG management) and clients including with government and private sector counterparts and facilitating deliberations among various stakeholders.
• Excellent inter-personal and team leadership skills and ability to easily interact with people of different backgrounds and seniority inside and outside the WBG, including clients and partners.
• Extensive experience working in FCV countries a strong asset.
• Ability to coach/mentor junior staff and train E&S teams.
• Ability to frequently travel internationally.
• Fluency in English and French essential.

Note: This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/temporaries). External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.