Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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. For more information, 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 sub-region 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 sub-region harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continues 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:

* Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies: We are working with countries across Africa to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by leveraging all sources of finance, expertise, and solutions to promote investment.

* Building up the Digital Economy: We are supporting Africa’s vision to ensure that every African individual, business, and government is connected by 2030 – a vision that, if realized, can boost growth by up to 2 percentage points per year, and reduce poverty by 1 percentage point per year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.

* Institutions more Efficient and Accountable: Our support is helping governments strengthen public policy processes, manage resources effectively, and reinforce fair and reliable delivery of public services.

* Investing in People: We are at the forefront of helping African countries accelerate human capital gains and empower women by improving their access to education and skills acquisition, sexual and reproductive health services, and employment opportunities. With the influx COVID-19, we are mobilizing financial support and timely analysis and advice to countries across the sub-region deal with the pandemic.

* Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption: In the face of increasing climate-related risks, we are working with African countries to advance efforts to adopt renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green infrastructure. A number of East African countries are currently facing a debilitating Desert Locust infestation, threatening the already precarious food security situation. The Bank has put together a program to help affected countries deal with the scourge.

* Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence: Given the cross-border nature of conflicts in Africa, we are employing an approach that simultaneously focuses on the drivers of fragility while also supporting well-targeted regional initiatives to create opportunities for peace and shared prosperity.

* Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent: We are scaling up our work on regional integration, taking a holistic view of the continent that covers both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

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

The Sustainable Development Practice Group:
The Sustainable Development (SD) Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy, Environmental and Social Framework, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience & Land, Social Sustainability and Inclusion, and Water.

Environment Natural Resources & Blue Economy Global Practice:
The sustainable management of the environment and natural resources is vital for economic growth andhuman wellbeing. When managed well, renewable natural resources, watersheds, productive landscapes and seascapes can provide the foundation for sustained inclusive growth, food security and poverty reduction.For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/environment

The Senior Environmental Specialist will be based in Kampala, Uganda and will report to the Environment and Natural Resource Manager for East Africa (SAEE2). The Senior Environmental Specialist will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Bank’s Environment and Natural Resources program in Uganda. The Senior Environmental Specialist would coordinate closely with other Bank staff working across different sectors, countries and regions as needed.

The Senior Environment Specialist will be responsible for building long-term business relationships with national and local stakeholders through ASA and policy dialogue; leading program development, task management; leading strategic communications and outreach activities on environment and natural resource management to ensure that best practices and lessons learned are reflected in the unit’s operations. The Senior Environment Specialist may also coordinate the environmental risk management team and to work as the designated environmental risk management specialist on specific projects. The selected candidate would also be expected to provide country, regional and global technical advisory service to team in her/his technical area of expertise. Specifically, the responsibilities of this position will fall into the following categories:

(i) Policy dialogue and strategy development

• Leading policy dialogue on landscape, environment and natural resource issues, including the climate change agenda, with key Government counterparts and participating in policy dialogue with other sectors to ensure the consistency and coherence in collaboration with sector colleagues at HQ and Country Office.

• Preparing, in coordination with colleagues, environment and natural resources inputs to SCD, CPS, CEM and other cross-sectoral products.

• Keeping management and sector staff in Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy and the CMU in the Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya offices (CD, PL, Country Managers and Ops Manager) regularly updated on environment and natural resource activities in Uganda, and in Rwanda and Kenya if working on projects in those countries.

(ii) Program development, task management, and quality control

• Working closely with other key sectors such as water, agriculture, urban and land management, provide technical leadership to the Protected Area Management, Nature Based Tourism, Watershed Management, Climate Change, Natural Capital Accounting, Forestry, Pollution Management and Fisheries.

• Developing the Bank’s Environment and Natural Resources work program in Uganda and monitoring its implementation with government agencies and stakeholders.

• Undertaking task management of ASA and lending operations.

• Supporting the Practice Manager to ensure the quality of the environment and natural resource management portfolio in Uganda.

• Managing designated budgets and administrative tasks well and on time.

(iii) Knowledge Management

• Assisting in learning and training activities, including mentoring of staff.

• Serving as a focal point or spokesperson on environment and natural resource development issues to clients and external constituencies.

• Engaging with universities, civil society organizations, and private sector partners.

• Contributing to the Bank’s global knowledge pool through peer reviews, ad hoc just in time advice, and structured inter-regional cross support.

(iv) Safeguards/Environmental Risk Management

· Playing a role in the coordination of safeguards activities in Uganda.

· Working as a safeguards specialist on selected projects and remain up to date on safeguards policies.

(v) Global Technical Support

• Providing Global Leadership in a technical area of expertise. The Senior Environmental Specialist would be expected to contribute to global technical cross-support and to make a meaningful contribution to global knowledge in their technical area of expertise

Selection Criteria

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

* Advanced degree (PhD or Masters) in environmental economics, economics, finance, ecotourism management, environmental engineering, environmental science or other relevant technical training.

* A minimum of a Masters and 8 years of experience in the environment and natural resource sector with a track record of leading analytical work, operations and/or environmental risk management (professional experience in a PhD program counts toward this time requirement).

*  Recognized technical leadership in the environmental and natural resource sector.

* Deep technical knowledge and experience of the ecotourism management sector, ecology or forestry would be strongly preferred. 

* The Uganda program has a large protected area program so skill and experience in land based protected areas management is required.

* Proven track record of innovation in Bank operational or ASA work and active engagement in knowledge sharing across countries and regions.

* Exceptional ability to identify long-range goals and objectives, develop strategic approaches, and conceptualize a multi-year plan to operationalize these strategies.

* Proven ability to build client relationships involving multiple stakeholders. With a proven track record of results on the ground.

* Demonstrated ability to effectively coordinate activities involving multiple disciplines, organizational units and working across Global Practices, as well as to maintain high service standards under pressure, meet deadlines, and accommodate simultaneous demands from various sources;

* Strong leadership skills with ability to manage multi-disciplinary teams, including developing, coaching, guiding and mentoring staff; and resolving conflicts taking into account cultural sensitivities.

* Proven teamwork and leadership skills, working with multi-disciplinary teams across different sectors, across operational boundaries within the World Bank Group and outside it;

* Skill at managing donor engagements; and

* Excellent oral and written communications skills in English.

* Willingness to travel in Sudan, the Africa region and possibly globally as needed, including to remote rural areas.

Competencies for Senior Environmental 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 (eg Gender, Climate) 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: Environment & Natural Resources Management Technical Skills & Knowledge (Specialist / Engineer) Demonstrates excellent understanding of environmental/NRM/climate change policies, technologies or strategies, and institutions needed to support development and for the success of project and analytic work. • Demonstrates solid understanding of the roles of each WBG institution and its relationship to environment/NRM/climate change. • Demonstrates strong knowledge of at least one relevant thematic business line, namely “blue”, “brown”, “green”, climate change, and environmental risk management. • Translates technical analyses into policies, operations and/or research as they relate to any of the following thematic business lines: “blue”, “brown”, “green”, climate change, and environmental risk management. • Provides guidance and coaching to others on technical and operational matters.