World Bank recruits a Senior Environmental Specialist – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| Job : | req3503 |
| Organization: | World Bank |
| Sector: | Environment |
| Grade: | GG |
| Term Duration: | 3 years 0 months |
| Recruitment Type: | Local Recruitment |
| Location: | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Required Language(s): | English, Arabic |
| Closing Date: | 8/1/2019 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC |
Description :
Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.
The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and thirteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.
The World Bank Group (WBG)’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity reflect a new global landscape: one in which developing countries have an unprecedented opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation.
Sustainable environment and natural resources management (ENRM) is at the heart of the WBG’s poverty agenda. Biodiversity and natural resources constitute the social safety net of the poor, representing a food bank and often their only source of livelihood. Sustainable ENRM promotes a green, clean, and resilient world where natural resources – from forests to fisheries, freshwater, oceans, coastal zones and ecosystems – are managed to support livelihoods and strong economies. Sustainable ENRM builds a world better prepared for shocks and global challenges, helping countries limit their exposure to resource scarcity, more-volatile weather patterns, and the long-term consequences of climate change.
The Environment & Natural Resources Global Practice (ENR GP) has been set-up to deliver on the opportunities, benefits and outcomes offered by enhanced management of the environment and natural resources. The ENR GP has close to 300 operations under management, representing close to $7 billion, and a growing pipeline of new investments under active development. The practice consists of some 275 staff across the world plus numerous other staff in other Practices and CCSAs that are professionally associated with it.
The ENR GP has three broad and distinct functions:
1.Provides clients with lending and non-lending services aimed to support the GP’s three core business lines, namely: (i) Forests, Watersheds and Sustainable Landscapes; (ii) Marine, Coastal and Aquatic Resources; and (iii) Pollution Management and Environmental Health. The GP’s activities also include a focus on Clean and Resilient Growth through its work on environmental economics and support to institutional development.
2.Works closely with other sectors to mainstream environmental considerations into their policies, strategies, and operations.
3.Supports effective environmental risk management and sustainability by managing risk at the project level and creating opportunities to advance sustainable development, in part through the implementation of the Bank’s environmental policies.
The incoming staff will join the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice (ENR GP) unit that covers the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. S/he will report to the Practice Manager of the unit. The Senior Environmental Specialist will be based in Riyadh and will work out of the Riyadh World Bank Country Office. She/he will report to the ENR Practice Manager for the Middle East and North Africa Region (MNA).
The primary responsibilities for the tasks are listed below.
Duties and Accountabilities :
The Senior Environmental Specialist will be responsible for the day-to-day support to the Bank’s ENR reimbursable advisory services (RAS) program in Saudi Arabia that is funded under the Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) between the Government of Saudi Arabia and the World Bank. The work program for this position would be primarily focused on Saudi Arabia but could involve work in other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and Oman) and more broadly in the MNA region.
The Senior Environmental Specialist will be required to undertake the following tasks :
- Contribute to the policy dialogue and strategic communication with counterparts on environment and natural resources management and sustainable development ;
- Carry out the day to day management of the KSA RAS program ;
- Coordinate with key counterpart agencies, including the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), the General Authority for Meteorology and Environmental Protection (GAMEP), among others, as well as local stakeholders and consultants ;
- In coordination with the counterpart agencies, support the collection of data and necessary information, communication with stakeholders ;
- Lead and/or contribute to the technical aspects of the ENR Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) ;
- Provide deep technical skills in environment and natural resources management in the areas of air pollution, land degradation, biodiversity and/ or marine and coastal resources management to contribute to the preparation of the RAS outputs ;
- Support the organization of workshops for dissemination and stakeholder meetings ;
- Contribute towards organizing and delivery of capacity building training to relevant stakeholders ;
- Support the RAS activity by identifying potential experts and consultants who could contribute towards the preparation of outputs, including within NGOs, think tanks and academia to further build national capacity for upstream environmental analytical work ;
- Build long-term business relationships with national and local stakeholders through policy dialogue as part of the Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) portfolio ;
- S/he would coordinate closely with other Bank staff working in the country and region ;
- Advise the ENR Practice Manager for MNA and Afghanistan and Pakistan on ENR business development opportunities, and follow up on the opportunities to help create business ;
- Represent the ENR GP in meetings with the Country Director, country clients, and development partners ;
- Contribute to analyzing and disseminating lessons learned and best practices from specific Bank activities for research, knowledge and learning purposes.
Selection Criteria :
- Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in environmental science/environmental engineering/ / environmental economics with at least 8 years of experience ;
- Excellent environmental sciences / engineering / economics skills with experience in the areas of pollution management (air pollution), and / or natural resource management (marine and coastal, fisheries, land) ;
- Strong technical skills in the areas of pollution control, environment and natural resources management ;
- Proven experience in leading solid analytical work in peer reviewed journals and policy dialogue ;
- Demonstrated track record in project management / operational skills; familiarity with Bank procedures would be an advantage ;
- A minimum of 5 years of track record in strategic engagement experience with senior level policy makers (director general level at government ministry or higher) is required ;
- Ability to build and sustain key stakeholder relationships with government and other key stakeholders; and to integrate divergent viewpoints of multiple external and internal stakeholders into a coherent project/program/strategy ;
- Ability to guide clients and/or development partners in identifying key policy issues and optional solutions with a demonstrated ability to bring together different perspectives ;
- A proven track record working with a wide range of stakeholders, NGOs, international organizations, development partners and/or with the government ;
- Excellent workflow management and task organization skills; able to coordinate all aspects of the workflow of assigned responsibilities ;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills including the ability to draft concise reports and correspondence, and ability to defend orally and in writing difficult issues and positions to a variety of stakeholders ;
- Good team player who can work as a member of a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team, motivate and lead group efforts and network effectively across boundaries ;
- Experience in working with clients to achieve compliance and leads discussions on environmental matters ;
- Willingness to travel extensively nationally and internationally is required, also to remote areas ;
- Excellent knowledge of written and spoken Arabic and English ; and
- Ability to work well independently .
Preferred skills :
Prior experience with the World Bank, and with the RAS business line
WBG Competencies :
- Lead and Innovate – Develops innovative solutions ;
- Deliver Results for Clients – Proactively addresses clients’ stated and unstated needs ;
- Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Collaborates across boundaries, gives own perspective and willingly receives diverse perspectives ;
- Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Applies knowledge across WBG to strengthen solutions for internal and/or external clients ;
- Make Smart Decisions – Interprets a wide range of information and pushes to move forward .
The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.