Job Description

E T Consultant

Job #: req38555 Organization: World Bank Sector: Social Development Grade: EC2 Term Duration: 6 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: London,United Kingdom Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): English Closing Date: 10/9/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work 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. Visit www.worldbank.org.

Eastern and Southern Africa (E AFR) Region

Home to about 700 million of Africa’s people, Eastern and Southern Africa is a geographically, culturally and economically diverse region of 26 countries stretching from the Red Sea in the North to the Cape of Good Hope in the South. Children under 18 make up almost half of the total population. The subregion boasts of some of the world’s richest human and natural resources and, apart from South Africa, the countries are predominantly raw material exporters.

The subregion harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continue to keep people from reaching their full potential. This creates a huge development challenge, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of people, and hinders regional integration and trade. But it also creates an opportunity to work closely with country leaders, civil society, development partners, and young people to chart a brighter course for the future.

The World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,207 staff, mostly based in 26 country offices, has been helping countries realize their considerable development potential by focusing on the following priorities: (i) creating Jobs and Transforming Economies, (ii) building up the Digital Economy, (iii) making institutions more Efficient and Accountable, (iv) investing in People, (v) supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption: (vi) addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence; (vii) Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent.

Eastern and Southern Africa (E AFR) Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/eastern-and-southern-africa

The People Department

The People Department helps E AFR countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Social Policy, Health and Nutrition, Education and Gender.

Social Policy Group

Social Policy Group (SPG) within the People Vice Presidency focuses on supporting countries in building equitable, inclusive, and resilient societies. It supports countries address deep rooted social problems stemming from fragility, climate change, exclusion, and the digital age with people centered solutions that build on local values and institutions. The SPG engages with citizens, communities and governments to deepen resilience, build inclusion, and empower vulnerable and marginalized groups to have influence and voice. The SPG prioritizes participatory, multi-sectoral approaches that build on norms and informal institutions to address social challenges and to build more inclusive, empowered communities. It also designs and scales social assistance programs, including shock-responsive and adaptive social protection systems that build climate resilience, as well as cash transfer initiatives targeting vulnerable populations. It also supports multifaceted economic inclusion programs aimed at the ultra-poor, including in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. On the labor side, the department promotes skills development, youth employment, and labor market participation through training and apprenticeship programs.

The AFE region has three SPG units (HAESO). HAESO, the hiring unit, covers three Country Management Units (CMU), which in turn cover the following countries: Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius; Angola, Sao Tome & Principe; and South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

Social Policy in Somalia

Somalia has made incremental progress toward consolidating its federal system, strengthening core government capacity, and expanding the delivery of basic services. Nonetheless, persistent challenges related to security, governance, social cohesion, and economic development continue to undermine state legitimacy and hinder the country’s transition out of fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV).

Gender inequality remains deeply entrenched across the lifecycle in Somalia. Girls receive disproportionately lower investments in health, nutrition, and education, and are frequently exposed to early marriage, early childbearing, and gender-based violence (GBV). Women’s labor force participation is among the lowest globally, with a significant concentration in informal and low-income sectors. Moreover, women remain largely excluded from decision-making processes, with their participation constrained by the clan system, prevailing social norms, limited access to education and skills development, and restricted access to financial resources and institutional platforms.

In response to these challenges, the Social Policy Group has prioritized engagement with the Government of Somalia. The Bulsho Project seeks to strengthen community and local institutions to promote social cohesion, inclusion, and resilience through a bottom-up approach to decentralization, drawing on community-driven development (CDD) and local governance frameworks. In parallel, Social Policy supports the Somalia – Building Opportunities and Outcomes in Social Protection and Youth Employment Project, which aims to expand economic opportunities and enhance the resilience of poor and vulnerable populations.

Social Policy and Gender Platforms:

Social Policy the Eastern and Southern Africa region also host several gender platforms. The platforms drive regional and national initiatives to close gender gaps, boost women's economic empowerment, improve health and education access, and reduce gender-based violence (GBV). These platforms focus on financing projects, policy advocacy, and gathering evidence to empower women and girls.

The Somalia Women’s Empowerment Platform is a multi-year, country-led initiative under the World Bank’s Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice. It provides strategic, operational, and analytical support to advance gender equality across the Somalia portfolio. Organized around three pillars—Operational Engagement, Analytics and Technical Work, and Stakeholder Engagement—the Platform aims to strengthen the integration of gender considerations into operations, address critical knowledge and capacity gaps, and foster strategic partnerships with government, civil society, and development partners.

Duties and Accountabilities:

HAESO seeks to hire an Extended Term Consultant. The postholder will lead provision of operational and analytical support to projects under preparation and implementation in Somalia (under the Women’s Empowerment Platform, with a secondary advisory role across selected Gender Platforms in the region.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Operational support:

Specifically, the person will:

• Advise projects under preparation on incorporating gender analyses, actions and indicators within design to meet corporate gender tagging requirements.
• Ensure achievement of gender tagging targets by monitoring operational pipelines, screening project documents, and liaising with relevant stakeholders to prepare projects for pre- and-post-Approval gender tag assessments.
• Identify and leverage opportunities for providing deep-dive preparation and implementation support across operations that advance strategic gender priorities.
• Strengthen project capacity to implement and monitor gender equality interventions and achieve related targets, including those in the corporate scorecard, by assessing capacity needs, designing and adapting capacity building modules, delivering trainings and learning events for task teams, PIUs, and government ministries.
• Monitor and report outcomes of all operational, advisory and capacity development support provided under the platform.

Driving innovation, Learning and Partnerships

The postholder will facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration between internal and external gender equality operations primarily in Somalia, with a secondary regional knowledge sharing and partnership building function across selected Gender Platforms in the region.

Specifically, the person will:

• Coordinate and enhance internal knowledge exchange and collaboration across projects, country programs, and CMUs to further strategic gender initiatives and priorities, including by promoting uptake of innovative methods and tools.
• Identify and leverage opportunities for enhancing external knowledge exchange and collaboration and strengthening joint initiatives with government, civil society, and donor organizations.
• Provide trainings to PIUs on gender and facilitate south-south learning.

Analytical work, communications and reporting

The postholder will conduct and support analytical work, communications and reporting, with primary accountability for Somalia deliverables and contributions to regional products, as requested.

Specifically, the person will:

• Conduct portfolio-wide gender analytics and reviews, synthesize findings and lessons from primary and secondary research into gender, and provide recommendations to deepen integration of lessons and evidence from research into ongoing and pipeline operations and analytical work.
• Provide comments and inputs to internal strategies, operational guidance notes, country and regional assessments, and analytical papers on gender equality.
• Undertake additional analytical work depending on the yearly work program agreed between the World Bank and its external donors, as required.
• Contribute to visibility and dissemination of Somalia’s gender work, including by positioning it as a flagship contribution to regional Gender Platforms.
• Prepare talking points, reports and updates on Gender Platform activities and priorities for relevant internal and external stakeholders, including country-level, regional and global newsletters
• Coordinate with CMU and communications teams to ensure alignment of communications and analytical products with broader messaging and priorities.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in social sciences (e.g. Development studies, Sociology, Gender studies, Political Sciences etc.);
• Demonstrated project management/operational skills, with a minimum of 7 years of experience in working internationally on gender equality and social inclusion;
• In-depth understanding of Somalia’s socio-political context, especially gender dynamics and institutional frameworks. Understanding of operating environment in other East African countries is a plus.
• Strong experience in leading training courses on gender equality for government counterparts.
• In-depth experience of integrating gender into World Bank, or other IFI’s, operational and analytical work,
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work in a team and intercultural environment, with minimal supervision, and handle multiple tasks and deliverables simultaneously. Experience working in a matrixed environment is a plus.
• Experience working in different developing countries including at least 3 years in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Competencies Level GF, Social Development Specialist:

Integrative skills: demonstrates ability to think and work across WBG, practices and sectors • Integrates divergent viewpoints of multiple external and internal stakeholders into a coherent project/program/ strategy • Considers corporate commitments (e.g., MFD, climate, gender) in project approach

Policy Dialogue skills: possesses political judgment, diplomatic acumen, and negotiating skills • Builds and sustains key stakeholder relationships with government and other key stakeholders • Guides clients and/or development partners in identifying key operational issues and optional solutions with a demonstrated ability to bring together different perspectives • Leads task teams, participates in formal negotiations, and assists government in establishing priorities

Knowledge and Experience in Development arena: demonstrates sound knowledge of World Bank Group’s Twin Goals and the complementarities among different World Bank Group member institutions • Demonstrates deep understanding of policy making process and the role of own sector of expertise in that process • Fully understands Bank’s development initiatives and policies and practices related to l ending and non-lending operations • Guides research efforts and translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies and for discussions with clients and development partners • Anticipates client needs and requests and guides the development/ offering of relevant tools to clients.

Communication and Influencing Skills: demonstrates the ability to influence and persuade others to accept ideas and suggestions (such as counterparts in government, international partner organizations, academia, and Bank colleagues, senior staff and managers). Has ability to communicate and defend, orally and in writing, challenges and positions to colleagues and management

Specialized Knowledge & Technical Skills:

Social Development Specialist Technical Skills & Knowledge

• Act as a key resource for TTLs and project implementing agencies to promote coordination across key project stakeholders both within government and with development/humanitarian partners. Identify opportunities for building capacity for coordination amongst government actors particularly on economic inclusion agenda, and take steps to ensure that those opportunities are moved forward into practical results.
• Ability to work as a senior member of the Jya Mbere (phase I and II), LLCA and SSWSEEP task teams, taking a proactive role in working with Government counterparts to review and strengthen the economic inclusion and livelihoods interventions and provide close technical support.
• Ability to work in close coordination with the relevant Task Team Leaders and task teams, promote coordination across all World Bank Projects in Rwanda and South Sudan. Participate in World Bank field trips. Identify opportunities for stronger linkages between World Bank financed Projects and take steps to ensure that those links are made in practical and workable ways. Be a field resource for Rwanda for all teams in understanding and addressing implementation challenges, finding solutions, and improving implementation responsiveness and quality.
• Ability to act as a key resource for the Country Management Unit of the World Bank in Rwanda in the definition of a strategic vision for Rwanda. Collate information and data and keep updated a poverty, refugee, development and climate impact profile for the country. Represent the CMU at strategic policy meetings concerning Rwanda.
• Act as a key resource for TTLs and project implementing agencies to promote coordination and complementarity in discussions with donors, private sector investors, humanitarian agencies, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society who seek greater complementarity with the World Bank. Respond to requests for information and connection. Identify opportunities for stronger linkages between World Bank financed Projects and other donor-financed Projects and take steps to ensure that those links are made in practical and workable ways.

Time Schedule and Reporting:

The ETC is expected to start work from January 1, 2027 to June, 30, 2027. The total estimated time for ETC’s services is initial 6 months. The ETC will report to Adrian Morel, Sr. Social Development Specialist and TTL for the Somalia platform, and Camilla Lindstrom, Sr. Social Development Specialist, co-TTL for the Somalia platform and Tanya Lynn D’Lima for the other Gender Platforms.

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.

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