Senior Social Specialist – Environmental and Social Solutions

Position description

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment. 

About this position

We are looking for an international specialist in social safeguards to join the team of environmental and social specialists who promote the environmental and social strategy of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to ensure the sustainability of the bank’s project portfolio in Brazil. The specialist will work at the IDB Country Office in Brasília and will be part of a team from the Environmental and Social Solutions Division (VPS/ESG) dedicated to providing support for the application of safeguards to project teams, the IDB office in the country, and the Executing Agencies of IDB operations in Brazil. The specialist will be responsible for preparing new operations and supervising projects under execution in Brazil and potentially other Southern Cone countries with high and substantial socio-environmental risk, as well as supporting and offering training in solutions to project managers, consultants, and executing agencies.

The IDB’s Environmental and Social Solutions Division aims to identify and manage environmental and social impacts and risks in the Bank’s operations to achieve their long-term environmental and social viability and promotes sustainable development in the region through the mission of implementing the IDB’s environmental and social policies. In this context, the ESG team in Brazil aims to support the Bank and project executors in that country in managing environmental and social risks in the project portfolio in a dedicated and specific manner.

What you’ll do: 

• Review and pre-classify operations for compliance with safeguard operational policies and the Environmental and Social Policy Framework (ESPF).
• Advise internal and external clients on sustainability in the design, preparation, and execution of Bank operations with a focus on social risks, including:
  • Develop and maintain communication and relationships with clients.
  • Manage and conduct due diligence.
  • Supervise projects to ensure the implementation of mitigation measures.
  • Support technical cooperations aimed at assisting clients in the analysis or implementation of environmental and/or social mitigation measures.
• Review technical documents prepared by Executing Agencies or project operational teams regarding socio-environmental aspects of the operation.
• Conduct meetings, missions, and technical evaluations of the socio-environmental work developed within the scope of the projects referenced in this document, using these inputs to guide clients in the continuous improvement of their performance and to update environmental and social risk ratings (ESRR) throughout the project cycle.
• Participate in synchronous activities (meetings, trainings, and other remote or in-person activities) with the Group Head responsible for the Southern Cone region, ESG teams from other countries and/or HQ, IDB operational teams, and other audiences that require participation.
• Provide guidance on social aspects of the Bank’s environmental and social policy requirements to external consultants hired by project teams or Executing Agencies.
• Conduct missions as part of the preparation of operations and during implementation of the supervision plan for specific operations in execution financed by the IDB.
• Prepare internal reports (i.e., Environmental and Social Review Summary, Supervision Reports, and Action Plans) to promote mitigation of social risks identified during the preparation and execution of operations.
• Support the implementation of the above-described action plans.
• Support ESG participation in Portfolio Reviews, preparation of Supervision Plans, and other activities requested by the IDB Country Office in Brazil, as required.
• As requested by ESG, provide support and follow-up to projects involved in MICI (IDB Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism) processes.
• Receive training on the new IDB Environmental and Social Policy Framework (ESPF) and provide training on the same to internal and external clients, including sector specialists, consultants, and Executing Agencies.

What you’ll need

• Education: Master’s degree in social sciences, anthropology, sociology, cultural geography, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum seven (7) years of experience as a specialist in managing social aspects in investment projects across multiple sectors, especially housing and urban development, water and sanitation, natural resource management, energy, transportation, and rural development. Knowledge and work experience in Brazil are essential. Previous experience with multilateral banks and/or financial institutions is desirable. Ability to manage complex social issues. Experience in initiatives to strengthen institutional capacities for management of social impacts and risks, in planning and reporting on multilateral development operations, and experience in negotiating with teams and clients in complex projects.
• Languages: You are fluent (oral and written) in Portuguese and have professional proficiency in English. Professional proficiency in Spanish is highly desirable. Limited proficiency or better of an indigenous language of Brazil is desirable.

Key skills

The selected specialist will have professional experience and skills in any combination of the following technical areas:

• Involuntary resettlement: Support clients in assessing impacts and risks associated with involuntary resettlement processes, both physical and economic, and in developing and implementing resettlement plans.
• Stakeholder engagement: Support clients in designing and implementing stakeholder engagement processes including grievance redress mechanisms.
• Social impact assessment: Support clients in developing social baselines, identifying direct, indirect, and cumulative social impacts, and in defining and implementing mitigation measures.
• Sociocultural analysis: Support clients in the assessment of differentiated impacts and risks for specific cultural groups, and in defining and implementing mitigation measures.
• Indigenous peoples: Support clients in identifying impacts and risks to indigenous peoples, their rights, and their heritage, whether individual or collective, and in defining and implementing mitigation measures.
• Traditional peoples: Support clients in identifying impacts and risks to traditional peoples such as quilombola or ribeirinho communities, and in defining and implementing mitigation measures.
• Gender equality: Support clients in identifying impacts and risks differentiated by gender, and in defining and implementing mitigation measures.

Technical track

• Learn continuously
• Collaborate and share knowledge
• Focus on clients
• Communicate and influence
• Innovate and try new things

Requirements

• Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. We may offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your eligible dependents.

• Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

Type of contract and duration

International staff contract, 36 months initially, renewable upon mutual agreement. 

What we offer 

The IDB Group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee’s life. These benefits include: 

• A competitive compensation package, including an annual base salary expressed on a net-of-tax basis.
• Leaves and vacations: 24 days of paid time off + 8 personal days + sick leave + gender- neutral parental leave.
• Health Insurance: IDB Group provides employees and eligible dependents with a robust medical benefits program that covers medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and prescription drugs.
• Pension plan: defined benefit pension plan that provides financial security and support employees in planning for their future.
• We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
• Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
• Health and well-being:  Access to our Health Services Center that provides preventive care and health education for employees.
• Development support: We offer tools to boost your professional profile, such as mentoring, 1:1 professional counseling, training and learning opportunities, language classes, mobility options, among others.
• Other perks: Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, Spouse Career Program, and others.

Our culture 

At the IDB Group, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net