Job Description
E T Consultant
Job #:
req37352
Organization:
World Bank
Sector:
Grade:
EC2
Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment
Location:
Abuja,Nigeria
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date:
7/1/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.
We are on a mission to change the world; do you want to join us where it matters the most? Invest in your personal and professional development and acquire the skills that are vital for a global career in international development. A role in an FCS (Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations) location will be a truly impactful experience.
Fragility Conflict and Violence: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence.
GLOBAL: Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) Global Practice:
The central contribution of the HNP Global Practice to the World Bank’s twin goals is to enable the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), in which all people are effectively covered by essential health services, and nobody suffers undue financial hardship because of illnesses. The HNP Global Practice includes staff members in Washington, DC and many country offices. The HNP Global Practice works with and across multiple sectors, in recognition of the fact that HNP outcomes often depend on actions that lie outside the HNP sector. The HNP Global Practice supports country and regional efforts to: (i) improve health outcomes, especially for the poor and most vulnerable; (ii) expand access to high-quality HNP services, interventions and technologies that give the most value for money; (iii) strengthen health systems for results; (iv) establish and improve health financing mechanisms that promote efficiency, equity and sustainability of investments; (v) strengthen heath-relevant institutions within and outside the health sector; (vi) harness multisectoral policies and investments for better health outcomes; and (vii) develop and learn from rigorous impact evaluations.
https://worldbankgroup.sharepoint.com/sites/health/pages/home.aspx.
AFRICA WEST AND CENTRAL (AFW) REGIONAL
Home to about half a billion people, Western and Central Africa (AFW) encompasses 22 countries stretching from the westernmost point of Africa across the equator and partly along the Atlantic Ocean to the Republic of Congo in the South. The sub-region is rich in resources, yet its vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps and inequalities in poverty reduction, social protection, and jobs, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated human capital potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades. The COVID-19 pandemic and the current macro and fiscal environment has brought back to the forefront the risks posed by weak health systems with limited coverage and inadequate quality, but also shown the large potential that strong systems have to support the lives and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable when a crisis hits.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa.
AFRICA WEST AND CENTRAL HEALTH
With the diverse set of countries in AFW from low income to upper middle income, the huge challenges that remain in the health sector, the WB’s renewed mission and vision, and potential for multisectoral collaboration to advance the human capital agenda, it is truly an exciting time to be engaged in the region! Even a middle-income country like Nigeria has deep-rooted challenges in the health sector: the richest quintile households in Nigeria suffer infant mortality on par with the poorest quintile households in India. Other countries that have achieved better results like Ghana face economic challenges that jeopardize past gains.
The World Bank’s Health, Nutrition and Population strategy for Western and Central Africa, Fit to Prosper: Investing in Health for Jobs and Development, provides a regional framework for helping countries prioritize and make strategic shifts within constrained fiscal space. The strategy is aligned with the Accra Reset, the Lusaka Agenda and the World Bank Group’s commitment to support countries to deliver quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030. In Western and Central Africa, the regional ambition is to support countries to reach 200 million people with quality, affordable care by 2030, contributing to this global corporate target.
The Fit to Prosper strategy is built around three strategic priorities: Frontlines First, which focuses on strengthening service delivery with an emphasis on primary care; Fixing Finance, which focuses on sustainable investment, better spending and domestic resource mobilization; and Future Fit, which focuses on building resilient health systems that can respond to shocks and future health needs.
NIGERIA COUNTRY CONTEXT
Despite some notable progress in polio, malaria control, primary health care reforms and the expansion of selected service delivery platforms, Nigeria remains far behind on human capital, child and newborn survival, nutrition and early childhood development outcomes. Nigeria carries one of the largest burdens of child malnutrition globally, with persistently high levels of stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies and food insecurity. These outcomes are marked by significant geographic, socioeconomic and gender disparities, with children in poor households, rural areas and disadvantaged regions facing the greatest risks.
Nigeria’s human capital challenge begins early. From pregnancy through the first years of life, many children are exposed to multiple and overlapping risks, including poor maternal nutrition, inadequate dietary diversity, suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices, recurrent illness, weak access to quality primary health care, poor water and sanitation, limited early stimulation, low access to quality early learning and weak caregiver support. These risks affect children’s physical growth, cognitive development, school readiness, learning, productivity and future earnings.
The Government of Nigeria’s spending on health, nutrition and overall child-centered development remains low relative to the scale of need, resulting in limited resources available to pay for basic preventive and promotive services that could have outsized impact; high levels of out of pocket payments at the point of delivery which reduce the use of services and act as a barrier to care, especially for the poor; and dependence on external financing for several essential services and commodities. At the same time, many of the systems required to improve early years outcomes are fragmented across sectors, institutions and levels of government.
On the positive side, the Government of Nigeria has placed human capital development high on the national agenda. Nigeria has joined the Human Capital Project and has taken ownership of the Human Capital Agenda at the highest level. The Government has further noted its strong focus on improving child survival, nutrition, learning and productivity as key pillars in addressing the human capital crisis in the country. The Basic Health Care Provision Fund, the health sector reform agenda, nutrition policies and plans, the Human Capital Development agenda, and emerging work on the Nigeria Early Years agenda provide important entry points for strengthening investments in young children.
The Fit to Prosper priorities are especially relevant for Nigeria, where improving health and nutrition outcomes will require stronger frontline delivery platforms, better use of available resources, stronger accountability, and investments that protect children and families from the long-term consequences of malnutrition, poor health and weak early development. The strategy also underscores that health and nutrition are not only social sector priorities, but core economic investments. Healthy and well-nourished populations are more productive, more resilient to shocks, and better equipped to contribute to job creation and economic growth. For Nigeria, this means that investments in maternal and child health, nutrition and early childhood development are central to the country’s jobs and productivity agenda. Children who survive, grow well, receive nurturing care, and develop the foundations for learning are more likely to complete school, acquire skills, participate productively in the labor market and contribute to a more competitive economy.
The Bank has an active portfolio in the region and in particular in Nigeria, with lending operations, technical assistance, and analytical work focusing on improving service delivery and health financing for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition; pandemic preparedness; and governance both from within the sector and via support for multi-sectoral engagement.
Objectives and Scope of Work:
This ETC position is for a Health & Nutrition Specialist based in Abuja who will report to the Practice Manager for the Health, Nutrition & Population unit (HAWH3) within the Africa West and Central Region (AFW). For day-to-day operational work, the ETC will work within the Nigeria task team on assigned tasks, in particular on the Nigeria early years, nutrition and human capital work program. She will be subject to all World Bank regulations and guidelines applicable to staff.
Duties & Responsibilities
The successful candidate will have, inter alia, the following key responsibilities:
• Support implementation of the Bank’s HNP operational portfolio, as well as the preparation of selected national and/or regional operations. This will include contributing to technical discussions and monitoring of the Bank portfolio on a day to day basis in close collaboration with the relevant government agencies and development partners;
• Support analytic work in Nigeria, with a focus on nutrition, child health, early childhood development, human capital and multisectoral convergence;
• Assist the team in policy dialogue, communications and interactions with government counterparts, country stakeholders as well as development partners on nutrition, ECD and the broader early years agenda;
• Contribute to sector specific or cross sectoral inputs for various operational products and outputs, including sector and country briefings, background reports, portfolio performance reviews, implementation support documents, technical notes, policy briefs and presentations;
• Review and contribute to sector specific or cross sectoral policy and other documents related to nutrition, child health, early childhood development, food security, social protection, education, water and sanitation, governance, financing and human capital development;
• Support the Nigeria Early Years work program, including the preparation of analytical products, policy notes, investment case materials, state engagement products, learning materials and operational inputs;
• Support the Analytical Advisory Group on Stunting and Early Years, including preparation of agendas, technical background notes, meeting summaries, follow up actions and materials for federal and state level policy dialogue;
• Contribute to the development of practical models for multisectoral convergence, including the identification of entry points for integrating nutrition, child health, caregiving, early stimulation and early learning interventions through government delivery platforms;
• Support engagement with federal and state government counterparts, including the Human Capital Development structures, relevant ministries, departments and agencies, the Nigeria Governors Forum and other institutions involved in the early years agenda;
• Participate in missions of the health team; and
• Respond to ad hoc information requests from internal and external parties.
• The work will be substantive in nature, requiring frequent interactions with senior external and internal counterparts.
Selection Criteria
Poverty knows no boundaries, and neither does excellence. Our success is fueled by our diversity and differences, and we are constantly seeking highly qualified individuals with varied backgrounds, both from within countries and across the world. We expect the chosen candidate to possess the following qualifications and competencies:
• Master’s degree required, PhD or equivalent would be an asset, in public health, nutrition, health economics, early childhood development, education, social policy, public policy, business administration or professional degree, including medicine or nursing.
• Minimum of 5 years as analyst, specialist or program management professional in one or more of the following areas: nutrition, public health program management, child health, early childhood development, service delivery, monitoring and evaluation, operations research, health systems, human capital development or results based financing. Experience in two or more of these areas is advantageous.
• A proven track record of supporting policy dialogue, policy reforms, service delivery innovations, analytical work and/or program implementation, including work across sector boundaries.
• A proven track record of making substantive contributions to analytic work, sector studies, policy notes or technical reports. Expertise in nutrition, early childhood development, human capital analytics, service delivery or health financing is an advantage.
• A proven track record of making substantive contributions to complex operational engagements, including as team member with significant technical, analytical, coordination or operational responsibilities.
• Prior experience in an international development institution, public institution, NGO or private sector organization is preferred. Ability to function effectively in multidisciplinary teams within a matrix environment is essential.
• A drive for results, including a proven track record of high standards and accountability for work products, meeting deadlines, an ability to prioritize tasks within his or her work program and strategies for working collectively with others on the team to deliver products of the highest caliber.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Fluency in English, excellent oral and written communication skills, is essential, with ability to prepare documents on complex subjects, speak and write persuasively, and present ideas clearly and concisely.
WBG Culture Attributes:
1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. 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.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.
