Senior Water Specialist

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Water Global Practice and the Sustainable Development Practice Group
The water challenges of the world are tremendous. For human development, livable cities, food security, and energy security the need for better water resources management is growing. Even today, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, of which 1 billion people practice open defecation. Poor sanitation, including inadequate wastewater collection and treatment, impacts health, education, the environment, and industries such as tourism. At least 800 million people lack access to safe drinking water. The lack of access to safe water and sanitation results in significant economic losses in many countries. This is further exacerbated by climate change, water pollution, water scarcity, and the global covid-19 pandemic in a fast-changing world.
The Water Global Practice (WTR GP) is poised to deliver on a Water Secure World through an approach that focuses on Sustaining Water Resources, Delivering Services and Building Resilience. The WTR GP also seeks to ensure that water issues are effectively addressed across all related sub-sectors, such as agriculture, climate change and disaster risk management, and energy (hydropower). An integrated approach is adopted In each sub-sector, with the support of its respective Global Solutions Group, which considers investment alongside issues such as governance, institutions, and policies. Water in Agriculture (WIA) projects focus on all aspects of agricultural water management, from governance in service delivery, to modernization of irrigation, farmer led irrigation, water accounting and resilience through improved agricultural water practices. The Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) projects include rural and urban water and sanitation services, hygiene behavior, improving the efficiency of utilities, and provision of services to the poor. The Water Resources Management (WRM) projects include integrated water resource management, including groundwater management, dam safety, and flood management. Increasingly, while staff may specialize in one sub-sector, they are encouraged and supported to address the full water agenda in terms of analytical, policy and operational work – and the position of Lead Water Sector Specialist is an integral element of bringing together all elements to manage water security and “water writ large”.
The Water GP is housed within the Sustainable Development Practice Group, which brings together the cross-cutting sectors of Water with Agriculture, Environment, Social Inclusion, and Urban and Disaster Risk Management. The GP, through its fully integrated GWSP Trust Fund, places highest priority on global knowledge into local implementation, as well as in deploying staff to countries and regions while still working globally.
Western and Central Africa is a region with diverse cultures, beliefs, languages, and lifestyles – marked by contrasts of stability and conflict, affluence and poverty. Home to about half a billion people, it encompasses 22 countries stretching from the westernmost point of Africa across the equator and partly along the Atlantic Ocean to the Republic of Congo in the South. Yet these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa not reaching its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought back to the forefront the risks posed by weak health and water supply and sanitation systems, and poor surveillance.
The World Bank Western and Central Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,139 staff mostly based in the country offices, is committed to help countries to realize their considerable development potential and become more competitive in the global economy by focusing on the following priorities (i) Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies, (ii) Building up the Digital Economy, (iii) Institutions more Efficient and Accountable (iv) Investing in People, (v) Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption, (vi) Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict and Violence (vii) Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent. The water team within the West and Central Africa Region is led by the Water Practice Manager who reports to the AFR-West SD Regional Director, who leads the strategy of RISE: resilience, integration, sustainability and efficiency.
Within the West and Central Africa Region, the hiring unit, or the AFW Water team (SAWW4), is responsible for ensuring the translation of the World Bank’s Africa Regional Strategy and the Water Global Practice’s Water Security Strategy into practical results relevant to 3 countries, from Liberia to the Republic of Congo. Specifically, the unit supports the definition and achievement of these results through analytical, policy, and investment activities. The unit has a staffing complement of around 16 water professionals, with an active portfolio of over $1.7 Billion, through 4 large investment projects, 1 Programs for Results, Advisory Services and Analytics, and contribution to Development Policy Financing.
The hiring unit has an active portfolio of investments and lending projects in the Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon CMUs under implementation, focusing on water security, including water supply, sanitation, irrigation, and water resources management. In all cases, these require intensive engagement with government counterparts, and other stakeholders to ensure local ownership, capacity and sustained focus on implementation for results.
The successful candidate will be recruited for a GG-level IRS position to be based in Abuja for a four-year term and report to the SAWW4 Water Practice Manager.
The focus of the work program will be on the Nigeria water resources and irrigation portfolio. An exciting and dynamic portfolio covering a wide range of Federal and State-level stakeholders and investments. In Nigeria, the Water GP works closely with other SD and INF units in integrated programs designed to address multi-faceted challenges.
The SAWW4 unit seeks to recruit a Senior Water Sector Specialist to: (1) lead the team providing implementation support to the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMIN) Project (P123112) and the preparation of the Sustainable Power and Irrigation for Nigeria (SPIN) Project (P179684); (2) provide technical and operational guidance on other activities in the SAWW4; and (3) play a lead role on cross-SD issues as an SD staff in the Nigeria CMU.
Specific Tasks And Responsibilities:
The Senior Water Specialist will be responsible for the following specific tasks including but not limited to: