Ethiopia: Senior Social Protection Specialist

The World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group, is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. We are not a bank in the common sense; we are made up of two unique development institutions owned by 188 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution plays a different but collaborative role in advancing the vision of inclusive and sustainable globalization. The IBRD aims to reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries, while IDA focuses on the world's poorest countries. Their work is complemented by that of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

In 2005, the Government of Ethiopia together with the support of Development Partners, designed and commenced implementation of a Food Security Program, which included a Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) as well as complementary programming to strengthen local livelihoods. PSNP is now entering its fourth phase. The goal of PSNP-4 is “Resilience to shocks and livelihoods enhanced and food security and nutrition improved for rural households vulnerable to food insecurity.” It has five major outputs:

Outputs:

Output 1: Prioritized instruments and tools in place to support an effective system for Social Protection and Disaster Risk Management.

Output 2: Appropriate, timely and accessible transfers received by male and female clients.

Output 3: Sustainable community assets built up and access to social services enhanced.

Output 4: Clients’ livelihood opportunities facilitated through three pathways: crop and livestock, off-farm income generation, and employment.

Output 5: Effective management and operational processes in place to manage the program.

Donor arrangements:

Since the commencement of the PSNP in 2005, approximately eleven donors have harmonized around the program, and have aligned their investments behind the Government owned program. Donors have recommitted to continue these efforts, in line with global commitments around Aid and Development Effectiveness. The Donors meet every 2 weeks (as a Donor Working Group - DWG) to discuss on-going issues in the PSNP and to ensure harmonization of positions. The agenda for this meeting frequently covers strategic, policy and operational details. The Donor Working Group is led by a Donor Chair, which rotates every six months.

The donor working group and donor chair are supported by a Donor Coordination Team (DCT). At the outset of the PSNP program in 2006, donors created the DCT to ensure that PSNP support would be as coordinated and harmonized as possible. The DCT has evolved significantly since its inception and is now seen as a high-performing unit important to the continued success of the donor harmonization that underpins the PSNP.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The objectives of the post are:

i. To support the Donor Coordinator in providing support to the Donor Working Group and enabling continued donor harmonization to the Government.

ii. To support the Donor Coordinator with the provision of implementation support to the GOE as well as oversight and quality control of all outputs contracted by the DCT on behalf of the DWG, as well as all products produced by the DCT.

iii. To serve as a focal person on Output One: prioritized instruments and tools in place to support effective systems for social protection and disaster risk management, and to backstop the Donor Coordinator in the oversight of Output Two: appropriate, timely, and accessible transfers received by male and female clients.

iv. To provide technical advice on all aspects of the PSNP to the DWG, with a particular focus on output one.

Scope of Work:

The scope of work that the Senior Specialist will be required to undertake, with a particular focus on systems development, includes:

• Support the Coordinator in their overall tasks;

• To coordinate the engagement of the DWG with the Technical Committees and taskforces of the PSNP and provide technical advice to the DWG on all issues affecting the effectiveness of the programs;

• To support the government to identify bottlenecks and constraints in the effectiveness of the program, including capacity constraints, and through the Donor Coordinator, make proposals to the Coordination and Management Technical Committee and the Joint Strategic Oversight Committee concerning ways to address these constraints;

• Monitor the progress made in the Joint Review & Implementation Supervision action plans;

• Follow up on and provide timely and detailed implementation status reports and other relevant deliverables to the DWG such that donors can strategically engage in dialogue with government on the PSNP;

• Liaise with relevant government stakeholders on the process to enhance management capacity; and

• Provide support to government in implementing the PSNP management guidelines;

• Work with the DCT and DWG to facilitate unified responses to program challenges and opportunities;

• In all meetings it is expected that the Deputy Coordinator would represent the best interests of the PSNP program, and present the agreed view of the DWG not just one particular donor view.

Selection Criteria:

Experience:

• Education: Minimum of an MSC degree in Development, Economics, Social Sciences, or any relevant discipline;

• Experience: At least 10 years of relevant work experience;

• Experience with large scale, multi-sectoral programming and multiple partners preferred;

• Demonstrated international experience, including within low capacity environments.

Technical Ability:

• Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas and how they are interrelated; ability to undertake issues and assist in building systems and institutional linkages to promote effective delivery;

• Ability to leads in the sharing of best practices, trends, knowledge and lessons learned;

• Strong expertise in systems, food security or social protection related areas;

• Understanding on key themes such as governance, social accountability.

Client Orientation:

• Ability to maintain client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge;

• Ability to advise, influence and promote consensus among different stakeholders;

• Experience working in a multi-donor environment. Experience in managing diverse and sometimes competing interests and perspectives to arrive at consensus.

Team Leadership, Collaboration, and Inclusion:

• Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches;

• Proven ability to identify and develop new and creative partnerships with a wide variety of agencies and organizations;

• Proven ability to work in teams and as a team member, showing sensitivity in diverse cultural settings;

• Proven track record of multi-tasking, managing competing demands and effectively time-manage tasks;

• Willingness to travel.

Communication:

• Evidence of strong interpersonal skills, judgment;

• Evidence of sharing and conveying complex technical issues, in accessible format: written, spoken;

• Native or near-native proficiency in written English.

For further details and to apply, please go to www.worldbank.org/careers and under “current job openings” seek vacancy number 151125. Deadline for applications July 16, 2015.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in race, gender, nationality, culture, and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.