Environmental Specialist, Maseru, Lesotho

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2015, the WBG committed more than $65 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which more than $20 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). IBRD and IDA are commonly known as the World Bank, which is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and fourteen Global Practices (GPs) as well as five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

GLOBAL PRACTICES & CROSS-CUTTING SOLUTIONS AREAS

The 14 GPs are: Agriculture; Education; Energy and Extractives; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance and Markets; Governance; Health, Nutrition and Population; Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management; Poverty; Social Protection and Labor; Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience; Trade and Competitiveness; Transport and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT); and Water. The 5 CCSAs are: Climate Change; Fragility, Conflict and Violence; Gender; Jobs; and Public-Private Partnerships. The new operating model is part of a broader internal reform aimed at delivering the best of the World Bank Group to our clients, so that together we can achieve the twin goals of (1) ending extreme poverty by 2030, and (2) promote shared prosperity for the bottom 40% of the population in every developing country.

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES GLOBAL PRACTICE (GP)

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 (ENR) Global Practice 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 Environment & Natural Resources Global Practice 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. 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. 3. Works closely with other sectors, including by leveraging GEF grant financing, to mainstream environmental considerations into their policies, strategies, and operations.

COUNTRY AND POSITION CONTEXT

The Country Management Unit consists of seven countries under the Country Director based in Pretoria, South Africa, who is responsible for the Bank's program in Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia). The specialist will be based in Maseru and provide support to all operations primarily in Lesotho for effective application of Bank's environmental safeguards policies and new Environmental and Social Framework.

The selected candidate may also support operations in other CMU countries as needed. The Specialist will be tasked with conducting the necessary environmental due diligence in Bank operations under preparation and implementation in compliance with the ten safeguards policies. In addition to and consistent with these safeguards policies, attention must be given to the Consultation and Disclosure requirements for safeguards instruments prepared in the context of projects' preparation and implementation. With respect to scope of environment work program, currently there are over 60 investment projects in the CMU including 20 projects in Lesotho, which require environmental safeguard support. The portfolio includes most Global Practices including energy, transport, water, agriculture, health, education, urban, climate change and environment. Most of these projects have been assigned environment assessment Category B but include about 20% high risks projects (Category A).

These projects require regular environmental safeguards support through close engagement with the client counterparts to ensure that environmental risks are identified early during project preparation, managed and supervised in accordance with the Bank's safeguards policies. The specialists will also participate along with other GP colleagues in dialogue on regional issues, such as water, energy and climate change; improving governance of natural resources, pollution management, and wealth accounting and valuation of ecosystem services.

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 3 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities

The World Bank Group (WBG) is seeking to recruit a highly qualified Environmental Specialist to be based in the World Bank Country Office in Maseru, Lesotho. The specialist will support the GP's work on the application of environmental safeguard policies to Bank investment lending. The Environmental Specialist will play an essential role in the application of the Bank's environmental policies (i.e. Environmental Assessment (OP 4.01), Natural Habitats (OP 4.04), Pest Management (OP 4.09), Physical Cultural Resources (OP 4.11), Forests (OP 4.36), and Safety of Dams (OP 4.37)) and risk management under the new Environmental and Social Framework.

The specialist may also be ask to participate in the ENR GP's activities in Clean and Resilient Growth, knowledge and learning initiatives. The Environmental Specialist will be part of a dynamic team of environment and natural resources management specialists working in the Global Practice.

He/she will also provide technical expertise on a variety of environmental issues related to investment operations, and other instruments (i.e. Technical Assistance), including adaptation to climate change, natural resources management and green and inclusive growth.

More specifically the Selected Specialist will be expected to

a) Participate as team member for the preparation and implementation of various investment operations.

b) Provide environmental safeguard support from identification through implementation.

c) Seek opportunities to integrate sound environmental risk management in various investment operations

d) Maintain regular dialogue with the clients and enhance their institutional capacity on environmental issues where feasible.

e) Contribute to quality reviews within the Region and provide environmental inputs to project packages throughout project lifecycle.

f) Participate in natural resource management projects and policy dialog with the government and other stakeholders in Lesotho.

g) Coordinate and carry out other tasks as requested by the relevant Practice manager such as contribute to the organization of training, Learning and Knowledge sharing events.

Selection Criteria

In addition to meeting Bank-wide Grade GF level positions, it is expected that the successful candidate will meet the following selection criteria:

• Advanced degree (Masters or higher) in environmental management, environmental engineering, natural resources management or related fields, preferably with major in one or more of the following areas: Environmental Engineering, Water & Sanitation, Pollution and environmental health, forestry, watersheds and Landscape Management.
• A minimum of 5 years of full-time relevant professional experience in the environment sector.
• Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas: environmental management, environmental engineering, Pollution & environmental health, integrated development planning in various sectors (e.g., water supply and sanitation; transport, energy, natural disaster management, rural development, Health).
• Experience working in middle income countries; understanding of the institutional and political context of environmental policy challenges.
• International work experience would be an advantage.
• Proven teamwork and successful experience working with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated project management and familiarity with Bank policies & procedures, including occupational health and safety management and the WBG Environmental Health and Safety Guidelines would be an advantage.
• Experience working with a wide range of stakeholders, NGOs, private sector international organizations, development partners and/or with the government will be an advantage.
• Fluency in English is required (Excellent writing and speaking skills).
• A strong sense of team work and ability to work independently with limited supervision.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively in Southern Africa as necessary.

Competencies of Environmental Specialist

• Knowledge and Experience in successfully applying the environmental safeguard policies to high risk projects, especially infrastructure projects, in sectors such as Energy, Transport, Agriculture, Urban and Water & Sanitation.
• Ability to apply technical knowledge on the job and provide inputs to country and sector strategies;
• Basic understanding of environmental policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations. Climate change adaptation strategies.
• Environmental Sciences - Basic experience applying knowledge (air pollution and meteorology; soil science; water; ecosystems; conservation; agriculture concerns, etc.) to policy-related decisions and advice.
• Operational Project Management - Demonstrates basic knowledge and understanding of project management tools & methodologies, as well as of Bank instruments and processes related to project preparation & implementation, resource management, and stakeholder communications.
• Strategic and Technical Analyses for Country/Sector Issues - Contributes to the formulation and implementation of complex analytical work and policy papers, leveraging relevant analytical tools.
• Client Orientation - Demonstrates diplomacy, tact and sensitivity in the face of conflicting demands.
• Drive for Results - Provides inputs to efforts to identify and acquire resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders.
• Teamwork and Collaboration - Active participation in teams to solve problems and deliver results. Good interpersonal skills for teamwork and respect for different points of view.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Contributes to sharing of best practice, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Under direction of senior staff, gathers inputs, contributes to risk assessments, and provides information relevant to assessment of decisions affecting internal and external stakeholders.

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