Senior Social Development Officer - ONEC.3 at African Development Bank - AfDB

The mission of the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change (ONEC) is to spearhead the Bank’s lending and non-lending operations in the areas of energy, environment and climate change. It will support mainstreaming of environment and climate change into Bank’s operations as well as lead on advocacy, advice and evaluation of lessons learned for incorporation into policy and programmes development.

Through its Environment and Climate Change Division (ONEC.3), the Department will identify, design and implement environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes and projects.  These will either be stand alone or as components of other Bank Group support operations. ONEC.3 also serves as the primary climate finance platform for the Bank Group.

ONEC.3 is also responsible for implementing the Bank’s environmental/social policies procedures, and guidelines, including review/monitoring of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP), Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA), and Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) documents, requesting validation of project’s environmental and social categorization and submission of ESIA, ESMP, ESMF and RAP documentation for clearance by the Bank’s Environmental and Social Safeguards unit (ORQR.3); and ensuring compliance with Bank policy on disclosure

Duties and responsibilities

The Senior Social Development Officer will work under the general supervision and guidance of the Manager, Environment and Climate Change (ONEC.3). His/her core duties/responsibilities will include the following:

Mainstreaming of social development concerns:

• Advise country teams engaged in the identification, preparation and appraisal of operations with potential social repercussions to ensure adherence to Bank policies on involuntary resettlement and social safeguards
• Represent the Bank at social safeguards and impact assessment and related cross cutting issues such as gender, safety and climate change conferences.
• Address social development issues in various Bank operations during the identification, preparation, appraisal, and supervision stages.
• Conduct studies, review reports and analysis in line with Bank Group lending programs to RMCs.
• Lead Bank teams on joint missions with other development partners on issues of social impacts and safeguards compliance.
• Prepare Request for Categorization Memorandum (RCM) for project categorization; ESIA/RAP, ESMP and ESMF Summaries before submitting to ORQR.3 and posting on Bank’s website.
• Provide primary support to the Bank’s private sector operations (e.g. industries, services, infrastructure, financial institutions); provide occasional support to public sector operations in the energy, water and sanitation, transport, and Information and Communication Technology, sectors as required.
• Mainstream relevant and cross-cutting environmental and social issues into Bank operations, particularly issues related to gender, the social implications of climate change, and involuntary resettlement.
• Develop recommendations to enhance social benefits and corrective measures to mitigate social risks in Bank operations
• Design and/or ameliorate project components contributing to reducing poverty, addressing vulnerability/ marginalization, and encouraging greater inclusion/ participation.
• Develop recommendations and/ or review analyses carried in mainstreaming gender in Bank operations.

Compliance with environmental and social requirements:

• Provide policy and operational guidance to Task Managers on social development issues as a means of strengthening the environmental and social performance of Bank operations.
• Review TORs for feasibility studies (ESIA, SESA and RAP) to ensure adequate coverage of all pertinent issues required by the Bank’s environmental and social assessment procedures (ESAP).
• Ensure compliance of operations with the Bank’s environmental and social safeguards, policies, and guidelines consistent with the Bank’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS).
• Provide technical guidance to clients on the preparation of necessary documentation, including but not limited to Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, Resettlement Action Plans, Environmental and Social Management Plans, and Social and Environmental Management Systems.
• Help manage the ONEC.3 Environmental and Social Project Tracking System.

Knowledge Development:

• Contribute to the development of Bank policies and strategies by highlighting timely social development issues in close collaboration with other Bank experts.
• Review and contribute to the mainstreaming of appropriate social development issues into projects and/or initiatives developed by Bank experts in departments outside of OIVP.
• Undertake any other task as the Director ONEC and/or Manager ONEC.3 may assign.

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• At least a Master’s Degree or its university equivalent in Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies, Economics, relevant Social Sciences, or in an equivalent social-related discipline.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in the areas of social assessment, management of resettlement and compensation, situation analyses of poverty and vulnerability including gender.
• Excellent technical and analytical skills and established track record of excellence in operational and policy work on environmental and social matters.
• Knowledge and experience in preparing and managing the implementation of  Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs), Strategic Environmental and Social Assessments (SESA), Environmental and Social management Framework (ESMF) and Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMSs), including  social aspects of development projects (e.g. health and safety, involuntary resettlement and gender components), operations monitoring and evaluation, and compliance assessment.
• Demonstrable knowledge and practice of the operational safeguards policies, procedures and practices of major bilateral and multilateral partner development agencies in regional member countries, particularly with respect to infrastructure projects.
• Practitioner experience in Africa, with broad skills in multi-criteria assessment, stakeholder engagement and consultation, community participation, with analytical skills in assessing institutional capacities and designing/reviewing practical implementation arrangements for complex projects.
• Substantive knowledge, experience in and commitment to social development work and understanding of critical issues in sustainable development, international development policy, emerging social development and results-based management agendas.
• Experience working on operations in the private sector and the public sector.
• Expertise in applying social analyses, social assessments, and other instruments to Bank operations.
• Ability to mainstream gender, climate change, and participation issues into Bank operations.
• Knowledge of social development issues facing regional member countries (RMCs).
• Results-oriented, team player, articulate analyst with attention to details, persuasive communicator and good writer.
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in French and/or English, with preference for capabilities in both languages.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.