VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
World Bank Group
Position: Senior Environmental Specialist
Job #: req6881
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Environment
Grade: GG
Term Duration: 3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Kathmandu,Nepal
Required Language(s): English, Nepali
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date: 4/19/2020 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.
The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and thirteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.
The World Bank Group (WBG)’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity reflect a new global landscape: one in which developing countries have an unprecedented opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation.
The Environment and Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice (ENB GP): Sustainable environment and natural resources (ENB) management, including support to the blue economy, is at the heart of the World Bank Group (WBG) poverty agenda. Natural resources and biodiversity often constitute the social safety net of the poor, representing a food bank and often their only source of livelihood. The world Bank promotes green, clean, and resilient development where natural resources–from forests to fisheries, freshwater, oceans, coastal zones and ecosystems–are managed to support livelihoods, strong economies, and a world better prepared for shocks and global challenges. The ENB GP has been established to deliver on the opportunities, benefits and outcomes offered by enhanced management of the environment and natural resources. One specific ENB GP responsibility is to support effective environmental risk management, and to ensure good environmental management across the Bank’s work in part through the implementation of the Bank’s environmental policies and its Environmental and Social Framework (ESF).
The ENB GP team is also leading analytical work, policy dialogue, and lending operations in a range of areas such as pollution and waste management, air quality improvement, integrated coastal zone management, forest and fisheries management.
The ENB GP’s unit in South Asia is looking to further enhance its field-based capacity of environmental specialists in the Kathmandu Office to support the environmental work on ongoing and new operations and activities of the Nepal program. The Nepal program is expanding, with a significant number of energy, transport, forest, water, agriculture and other projects that have environmental dimensions and impacts.
DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES:
ENB GP’s unit in South Asia is seeking to employ a Senior Environmental Specialist to be based at the World Bank Country Office in Kathmandu, Nepal. Working in close collaboration with colleagues in the Unit and other Units of the Bank, the Senior Environment Specialist’s responsibilities will be concerned with providing leadership to the coordination of the ENB operational and analytical work in Nepal and to specific lending and non-lending tasks. He/she will work according to an annual work plan, adjusted periodically as necessary. He/she will report to the SAR SSAEN Practice Manager based in Washington DC. The Senior Environment Specialist responsibilities will include the following:
• ENB CMU Program Coordination:
i.Support practice manager and work with colleagues in the WPA preparation and discussion with CMU
ii.Prepare briefs and talking points on key ENB issues and report, as needed to CMU, on progress of ENB activities
iii.Lead/coordinate inputs from ENB for multisectoral inputs on government’s strategic planning, and engagement with sub-national authorities,
iv.Participate in country team meetings and coordinate closely with the SD Sector leader
• Lending:
i. Task lead preparation and implementation of complex and multi-sectoral operations with investment, digital, spatial, innovation and policy elements, and involve diverse range of central and subnational stakeholders and departments;
ii. Co-lead or be a technical team member on operations led by other GPs and PGs including DPFs and IPFs;
iii. Conduct timely project preparation, implementation support missions, catalyze project disbursement and provide technical leadership on ENB related topics;
iv. Coordinate operations with development partner activities and development partner technical assistance.
• Non-Lending:
i. Mobilize Trust Fund resources;
ii. Task lead programmatic ASAs that span a range of topics from blue economy to integrated development to institutional strengthening on issues of regional planning and coordination;
iii.Co-lead or be a technical specialist on the PASAs or ASAs led by other GPs and PGs.
• Country and sector engagement dialogues:
i.Engage in the context of the SCD and CPF
ii.Participate in sector dialogue and business development relative to Blue Economy, NRM, Climate and overall environmental agenda;
iii.Support in-country environmental risk management reviews and thematic supervisions, prepare reports, and disseminate lessons learned;
iv.Maintain effective communication with government counterparts, (and development partner community and NGOs, as and when required or needed), and other local agencies and organizations on the World Bank activities in the environment sector and provide local perspective and insights;
v.Advise clients in the Government and consultants on environmental policy and technical matters, and conduct on-the-job and formal training for the clients and consultants; and
vi.Assist in the design and delivery of knowledge management and training activities.
The specialist will be required, as needed, to provide a range of technical support to WB projects and activities, including some of the following potential areas:
• Environmental impact assessment (EIA), environmental management plan (EMP), sectoral/strategic environmental assessments (EAs), cumulative impact analysis, and other forms of environmental assessments/analysis;
• Project design in order to improve environmental benefits (positive impacts) and outcomes of project;
• Technical expertise, practices, and methods and their application to the Landscape approach and to Environmental quality.
Selection Criteria
• Master’s or PhD degree in environmental sciences/technology, environmental management or natural resources management.
• A minimum of at least eight years of relevant experience including, preferably, experience of working on strategic environmental and natural resources, including green growth, issues related to the areas of focus for this position; on capacity and policy development and institutional strengthening for improved environmental and natural resources management under landscape approaches; and on other project environmental lending and non-lending, in particular at programmatic levels.
• Knowledge and experience related to environmental impact assessment, management and stakeholder engagement in some of the key areas of economic activity with significant environmental implications.
• In-depth knowledge of the environmental regulatory and institutional framework in Nepal.
• Experience in designing and supervising projects in some of the following areas: landscape management, cross sector engagements, development policy lending and environmental quality.
• Proven ability to exercise sound judgments in a work environment with tight processing constraints, and proven record of good teamwork and delivering under pressure.
• Ability to analyze cross-sectoral issues with respect to environmental outcomes, especially within the broader framework of national development agenda. Extensive field-based experience, including the carrying out of baseline surveys and stakeholder consultations, are desired.
• Familiarity with Bank’s operational policies and procedures as they relate to environmental aspects of the Bank’s work would be as asset but is not a requirement.
• Ability to effectively communicate and provide guidance to the Bank and clients’ teams, and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and in inter-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in both local language and English and inter-personal skills with appropriate level of office information technology skills.
• Willingness to travel frequently in Nepal, in the SAR countries and outside.
WBG Competencies
• Deliver Results for Clients – Proactively addresses clients’ stated and unstated needs.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Collaborates across boundaries, gives own perspective and willingly receives diverse perspectives.
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Applies knowledge across WBG to strengthen solutions for internal and/or external clients.
• Make Smart Decisions – Interprets a wide range of information and pushes to move forward.
• Lead and Innovate – Develops innovative solutions.
Integrative Skills:
• Internal and External Stakeholder Engagement.
• Knowledge of Bank Instruments, Policies, and Procedures, and Ability to Proactively Apply Them.
• Strategy formulation and policy and program design.
• Project Design, Implementation, and Management.
• Portfolio Management and Results Monitoring and Evaluation.
•Team Leadership.
Behavioral Competencies:
• Client Orientation.
• Drive for Results.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making.
Poverty has no borders, neither does excellence. We succeed because of our differences and we continuously search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe.
Last date to apply: 19 April 2020
