Social Development Specialist
| Job #: | req35725 |
| Organization: | World Bank |
| Sector: | Safeguards |
| Grade: | GF |
| Term Duration: | 4 years 0 months |
| Recruitment Type: | Local Recruitment |
| Location: | Guinea-Bissau |
| Required Language(s): | English and Portuguese |
| Preferred Language(s): | Portuguese |
| Closing Date: | 3/9/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC |
Description
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 effort, now about seven years under implementation, is one of several initiatives, including procurement reform, the gender strategy, and the climate change action plan, undertaken by the Bank to improve development outcomes.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) RegionWe 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. Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID. Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa 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 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 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. PositionSAWM2, one of the two “Makers”units in West and Central Africa in AFW that manages E&S risks, is looking to recruit a Social Development Specialist, Safeguards who will be based in Bissau, Guinea Bissau and will support the Bank's Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and social risk management for the Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde portfolios and building and strengthening national systems and capacity in this regard.She/he will report directly to SAWM2 Practice Manager and will be expected to work closely with the Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde country units and task teams. Duties and Responsibilities The Social Development Specialist Safeguards will have the following core responsibilities:• Work with the Senegal CMU Social Risk/Safeguard Coordinator, the Lead Social Development Specialist, and environment safeguards specialists and other colleagues to provide high quality technical support for the implementation of the OPs/ESF in the Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde portfolios. This includes participating in project related missions and meetings, safeguard compliance missions and meetings and comprehensive portfolio reviews as needed; • Work with the Senegal CMU Social Risk/Safeguard Coordinator and E&S team to provide capacity building regarding social risk management and the ESF for task teams, clients and other stakeholders;• Organize and deliver needs assessments, capacity building, and technical training on E&S risk management for national agencies, local governments, and public/private sector practitioners;• Collaborate with other World Bank Group teams to integrate risk management capacity development into sectoral programs with a focus on country system strengthening;• Actively participate in cross-practice teams and provide timely and high-quality inputs for the preparation of policy notes, Country Partnership Frameworks, sector studies, and research and policy development activities on the full range of social risk management as they relate to Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde;• Contribute to a one WBG approach for E&S risk management; and• Engage in the Bank-wide professional community of E&S staff.
Selection Criteria
• Master’s degree or PhD in social sciences (anthropology, sociology, political economy, social development, law etc.), and a minimum of five years of professional experience in social sustainability, social risk management and/or social development.• Proven knowledge and experience in addressing issues covered by the World Bank’s ESF and social safeguards policies or similar policies in other international finance institutions. • In-depth knowledge of social and inclusive development issues Guinea Bissau and Cabo Verde essential;• Knowledge and experience with social assessments and analyzing social risks and impacts on different population groups; involuntary resettlement in different socio-economic contexts and tenure systems; 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 specific areas of social sustainability and inclusion including, among others, inclusion of vulnerable populations, gender, LGBTQ, disability, ethnic minorities, and climate change.• Experience with consultative and participatory approaches to project design and implementation as well as grievance redress mechanisms to ensure accountability and problem-solving in a timely fashion.• Previous working experience with World Bank safeguards policies and ESF highly desirable.• Ability to effectively present complex social development and ESF/safeguards issues to task teams and Bank audiences and engage with government counterparts, the private sector, project beneficiaries and civil society.• Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and team skills, and ability to think innovatively and strategically to find balanced solutions to complex development problems, with a strong client focus.• Very 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 and Portuguese essentialPlease do not apply if you don’t meet the above criteria in a significant manner.
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.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.
