Water Resources Management Specialist at World Bank

Description

• 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!

Water Global Practice

• The water challenges of the world are tremendous. For human development, livable cities, food security, and energy security the need for better water resources management is growing. Even today, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, of which 1 billion people practice open defecation. Poor sanitation, including inadequate wastewater collection and treatment, impacts health, education, the environment, and industries such as tourism. At least 800 million people lack access to safe drinking water.
• The lack of access to safe water and sanitation results in significant economic losses in many countries. This is further exacerbated by climate change, water pollution, and water scarcity in a fast-changing world.
• Globally, the World Bank Group finances water supply and sanitation projects, as well as projects related to irrigation and water resource management. Apart from water supply and sanitation (WSS) and water resources management (WRM), the Water GP also seeks to ensure that water issues are effectively addressed in all related sub-sectors, including such as agriculture (ensuring sustainable water availability for irrigation), climate change and disaster risk management, and energy (hydropower). In each sub-sector, an integrated approach is adopted which considers investment alongside issues such as governance, institutions, and policies.
• The WSS projects include rural and urban water and sanitation services, hygiene behavior, improving the efficiency of utilities, and provision of services to the poor. The WRM projects include integrated water resource management, including groundwater management, dam safety, and flood management.
• The Water GP is led by a Global Director, supported by nine regional Practice Managers and a Manager for Global Solutions. In addition, the GP Leadership team includes five Global Solutions Groups (GSGs) focusing on water supply and sanitation, water security/resilience; water resources management; water and agriculture; and water, poverty, and the economy, that work across all regional programs.

Water global practice in the heart of Africa:

• Within the Africa Region, the hiring unit is responsible for ensuring the translation of the World Bank’s Africa Regional Strategy and the Water Global Practice’s Water Security Strategy into practical results relevant to Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Specifically, the unit supports the definition and achievement of these results through analytical, policy, and investment activities.
• The hiring unit has an active portfolio of projects in Nigeria under preparation and implementation, focusing on water supply and sanitation.
• In all cases, these require intensive engagement with government counterparts and other stakeholders to ensure local ownership, capacity and sustained focus on implementation for results. As a result, The World Bank is locally recruiting one Water Resources Management Specialist based in Abuja, Nigeria.

Job Duties and Responsibilities
The assignment requires an extensive understanding of the state’s issues, as well as a solid base of experience in working with global, regional, and country clients and partners. Under the supervision and guidance of Senior Water Resources Specialists, the Water Resources Management Specialist will work as part of the country and task teams with a specific focus on:

Strategies, Planning, and Policies:

• Assist in the process of formulation of country sector strategies in the water and sanitation sector. Participate in the reviews of different sector policies, legal and regulatory frameworks for the water and sanitation sector;
• Assist in the identification and preparation of projects;
• Liaise with and support teams from other GPs of the World Bank (e.g., human development, urban, environment, energy, agriculture) to ensure that water-related issues are addressed consistently across various programs in the Bank;
• Participate in policy dialogue, together with other development partners, with key stakeholders in the country;
• As appropriate, with the Bank team, advise government counterparts on policy, institutional, and technical matters associated with the Bank’s water program; and
• Prepare reports, summaries, briefs, and talking points on water-related projects and programs, business plans, and strategies.

Projects implementation:

• Participate in the design, preparation, and implementation of water activities in Nigeria which will include incorporating key cross-cutting issues such as gender and climate change;
• Participate and assist multidisciplinary supervision missions covering all phases of the project cycle;
• Identify implementation issues related to projects/programs in the sector;
• Working closely with client institutions to support effective implementation of WB supported programs;
• Maintaining effective relationships with relevant governmental, non-governmental, donor and other stakeholders;
• Carry out the planning and organization of workshops on Bank procedures and deliverables; and
• Encourage clients to use disruptive technology and ICT to speed up project implementation.

Institutional and analytical work:

• Support the design, preparation and implementation of sector strategies, studies, analytical work, policy work, and advisory activities;
• Staying informed on the status of the water sector and its institutions, as well as relevant donor, private sector and NGO initiatives;
• Participating in and eventually leading task teams for production of analytical studies and preparation and implementation support to investment and policy-oriented projects;
• Identifying and sharing with client, relevant expertise and examples within and outside the World Bank; and
• Identifying and supporting water sector linkages to the Bank’s country strategy and the work of other sectoral teams.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Monitor and assess the implementation of sector portfolio;
• Ensure prompt preparation of quality and consistency related to sector portfolio management, including quality control; and
• Prepare timely reports on project implementation and progress.

Selection Criteria

• At least a Master’s degree in Water Resources, Hydrology, Hydraulics, Sanitation, Environment, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline with a focus on water supply and sanitation;
• Recognized technical, operational, and/or policy-oriented expertise, and at least 7 years of relevant work experience. This experience may include work in governments, academia, private companies, consulting firms, and multilateral institutions;
• Knowledge of water resources management (WRM) and water supply and sanitation services delivery (WSS), utility/institutional reform and public-private partnerships, sector coordination and policy dialogue, private sector participation and pro-poor strategy and program development;
• Prior work experience and results on the ground and hands-on experience with Government counterpart agencies;
• Ability to think innovatively and strategically in dealing with technical and/or policy issues while maintaining a strong client focus;
• Effective verbal, analytical and written communication skills in English and a demonstrated ability to produce high-quality documents and analytical reports;
• Sound knowledge of the water sector issues in Nigeria;
• Knowledge of cross-cutting issues related to the water sector: climate change, environmental and social issues, inclusion, and poverty reduction;
• A high degree of dynamism and self-motivation, as well as the ability to work with minimal supervision;
• Excellent teamwork skills; and
• Ability to use new information technologies.

The World Bank Group Core Competencies: https://bit.ly/2kbIA7O