Social development specialist

Background

The mission of the Sustainable Development Department (LCSSD) in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR) is to support the Bank's clients in the region via technical and financial assistance that promotes sustainable development by increasing the physical, natural resource and social capital of their countries. Within this Department, the Social Development Unit (LCSSO):
a) undertakes social analysis during project preparation and implementation, so as to mainstream attention to social development issues throughout the Bank's operational work in LCR; b) promotes compliance with the Bank's social safeguard policies; c) provides Analytical and Advisory Assistance (AAA) in the form of thematic studies on social development issues, Country Social Analyses (CSAs) and—in collaboration with the PREM Poverty Unit—Poverty and Social Impact Analyses (PSIAs); d) leads the preparation and supervision of investment activities where the unit has a comparative advantage, particularly in relation to social inclusion, equality of opportunities, social cohesion, demand side good governance, community driven development, crime and violence and activities using social capital to leverage economic and social development; and e) facilitated partnerships and dialogue with civil society through outreach and engagement with a broad range of actors in civil society. LCSSO team members work closely with staff across all country and sector units in LCR.

Among its responsibilities, the World Bank La Paz office ensures that the work program with Bolivia is implemented successfully in a context of strong client focus through efficiency and innovation. The office works closely with the Bank’s units in Washington, including sector and country teams, in the delivery of the work program for Bolivia, which is part of the LC6 Country Management Unit (CMU). LC6 is the CMU responsible for overseeing the World Bank’s program in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. The Bolivia program consists of about 14 projects under implementation, and approximately 3-4 new operations per year, along with the active program of ESW/AAA, and dissemination, consultation and outreach with civil society. In addition the department has a significant portfolio of Trust Funds in each of the countries. LC6’s responsibilities includes: (1) country strategy formulation and implementation; (2) portfolio management; (3) policy dialogue; and, (4) country relations. The goals of the department are to ensure that: (i) the Bank’s program is carried out in all the countries in a manner which is client responsive and relevant to the development challenges facing the countries, (ii) the program can be realistically carried out within the department’s budget parameters while meeting the Bank’s standards of quality; and (iii) this program generates the intended development impact. 

LCSSO is seeking a Social Development Specialist for the La Paz Country Office to help scale up the operational and analytical engagement on social development issues in Bolivia, especially those related to involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples. In particular, the Social Development Specialist will contribute to: (i) addressing complex social safeguard policy issues at both design and implementation stages in LCSSD and other operations; (ii) supervising social assessment work at the project level to address issues of social sustainability and safeguards, (iii) developing country and sector level policy frameworks to address social safeguard issues to enable streamlining of project processing with respect to safeguard policy issues, and to make progress on the country systems agenda, and (iv) help, identify, analyze and selectively address key social issues at the country level. To this end, the Social Development Specialist will provide high quality operational and analytical support to various clusters in LCSSD as well as to PREM and HD clusters in Bolivia; contribute to the design and management of innovative operations and components in different sectors related to social development; and actively participate in knowledge sharing activities among peers and counterparts on key social development themes, especially involuntary resettlement and indigenous peoples.

Duties and responsibilties

•  Provide high quality operational support on social development issues at project identification, preparation and supervision phases to various Bank units with operations in Bolivia, particularly regarding social analysis and social assessment as they relate to issues addressed by the Bank's social safeguard policies. This will include providing support in making Bank operations inclusive of women, vulnerable and indigenous populations, and in designing and supervising stakeholder consultations and shaping feedback into concrete elements of project design and supervision.
•  Promote and contribute substantively to analyses and capacity building among our clients in Bolivia to strengthen country systems related to the Bank's social safeguard policies.
•  Contribute to the development of an innovative LCSSO work program on issues of social sustainability and inclusion in Bolivia, especially with respect to understanding and addressing issues and impacts related to the Bank’s social safeguard policies, and to policies and programs inclusive of low-income groups, women and indigenous populations.  The specialist will develop work programs on both lending and non-lending tasks as needed, and design and manage innovative operations or components where opportunities arise. The specialist should be able to seek opportunities for working jointly other sectors on these issues.  
•  Contribute to policy analysis and strategy formulation related to the main social development policy issues in Bolivia, including options to improve the management of issues addressed by the Bank's social safeguard policy issues, as well as broader issues of social sustainability as an input to Country Partnership Strategies and Country Assistance Strategies for Bolivia. Lead and act as team member on selected analytical and advisory assistance (AAA) on these themes.
•  Support LCSSD and LC 6 Management and build capacity among peers and counterparts on issues covered by social safeguard policies, and participatory governance. Advise Management on major or sensitive matters relating to the implementation of social safeguard policies in operations.
•  Contribute to knowledge generation and diffusion within the region and beyond.