Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. 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, 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

The South Asia Region

The South Asia Region comprises eight countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) that range in size from India (with a population of over 1 billion) to Maldives (with 0.3 million people). The region has experienced a long period of robust economic growth, averaging 6% a year over the past 20 years. It was the second-fastest growing region in the world in the aftermath of the global crisis. This strong growth has translated into declining poverty and impressive improvements in human development. The percentage of people living below the poverty line fell in South Asia from 56% to 16% between 1981 and 2013. Still, the region remains home to a third of the world’s poorest, with 216 million people living below $1.9/day.

The South Asia Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar

Unit Context: 

The SSAEN is the ENB unit of the World Bank South Asia Region (SAR). Staff in the unit manage a full spectrum of environment, climate change, green growth, blue economy, pollution management and circular economy, forest and natural resource lending and non-lending tasks in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Importantly, the unit provides environmental risk management support to the entire World Bank investment portfolio in these countries, helping them to increase sustainability through managing potential environmental impacts from their Bank-financed development programs. 

The Environment and Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice (ENB GP): Sustainable environment and natural resources management is at the heart of the World Bank Group (WBG) poverty agenda. Natural resources and biodiversity often constitute a 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 pollution are managed to support resilience (natural infrastructures), livelihoods, strong economies, and a world better prepared for various 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. The ENB GP team also leads analytical work, policy dialogue, and lending operations in a range of areas such as pollution (including a new flagship on Air Quality Management) and circular economy, integrated coastal zone management, forest and fisheries management. The GP is also very engaged in cross- sectoral initiatives, tasks and teams.

The ENB GP in South Asia seeks to recruit a skilled Senior Environmental Specialist based in Islamabad, Pakistan to provide environmental management leadership to Bank-led dialogue, analytical, advisory and financing, own-led as well as cross-sectoral tasks led by other technical streams, including an on-going priority placed on activities under the flagship SAR Air Quality Management Platform, as well as contribution to other priorities under the CPF, in particular but not only, under the Resilience pillar. The Senior Environment Management Specialist will report to the ENB Practice Manager for the South Asia Region (SAR) and be the GP Focal Point outside of ESF under the Bank Pakistan program.

Job duties and responsibilities:

• Lead or participate in policy dialogue; analytical and advisory services; lending project preparation and implementation in environment sector; and portfolio reviews with a focus on pollution and circular economy, complemented by leadership in the natural infrastructures resilience agenda.
• Provide technical guidance/advice, and mentoring, to operational teams to strengthen project design and implementation performance, including participation in identification missions; seeking and developing opportunities to integrate sound environmental management and policies in investment project operations; maintaining dialog with the client and enhancing their capacity for understanding and compliance with environmental policies.
• Conduct dialogue and manage effective communication internally across Practice Groups, the CMU and with government and other partners including NGOs, the private sector, international organizations in relation to the Bank’s agreed priority strategic areas of engagement in Pakistan. This includes partnership and leveraging with other financiers, and technical and policy aspects of sector policies, strategies, and legislation.
• Support effective environmental risk management and sustainability by managing risk at the project level and creating opportunities to advance sustainable development, in part through the implementation of the Bank’s environmental policies.
• Proactively engage on knowledge with WBG staff across regions and across sector boundaries and seeking opportunities for best practices sharing, bringing global experience to our clients in Pakistan, and to mainstream environmental considerations into their policies, strategies, and operations.
• Support dissemination of lessons learned and best practices from specific Bank projects/activities for research, knowledge and learning purposes.
• Work closely with diverse stakeholders from the government, private sector, organizations, academia, communities towards more clean, resilient and inclusive development.
• Lead or contribute to a variety of written products and communications in support of agreed priority for Pakistan (Briefs, Analytical Notes, Aide Memoires, Concept Notes and Documents), as well as drafts other technical working papers for wider circulation, with a particular attention to alignment with the CPF and Bank’s new Play Book.
• Collaborate with World Bank Practice Groups and IFC/MIGA colleagues on joint projects and other colleagues from bilateral and multilateral development institutions.
• Coordinate and carry out other tasks as requested by the Manager and in coordination with the CMU, such as contributing to the organization of training or knowledge sharing events.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in environmental science, natural resources management, or related disciplines.
• A minimum of 8 years relevant professional practical experience in the environment management sector is required.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to think strategically, analyze and synthesize diverse qualitative and quantitative environmentally related data and information.
• Ability to follow up multiple work-streams simultaneously.
• Track record of dealing effectively with external and internal clients. Strong client orientation with commitment to results on and effectiveness in client engagement.
• Ability to work well with a range of stakeholders, including project-affected parties, government officials, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and project investors and their staff.
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently, articulate issues and recommend impactful solutions with internal and external clients and colleagues across Practice Groups.
• Excellent inter-personal and team leadership skills and ability to easily interact with people of different backgrounds and seniority inside and outside the World Bank, including clients and partners.
• Experience working in developing countries.
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English is required.
• Good, outcome-oriented, team player who can work as a member of a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, motivate and lead group efforts and network effectively across boundaries.
• A drive for results while working with limited supervision and under tight timelines.

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.

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