E T Consultant

Contract

This is a World Bank Group grade: EC2 contract. More about World Bank Group grade: EC2 contracts.

E T Consultant

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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.

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people. Although 10 of our clients have joined the EU and 7 of these have graduated, most continue to remain active recipients of knowledge and/or lending services. Weak growth, high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic and exacerbated by the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, has mean that many countries are reengaging with the Bank for additional support, including development financing. ECA has a strong lending pipeline as well as a large and growing portfolio of Reimbursable Advisory Services. Knowledge is critical to the Bank’s value proposition to client countries in the ECA region in both lending and advisory services.

A predominantly middle- and high-income region, ECA continues to be at the forefront in confronting the numerous development challenges that countries face in the evolving global economy. The region is at the vanguard of building regional connectivity while having to manage the changing structure of the labor market. At the same time, digital technologies are changing the nature of work, populations are aging, and large migration flows have generated social tensions that have contributed to increased political polarization. These emerging trends threaten to reverse the region’s achievements in regional integration, poverty reduction and shared prosperity.

The ECA region is also one of the most vulnerable to climate change. It has a large potential to strengthen climate change resilience and improve energy efficiency, thereby reducing its contribution to climate change. Other important challenges affecting parts of the region include frozen conflicts and domestic political instability.

In February 2020, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak interrupted the incipient recovery, and the impact on growth remains highly uncertain and in a downside scenario of prolonged shutdowns; output in ECA could contract by nearly 8 percent in 2020. The near- and medium-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis serve to re-emphasize the critical importance of ECA’s medium-term strategic agenda on raising productivity and boosting resilience. This focuses on three priority areas:

• Boosting human capital to raise productivity

• Building solid foundations and resilience for growth; and

• Enabling markets to achieve high productivity in the private sector

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine which began February 24, 2022, has generated widespread resource destruction and an unprecedented refugee crisis. More than 2 million refugees from Ukraine – mostly women, children and the elderly – have crossed into Europe and Central Asia since the start of the conflict. The outbreak of war has accelerated an already existing process of economic contraction and pressure on livelihoods due to effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Poverty is estimated to have increased, and the region is more vulnerable to changes in external demand and climate shocks related to agriculture and the energy transition.

For more information, visit: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/eca

The Sustainable Development (SD) Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy, Environmental and Social Framework, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience & Land, Social Sustainability and Inclusion, and Water.

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND INCLUSION GLOBAL PRACTICE

The Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice helps countries tackle deep-rooted social problems stemming from fragility, climate change, exclusion, and the digital age with people centered solutions that build on local values and institutions. The Practice engages with citizens, communities and governments to deepen resilience, build inclusion, and empower vulnerable and marginalized groups to have influence and voice. It prioritizes participatory, multi-sectoral approaches that build on norms and informal institutions to address social challenges and to build more inclusive, empowered communities. The Practice also works across the Bank’s portfolio to implement the Environment and Social Framework (ESF) standards. The ESF offers an overarching platform for fostering inclusive approaches to ensure vulnerable groups benefit from Bank investments and mitigate against related risks.

This is done through four pillars of work:

• Promoting inclusive societies. We help expand access to markets, services, and spaces for vulnerable and marginalized groups in ways that promote their dignity.

• Promoting resilient communities. We help communities cope with climate change, conflict, pandemics, and migration by expanding access to resources and responsive governments,

• Empowering people. We help expand access to the policy arena to strengthen voice and social accountability and build consensus for positive change.

• Managing social risk. We help enhance the inclusiveness, efficiency, equity, and transparency of public and private investments.

Regional Management Unit Context

The ECA SSI (SCASO) team is responsible for: (i) undertaking social analysis during project preparation and implementation, to mainstream social development issues throughout the Bank’s work in the region; (ii) supporting clients to manage project-level social risk—including risk of sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (SEA/SH)—and ensuring compliance with the Bank’s policies; (iii) undertaking Analytical and Advisory Activities (ASA) in the form of thematic studies on social development issues, country social analysis, and Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS); (iv) leading the preparation and supervision of lending operations, with a particular focus on promoting the inclusion of vulnerable groups (including women, youth, the elderly, Roma, internally displaced persons, refugees, etc.), and citizen engagement; and (v) facilitating partnerships and dialogue with civil society through outreach and engagement with a broad range of actors; and (vi) supporting the implementation of the Environmental and Social Framework. To this end, the ECA Social Sustainability and Inclusion Unit works closely with staff across all Country Management Units and Global Practices in ECA; and coordinates with the ECA Development Effectiveness Unit as well as Global units of SSI and Gender. The SCASO team is responsible for the ECA GBV program and coleads the regional gender program in partnership with the ECA Poverty and Equity team.

We are seeking to recruit a highly qualified candidate for the ECA Social Sustainability and Inclusion Team. The Extended Term Consultant (ETC) will be based in Washington, DC, United States. The selected candidate will report to the ECA SSI Practice Manager based in Vienna.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and expansion of the SCASO Team’s gender and GBV program by working closely with the ECA SSI Gender Coordinator (Sr. Social Development Specialist), particularly on Knowledge Management and gender/GBV guidance (e.g., activities related to gender and GBV campaigns, inputs on gender/GBV corporate documents, drafting briefs and talking points for management, providing peer reviewer comments) and gender technical support to SCASO ASAs focusing on gender/GBV

• Serve as the co-Focal Point for ECA GBV Coordination (Lead Focal Point is a Sr. Social Development Specialist based in Ankara) and field queries from TTLs on SEA/SH risk management requests

• Provide inputs to standalone GBV projects or SCASO-led SSI projects with GBV components or interventions

• Support the unit’s business line of SCASO-led lending operations that focus on women’s empowerment, particularly Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE)

• Support the SCASO Gender Coordinator with other just-in-time activities, including drafting technical proposals as required.

Selection Criteria

• At least advanced university degree (Masters or PhD) in relevant social science (e.g., Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, Gender, Law, Development Studies, and Political Science) or related fields.

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in gender and social inclusion, gender based violence (GBV), and other social development topics.

• Extensive knowledge and experience working on gender and GBV issues, with experience working in International Finance Institutions and knowledge of WB ESF requirements on SEA/SH preferred—and experience in the ECA region a plus.

• Experience working on gender and GBV issues in FCV contexts strongly preferred.

• Strong analytical skills, with experience in quantitative and qualitative research approaches preferred, and demonstrated ability to translate analytical work into policy advice and actionable, practical recommendations.

• Demonstrated ability to support a complex work program; aptitude to lead a diverse team, navigate team dynamics, and mentor short-term consultants (STCs).

• Proven sense of initiative, results orientation, teamwork qualities, and ability to work effectively across sectors.

• Experience in drafting technical proposals a plus.

• Excellent English language skills (writing, speaking, listening, and reading).

• Working knowledge of Russian or other language common to ECA countries a plus.

In addition, the successful candidate is expected to exhibit the following core competencies:

• Social Development Implications on Policy, Institutions, and Operations: solid understanding of the implications of social development on policy, institutions, and operations.

• Analytical Tools for Social Sustainability and Inclusion: Robust experience conducting social development analyses, producing meaningful results, and applying the tools in operations.

• Participation and Consultation: Solid experience conducting social development consultative and participatory approaches, and applying the approaches in operations.

• Knowledge and experience in development arena - understands policy making process; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients.

• Policy Dialogue Skills - Identifies and assesses policy issues and plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders.

• Deliver Results for Clients: Proactively addresses client’s stated and unstated needs.

• Collaborate within teams and across boundaries: Collaborates across boundaries, gives own perspective and willingly received diverse perspectives.

• Lead and Innovate: Develops innovative solutions.

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World Bank Group Core Competencies

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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Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.