(Senior) Social Development Specialist
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
World Bank Group seeks a seasoned Senior Social Development Specialist to join CROES, providing independent social risk oversight across operations and portfolios with focus on labor, land acquisition and resettlement, stakeholder engagement, and Indigenous Peoples.
The role requires synthesizing complex information, delivering clear guidance to senior management, and mentoring colleagues in a multicultural, multidisciplinary environment. International travel is expected.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree or higher in social sciences, anthropology, sociology, development studies, law, labor relations, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 8 to 10 years of relevant professional experience in social risk management, including experience with complex operations in emerging markets and developing economies.
- Demonstrated depth in at least two of the four core thematic areas, with strong working knowledge across all four: labor; land acquisition and resettlement; stakeholder engagement; and Indigenous Peoples.
- Strong knowledge of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework, IFC Sustainability Framework and Performance Standards, or comparable international standards.
- Ability to analyze and synthesize diverse information and communicate clearly to senior audiences.
Responsibilities
- Conduct independent reviews of operations focusing on material social risks, implementation readiness, mitigation measures, monitoring arrangements, and escalation pathways.
- Review comprehensive project documentation including due diligence reports, social assessments, labor management procedures, resettlement instruments, stakeholder engagement plans, Indigenous Peoples instruments, and supervision records.
- Provide technical opinions on labor and working conditions; land acquisition, resettlement, and livelihood restoration; stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanisms; and Indigenous Peoples issues.
- Assess cross-cutting risks affecting vulnerable groups, including exclusion, retaliation, social conflict, and inadequate consultation or benefit sharing.
- Monitor social risk across portfolios and contribute to risk ratings, watch lists, and governance reporting.
- Conduct thematic reviews to identify systemic issues and lessons related to labor, land and resettlement, stakeholder engagement, and Indigenous Peoples.
- Advise on improvements to institutional risk practices and guidance; support CAO/Inspection Panel processes as needed.
- Assess management responses and advise on implications for affected people and project outcomes.
- Provide senior technical advice during management reviews on complex or high-risk operations.
- Contribute to tools, guidance, and knowledge products that strengthen social risk oversight.
- Mentor junior colleagues and collaborate across disciplines, cultures, and regions.
Skills
Education
Job description
The World Bank Group is a vital international financial institution dedicated to addressing the world’s most pressing development challenges. Operating across 145 countries with more than 182 offices worldwide, the organization works collaboratively with governments, private sector entities, development partners, and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate employment and improve lives. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the coming decade, the World Bank Group prioritizes job creation as a central development imperative. The World Bank Group comprises multiple institutions including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). Together, these institutions provide financing, policy advice, and technical assistance to countries, with a focus on sustainable development and poverty reduction. The Chief Risk Officer (CRO) Vice Presidency serves as the core unit responsible for Group-wide institutional risk oversight, establishing and monitoring adherence to risk policies and guidelines while conducting risk assessment and reporting to the Board and executive management. This function enables the World Bank Group to achieve its development goals in a financially sustainable manner by assisting management in identifying and managing Group-wide cross-cutting risks, enhancing risk response decisions, reducing financial and operational surprises, and improving capital deployment. Within the CRO function, the World Bank Group has established an independent second line of environmental and social risk oversight called CROES (Chief Risk Officer Environmental and Social). While operational teams across the World Bank, IFC, and MIGA remain responsible for designing and implementing projects in accordance with environmental and social policies, the newly formed Environmental and Social Risk Department—led by the WBG Global Director for Environment and Social Risk—provides independent oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of environmental and social risk and performance across the Group’s portfolio.
The World Bank Group seeks a seasoned, dynamic, and motivated Senior Social Development Specialist with strong technical judgment and substantial experience in social risk management. This position supports independent second-line oversight of operations and portfolios across the World Bank Group, providing balanced thematic coverage of critical social development areas including labor and working conditions, land acquisition and resettlement with livelihood restoration, stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanisms, and Indigenous Peoples’ issues. The selected candidate will identify project-level and systemic social risks, assess the adequacy of mitigation and implementation arrangements, and provide clear, evidence-based advice to CROES management and senior decision-makers. The Senior Social Development Specialist will work collaboratively with the Manager, regional teams, and relevant World Bank Group technical specialists to ensure rigorous and independent social risk oversight across the institution’s diverse portfolio. This role requires expertise in synthesizing complex information, identifying emerging risks, and providing strategic guidance on sensitive social development matters while maintaining integrity and discretion in a multicultural, multidisciplinary environment.
- Conduct independent reviews of operations across the World Bank Group, focusing on material social risks, implementation readiness, mitigation measures, monitoring arrangements, and escalation pathways
- Review comprehensive project documentation, including due diligence reports, social assessments, labor management procedures, resettlement instruments, stakeholder engagement plans, Indigenous Peoples instruments, legal provisions, Board materials, supervision records, and management responses
- Provide qualified technical opinions on labor and working conditions; land acquisition, restrictions on land usage, resettlement and livelihood restoration; stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanisms; and Indigenous Peoples
- Assess cross-cutting risks affecting vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, including risks of exclusion, retaliation, social conflict, and inadequate consultation or benefit sharing
- Monitor social risk and performance across portfolios, sectors, regions, and institutions, and contribute to risk ratings, watch lists, management reporting, and integrated risk dashboards
- Conduct thematic reviews to identify systemic issues, recurring implementation gaps, emerging risks, and lessons related to labor, land and resettlement, stakeholder engagement, and Indigenous Peoples
- Analyze significant risk events and recommend improvements to institutional risk practices, guidance, and oversight approaches
- Support oversight of projects subject to Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) or Inspection Panel processes, direct complaints, significant disputes, or public controversy
- Assess the adequacy of management responses and advise on implications for affected people, project implementation, development outcomes, and World Bank Group reputation
- Provide senior technical advice during management reviews and discussions on complex or high-risk operations
- Contribute to tools, guidance, training, and knowledge products that strengthen consistent and evidence-based social risk oversight
- Mentor junior colleagues and collaborate effectively across disciplines, institutions, regions, and cultures
- Master’s degree or higher in social sciences, anthropology, sociology, development studies, law, labor relations, or a related discipline
- Minimum of 8 to 10 years of relevant professional experience in social risk management, including experience with complex operations in emerging markets and developing economies
- Demonstrated depth in at least two of the four core thematic areas, with strong working knowledge across all four: labor; land acquisition and resettlement; stakeholder engagement; and Indigenous Peoples
- Proven experience assessing and managing social risks in infrastructure, extractives, manufacturing, agribusiness, services, financial intermediaries, or other relevant sectors
- Strong knowledge of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework, IFC Sustainability Framework and Performance Standards, or comparable international standards
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, including the ability to synthesize incomplete or diverse information and identify project-level and systemic risks
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex social risk issues clearly and concisely to senior audiences
- Demonstrated ability to influence constructively, work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, and manage sensitive matters with integrity and discretion
- Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines and undertake international travel
- Experience in fragile and conflict-affected situations is desirable
- Ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries
- Capability to responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making
- Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts is encouraged
- Comprehensive retirement plan
- Medical insurance
- Life insurance
- Disability insurance
- Paid leave, including parental leave
- Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities
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