Social Development Specialist (WBG Young Professionals Program)

Do you want to join a diverse group of professionals who help change the world?

The World Bank Group (WBG) is a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. 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.

Our Young Professionals Program (WBG YPP) is an exciting way to start a career with the World Bank Group. For close to 60 years, the program has recruited some of the brightest young minds to contribute to our top priorities, from poverty eradication, social development and climate change to the current response to the COVID-19 crisis. 

From June 15 - July 15, Social Development Specialists with YPP qualifications below are encouraged to apply from June 15 - July 15 at www.worldbank.org/ypp

We are looking for individuals who are younger than 32 years of age, who demonstrate a passion for international development, graduate level education, relevant professional experience and the potential to grow into leadership roles across the World Bank Group. 

Description

The Social Sustainability and Inclusion strategy aims to promote inclusive sustainable development anchored on three pillars:

• Social Inclusion: (i) enhancing opportunities for equality and inclusion of all people irrespective of income level, geography, gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation or other grounds of discrimination; (ii) advancing inclusive laws, regulations, policies and institutions; and (iii) investing in access to markets and services for hard to reach and marginalized groups living in lagging regions.
• Social Resilience: (i) strengthening social risk management for social sustainability; (ii) enhancing social cohesion and opportunities in fragile communities; (iii) strengthening social resilience to climate extremes and natural hazards; and (iv) supporting emergency response and an inclusive recovery from COVID-19.
• Social Empowerment: (i) supporting community empowerment for more effective service delivery; (ii) fostering accountable governance including from the bottom up; and (iii) promoting community-driven women empowerment and livelihood support programs.

Three overarching priorities of the Global Practice are to strengthen: (1) the analytics that underpin our country dialogue, operations, social risk management across the Bank’s portfolio, and engagements on the global agenda exploiting traditional and new sources of data and analytical tools, including digital tools; (2) the synergies between operational interventions (ASAs and financing) and the Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) to help deliver on the promise of the ESF to bring a development focus to social risk management of the Bank’s portfolio; and (3) the Community Driven Development operational instrument to more consistently focus on social dimensions of climate change, digital applications for community learning, empowerment and livelihoods, and norms and behavior change.

POSITION

The Social Sustainability and Inclusion Practice has a growing work program encompassing project loans and grants, advisory and analytical programs and active partnerships supporting a wide range of engagements across sectors, including women empowerment and gender equality, social inclusion, citizen engagement and social accountability, social resilience and social risk management. 

The Social Development Specialist (Young Professional) will provide support to the World Bank's expanding social sustainability and inclusion program. 

YPP Selection Criteria

• Born on or after October 1, 1990
• Relevant Master’s by September 2022 OR PhD by September 2023
• 3+ years of relevant experience OR continued study at the doctoral level
• Fluency in English

Desired Qualifications:

Candidates should have at least a Master’s degree in one of the following fields: sociology, anthropology, political science, public policy, international relations, international development, and economics.

Social Development Specialists with specialization or background in one or several of the following areas: 

• Quantitative and qualitative analytical skills as demonstrated by one or more publications and professional experience with empirical (qualitative and quantitative) data collection and analysis. 
• Practical experience with social safeguards/social standards. Familiarity with issues related to resettlement, social inclusion (SOGI, disability, indigenous peoples, gender-based violence, ethnic minorities, youth inclusion and children at risk) and/or labor practices in development projects (experience with psychosocial and/or behavior change interventions is appreciated).   
• Strong field experience involving community engagement and participation; local governance; and local economic development particularly with disadvantaged groups (experience with impact investment is desirable);  
• Experience working in fragile states and with security sector reform; and/or disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR); refugees, force displacement and IDPs; and/or prevention of violent extremism.   
• Experience with building community resilience to climate change and assessing the social impacts of climate change, such as the impact of climate change on migration and community cohesion.   

 World Bank Group Core Competencies

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
• Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
• Project Design for Impact and Sustainability - Contributes to the design of projects and programs based on an understanding of the country and sector context.
• Sector Dialogue - Able to conduct a dialogue with the client including on complex issues, based on a solid understanding of the sector.
• Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions, and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
• Knowledge, Learning, and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

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, IFC and MIGA including our values and inspiring stories.