E T Consultant - req38831

The World Bank Group; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Part time

Job summary

World Bank seeks an Extended Term Consultant (ETC) to advise on environmental and natural resource law across Bank projects. You will help shape policy positions, address safeguard issues, and support climate and related transactional work, coordinating with LEG staff and HQ units to deliver compliant, sustainable outcomes.

Required JD/LLM with 5–7 years' experience; English fluency is essential with French/Spanish/Arabic/Portuguese desirable.

Qualifications

• Law degree and admission to the Bar in at least one jurisdiction.
• 5–7 years of relevant experience in environmental, natural resources and/or climate change law.
• Ability to formulate policy positions and defend them with clients and management.

Responsibilities

• Provide environmental and natural resource legal advice for Bank projects and policy work.
• Offer timely guidance on safeguard policies and environmental and social frameworks.
• Support capacity building with Bank staff and borrower countries on E&S law.
• Assist with climate policy and transactional work, including carbon funds and related agreements.
• Collaborate across Bank units and coordinate with LEG staff on project issues.

Skills

Environmental law policy

Legal operations experience

Transactional law

Policy position drafting

Diplomacy & stakeholder management

Cross-cultural collaboration

Effective communication

Leadership & initiative

Education

JD or LLB and LLM

Job description

E T Consultant

Job #: req38831

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Legal

Grade: EC2

Term Duration: 1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s): French, Spanish, Arabic and/or Portuguese desirable

Closing Date: 11/6/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

At the World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Department Context

The Environmental and International Law Practice Group (LEGEN) provides support to internal and external Bank clients to promote environmentally and socially sustainable development, in accordance with Bank policies and relevant international laws. LEGEN’s work program includes providing legal advice and services to the Bank’s Regions, Verticals, Horizontals and other Vice Presidencies, on the operational aspects of environmental and international law in Bank-financed projects, including those on environmental and social safeguards; climate change; knowledge creation and knowledge sharing; and development of policies and procedures relating to environmental and international law. Environmental topics include environment and natural resource issues such as climate change, biodiversity, pollution, international waters and water resource management, as well as social issues such as resettlement and indigenous peoples.

Duties & Accountabilities

The Extended Term Consultant (ETC) will play a key role assisting with and providing advice on the Bank’s portfolio of projects which address environmental and natural resource law issues as well as raise environmental and social safeguard policy issues or climate change and related transactional work. This may include working on projects that are the subject of review by the World Bank Inspection Panel and helping coordinate Management’s response to these matters. Specific duties and accountabilities include:

Duties

• Serve as Environmental and Natural Resource Legal Advisor: In close collaboration with the Chief Counsel, LEGEN, the ETC will help with the development and implementation of projects and initiatives that utilize environmental and natural resources law and policy advice. The ETC will be responsible for contact with a wide range of Bank staff and managers, identifying legal advice and assistance that LEGEN can provide to clients. This work will include helping establish areas where the Bank can support law and capacity building and advising Bank programs that provide this support in Bank borrower countries.
• Act as Legal adviser regarding World Bank Environmental and Social Safeguards/Standards: The ETC would, in close consultation with the Chief Counsel, Environmental and International Law, and in collaboration and with the guidance of other Counsel and LEG staff, provide timely advice on the legal aspects of environmental and social safeguard policies, including providing technical guidance to Bank staff, and to act as a LEG resource in special-risk projects and issues of the development and interpretation of safeguard policies. The ETC would help ensure the development of a consistent and sound LEG position on significant issues relating to the application of safeguard policies and the Environmental and Social Framework. In special or high-risk projects, the ETC would be available to join the task team if so requested.
• Support Capacity Building efforts for both Staff and Bank borrower countries: The ETC will assist in building the capacity of Bank borrowers and Bank staff regarding environmental, social and natural resource law issues, as well as environmental and social safeguard issues. The ETC may also play a key role in the development and implementation of Bank initiatives to harmonize the laws of borrowing member countries with the requirements of Bank environmental and social policies, including under policy requirements related to the use of country systems.
• Provide policy advice and transactional legal support to the Bank’s climate agenda: The ETC will assist in advising clients on legal and policy issues involved in the creation and/or implementation of World Bank-administered carbon funds/climate facilities, and other climate change-related activities. The ETC may also be called upon to draft and participate in the negotiation of emission reduction purchase agreements and related agreements for the acquisition of emission reductions for the various World Bank-administered carbon funds.
• Work across a wide range of Bank units: The ETC will work across a wide range of Bank units.

The ETC Will Work And Interact Frequently With

• Lawyers and managers in LEG VPU.
• Counterparts within Regional operational units, the Verticals, Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS), and other corporate units.
• Management and staff at HQ and in the field, as required.

Selection Criteria

• Academic qualifications and experience:
• Law degree: JD or LLB and LLM (required) SJD or PhD (optional) and admission to the Bar (or equivalent) in at least one jurisdiction, with 5-7 years of relevant experience required.
• Expertise in environmental, natural resources and/or climate change law policy.
• Legal operational and transactional experience.
• Ability to formulate policy positions and draft decisions about safeguard issues and defend them with clients, peers or management.
• Ability to work collaboratively, to build trust among peers and colleagues, to respond quickly and consistently to key issues.
• Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate knowledge with broader strategic, policy and operational objectives.
• High degree of persuasiveness and diplomacy to generate consensus, especially on divisive legal issues.
• Language skills: Fluency in English, both written and oral, is required, with additional fluency in French, Spanish, Arabic and/or Portuguese desirable.

General Competencies

• Ability to communicate and defend, orally and in writing, difficult and complex issues and positions to Bank management, government officials and civil society groups
• Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues
• Ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries

Other Competencies Required

• Deliver Results for Clients: Adds value by constantly looking for a better way to get more impactful results; sets challenging stretch goals for oneself. Immerses oneself in client experiences and perspective by asking probing questions to understand unmet needs. Demonstrates accountability for achieving results that have an impact. Identifies and proposes solutions to mitigate and manage risks.
• Client Orientation: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success.
• Flexibility: Able to adapt to structural, organizational or strategy changes as needed, to move the work forward and meet the needs of the situation.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries: Ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues in multidisciplinary teams, brings differing ideas into the forefront, integrates and initiates collaboration across boundaries.
• Pressure: Ability to handle demands related to the delivery of multiple tasks within demanding and occasionally conflicting time constraints.
• Lead and Innovate: Contributes to new insights to understand situations and develops solutions to resolve complex problems. Adapts as circumstances require and manages impact on own behaviors on others in context of WBG’s values and missions. Identifies and pursues innovative approaches to resolve issues.
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge: Leverage departments and WBG body of knowledge by applying lessons learned and expertise. Actively invests in knowledge and seeks feedback. Builds personal and professional networks within and beyond the work group.
• Make Smart Decisions: Seeks diversity of information and inputs, researches possible solutions, and generates recommended options. Identifies and understands risks and proposes recommendations. Based on risk analysis, makes decisions in a timely manner within own area of responsibility, considering the interests and concerns of stakeholders.
• Professional Maturity: Understands others and the reasons for their behavior. Takes the time to clarify others' points of view so that progress can be made, particularly in situations of stress or conflict. Is never condescending or arrogant.

WBG Culture Attributes

• Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
• Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies: As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

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