Social Protection Specialist at the World Bank

The World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group, is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors.

The World Bank Country Office in Nigeria is looking for a highly organized, energized and experienced professional, capable of operating effectively in a very demanding and fast-paced environment to serve as a Research Economist in the Macro and Fiscal Management (MFM) Global Practice on a Short-Term Consultancy contract spanning one year (150 working days) and subject to extension. Nigeria has the biggest portfolio for the World Bank Group in the Africa region. In this context, the MFM Global Practice has an expanding and critical work program in helping the WBG meet development needs of the country, particularly in a dynamic and fragile environment.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Social Protection Specialist

Job #152619
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job Family: Social Protection
Job Type: Professional & Technical
Grade: GF
Recruitment Type: Local Hire
Language Requirement: English [Essential]

 Background / General Description

• The Social Protection & Labor Global Practice (SPL GP) delivers operational approaches and evidence-based solutions to help individuals and families manage risk, cope with chronic/ transitional poverty, and access better livelihoods and jobs.

These include:

• Strategy, analysis, financing and design of programs delivering social safety nets/social assistance in the form of cash transfers, public works programs, and fee waivers.
• Advisory and analytical services on design and delivery of contributory transfers (including old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, disability and survivor benefits), and their fiscal sustainability (including budget support for transitions).
• Analysis, design and delivery of labor market and youth employment programs (with a focus on supply side interventions and intermediation policies), as well as policy advice on labor market regulations and interventions.
• Strategy, analysis, financing and design of integrated social protection delivery systems (e.g., payments, identification, registries, systems assessments) as underpinnings of effective social programs that can help cope with climatic shocks or underpin fiscal reforms.
• The World Bank Nigeria Country office is looking for an experienced professional, capable of operating effectively in a very demanding fast paced environment to serve as Term Staff in the Social Protection Unit of the Abuja Office.
• The Nigeria social protection portfolio comprises IDA-funded projects amounting to about US$ 500 million now. In addition, a new national social safety nets operation is currently under development.
• The portfolio includes operations on community driven development for social services and safety nets focused on human development and productivity. Policy dialogue, technical assistance and analytical work focused mainly on protection and promotion of basic services for the poor and vulnerable is also carried out in the social protection unit.

Duties and Accountabilities

• The person selected for this assignment would be based in the World Bank office in Abuja with travel across the country as required.
• Her/his main task will be to develop and strengthen social protection systems and programs in Nigeria, with a focus on coordinating and supporting the implementation of activities funded by the new national social protection program.
• To this end the consultant will take part in the conduct of analytical work, as well as project preparation/supervision work, including missions/field visits related to the pipeline and ongoing projects.

The Specific Roles and Responsibilities are outlined below:

• Assist the Task Team Leader (TTL), and the project teams in the identification, preparation and appraisal of social protection pipeline projects to be financed by the World Bank, with a specific focus on social protection;
• Support the development of key documents for policy dialogue and contribute to the discourse on the subject of Social Protection in Nigeria, including providing inputs and support for the development of the Government's new social protection policy
• Carry out any other related technical assessments (including the preparation of analytical pieces and/or technical reports on various aspects of ongoing and pipeline Bank projects) and administrative activities required by the TTL, Practice Manager and Country Director.
• Support World Bank colleagues in providing advice to governments to design and supervise Social Protection projects
• Support the day-to-day design and implementation support of the national social safety nets program
• Provide technical and implementation support to the key implementing agencies of the national social safety nets program
• Provide technical advice and policy guidance to government on social safety nets and livelihoods in rural and urban areas in consultation with the Bank's management and relevant Task Team Leaders;
• Work closely with the Bank's financial management and procurement teams and assist government in matters of procurement, financial management and other aspects of program planning and implementation;
• Assist the Task Team Leader in responding to government and donor partners requests for action on program implementation issues and help to ensure the Bank's timely and complete responses to those requests;
• Regularly follow up on agreed actions and conduct field monitoring and reporting of program activities as needed
• Review annual work plans and budgets, Terms of Reference, assessments and analyses, reports and other program-related documents as needed;
• Support the analytical work on social protection and safety nets systems and operations
• Organize, support and participate in World Bank missions;
• Contribute to Aide Memoires, Implementation Status Reports, Implementation Completion Reports and other related Bank documentation;
• Prepare inputs to country-level reports and briefs;
• Assist with other related tasks.

Selection Criteria

• This position will be a local hire. It requires an individual with exceptional maturity, judgment and diplomatic skills, and the ability to work well with teams within the Bank, donor partners, and with senior government officials. Key requirements for this position are:
• A Master's Degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (Economics, Public Policy, Rural Development, or a related field);
• At least five years of relevant work experience and previous experience with government, donor/multi-lateral development agency projects or Non-Governmental Organizations (with specific experience in agricultural development, microenterprise, employment linkages, financial services, or other livelihoods-related interventions);
• Demonstrated expertise in policy dialogue;
• Strong knowledge of development, political, social and cultural issues in Nigeria;
• Excellent English writing and speaking ability;
• Ability to function well independently, professionally represent the Bank, handle multiple tasks, meet changing priorities and deliver high-quality analysis and work on-time;
• Proven capacity to interact effectively with a range of stakeholders within and outside the Bank; and
• Experience in successfully working as a member of a multi-professional and multi-cultural team.

The Social Protection Specialist should also have the following relevant competencies:

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
• Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
• Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

Reporting Arrangements:

• The Senior Social Protection Specialist will be based in Abuja Nigeria as a member of the Social Protection team. H/she will report to the Social Protection and Labor Global Practice Manager for Western Africa, based in HQ, and the TTL for the national social safety nets program. He/she will work closely with other team members in Abuja and Washington, DC.

Application Closing Date
17th December, 2015.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 2 year term appointment.