Senior communications officer - knowledge and learning

Background

The Social Development Department (SDV) within the Sustainable Development Network Anchor (SDN) leads the implementation of the Bank's social development work as outlined in the Bank's Social Development Strategy, 'Empowering People by Transforming Institutions'. The strategy underscores social sustainability through the building of (i) inclusive institutions; (ii) cohesive societies; (iii) accountable organizations; and (iv) resilient communities. Within the Bank, Social Development’s business model focuses on achieving social sustainability through (i) more engagement at the macro-level (CAS, key country analysis); (ii) better operations; (iii) better grounding; and (iv) a more effective family). In line with this last goal, the Social Development Sector Board has made considerable progress in implementing the 10-point program laid out by the MLT to improve the effectiveness of the family through enhanced collaboration between the anchor and the sic regional Social Development units.

Effective Communications and Knowledge Management is key to the SDV’s efforts at addressing social sustainability issues across the World Bank’s operations and engagement through (i) supporting the implementation of the current Social Development Strategy and the preparation and implementation of its successor, (ii) promoting an active exchange among internal and external stakeholders; (iii) facilitating knowledge creation, customization and sharing to build a strong Social Development practice across and beyond the institution; and (iv) developing and constantly updating learning programs to enhance skills across the family in line with the competencies adopted by the Sector Board.

In this context, the Social Development Anchor and Sector Board wish to recruit a Senior Knowledge and Learning Officer who will lead a small Knowledge Sharing and Learning Team that will be located in the anchor but serve the entire family.

Duties and accountabilities

SDV is seeking a Senior Knowledge and Learning Officer  to oversee and implement SDV’s strategic communications and knowledge management efforts.  The selected staff will work under the overall guidance of the Sector Manager, and in close coordination with the Sector Board, the Anchor’s Cluster leaders (for social sustainability and safeguards, inclusion, cohesion, accountability, and resilience), and the Communications and Knowledge Management Advisers for the World Bank’s Sustainable Development Network.

Key responsibilities include 

•  Lead the Knowledge Sharing and Learning Team in establishing SDV-KSL as a key platform for furthering the outreach, learning and knowledge sharing within the Social Family at the Bank, and for establishing effective two-way communication with outside stakeholders  
•  Advise the Sector Manager and the Sector Board and prepare management briefings on emerging issues, external trends, and developments that could impact SDV’s work. 
•  Provide leadership and innovation in the planning, design, execution, and evaluation of knowledge customization, knowledge sharing and outreach with a particular focus on supporting Social Development’s evolving Communities of Practice.
•  Provide leadership in planning, design, execution and evaluation of learning activities across the family with a view to enhancing staff skills in line with the social development competencies adopted by the Sector Board.  This includes the organization and updating of the Training and Accreditation Program for Social Development, Social Development’s on-boarding course, as well as the organization of Social Development’s portion of SDN week.  It also includes undertaking, in collaboration with HR, the associated analysis of skills.
•  Design, develop and execute a communication strategy for SDV and ensure the strategy is aligned with the Social Development Strategy and corporate priorities, and is sensitive to impacts and risks associated with SDV’s engagement.
•  Draft and edit articles for the internal and external website, newsletters, and other communications products including key publications. Oversee the preparation and issuance of Social Development Dialogue, the family’s monthly newsletter.
•  Leverage multiple communications platforms including social media channels and help determine appropriate and best-practice strategic dissemination of knowledge.
•  Coordinate seamlessly with knowledge management practitioners in the social development units of the six regions and the five anchor clusters, thus gradually building a “family-wide” approach to knowledge management and communication for Social Development
•  Oversee the functioning of AskSocial – Knowledge and Technical Advisory Services.
•  Oversee the preparation, production and dissemination of outreach materials – briefing notes, articles, PowerPoint presentations, brochures, web content - and ensure strategic and timely flow of information and key messages related to SDV.
•  Oversee the tracking and analysis of usage statistics for Communications and Knowledge Management initiatives to identify trends and provide insight on the effectiveness, usage patterns and areas for improvement. 
•  Oversee compliance with branding with respect to corporate web governance policy and SDV’s branding policy.
•  Oversee the preparation of analysis necessary for Sector Board discussions as necessary
•  In all the above bring a family-wide accent to the functions with an emphasis on two-way flows between the anchor and the regions, as well as with outside stakeholders.

Selection criteria

•  An MA/MS, Knowledge Management, Communications, Journalism  or a related field and a minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience.
•  A thorough knowledge and practical experience in applying a full range of communication and knowledge management approaches, tools, and methodologies essential to planning, executing, and monitoring communication and knowledge management strategies
•  A proven track record in using new media to stimulate conversations with internal and external stakeholders and create behavioral change. Comfort with and continuous curiosity for the latest technologies
•  Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of social development issues at the global, regional and country levels.
•  Experience with designing and implementing Knowledge Management and Learning.
•  Proven ability in team-work in a multi-cultural environment. Strong interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to nurture and maintain stakeholder communications and client relationships.
•  Demonstrated outstanding practical experience in oral and written communication skills; spoken and written fluency in English is required, fluency in any other UN language a plus.
• Good understanding of the Bank, its policies and operations and ability to identify communications-related risks and opportunities in an international environment
•  Familiarity with the World Bank’s Knowledge Management Strategy
•  Familiarity with the Bank’s Social Development strategy and activities essential

Competencies

Core

•  Analytical Tools for Social Sustainability
- Fluency in a wide range of analytical tools used for ensuring socially sustainable development (e.g. Social analysis at the country and sector level; Poverty and social impact analysis (PSIA); Political economy and stakeholder analysis; Social risk assessment at country, institutional and project level; Monitoring and evaluation).

•  Participation and Consultation
- Experience in the use of consultative and participatory approaches to give key stakeholders, including groups who are under-represented (e.g., the poor), the opportunity to influence design, implementation, and monitoring of policies, institutions and operations.

•  Social Sustainability Implications for Policy, Institutions, and Operations
- Ability to integrate social sustainability into policy, institutions, and operations.  Ability to identify and address social opportunities, social risks and social impacts in all types of Bank operations.

•  Social Safeguards
- Knowledge of and ability to apply social safeguard policies.  Ability to employ strategies to help minimize involuntary resettlement and adverse impacts on indigenous peoples, potentially displaced persons and other vulnerable groups.

Specialized

•  Social Accountability and Demand for Good Governance
- Understanding of strategies to increase transparency and accountability in policies, institutions, and operations and to give the under-represented a voice in governance.  Understanding of formal and informal institutional dynamics.

•  Social Cohesion and Violence Prevention
- Ability to integrate social cohesion and resilience to conflict and violence, into analysis, policies, institutions, and operations.  Ability to apply an understanding of fragility, violence and conflict dynamics to inform the design of operations.

•  Inclusion (including youth and gender)
- Ability to integrate social inclusion (with respect to gender, age, ethnicity or any other relevant factor) into analysis, policies, institutions and operations.  Ability to design operations that focus on strengthening inclusion.

•  Social Resilience
- Ability to integrate resilience to climate change and disasters into analysis, policies, institutions, and operations.  Ability to adapt social analysis and consultation methodologies to address climate change and disaster risk in both urban and rural settings.

•  Community-Driven Development
- Ability to design and supervise Community Driven Development operations, tailoring them to different settings with a view to enhancing inclusion, community empowerment, participatory governance, demand-responsiveness, cohesion, resilience and accountability.