Social Development Specialist

JOB ADVERTISEMENT: Social Development Specialist
Job #: req35208
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Social Development
Grade: GF
Term Duration: 4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Location: Yaounde, Cameroon
Required Language(s): English and French
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date: 1/4/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.
WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA (AFW) REGION: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa
Cameroon COUNTRY OVERVIEW
https://ida.worldbank.org/en/country/cameroon
Planet Practice Vertical Group
The Planet practice group helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture; Climate Change; Water; Environment, Natural Resources; and environmental and social risk management.
The main roles and responsibility of the environmental and social risk management unit include the following:
Leading in ESF implementation and innovation
• Provide E&S thought leadership and implementation expertise for strong E&S outcomes in (the respective region).
• Contribute to identifying innovative ways to embed E&S sustainability in country programs
• Actively participate in Knowledge exchanges and other joint initiatives across the WBG, liaising closely with relevant IFC and MIGA E&S managers.
• Promote quality results, including through review of relevant E&S systems at the project level and associated documentation
• Provide feedback and suggestions to the Regional Planet Director and the WBG Policy and Operations unit, and, as necessary, to the WBG Risk Unit to further improve the Region’s and the WBG’s E&S work respectively.
Identifying and managing E&S risks systematically
• Set up and manage effective risk management systems in the region
• Play key role in regional risk management system overseen by the RVP
• Ensure setting up of adequate GRMs and regular E&S monitoring and reporting in all operations
• Contribute actively to CMU Stakeholder Platforms, engage with key CSOs active in the Region, and flag any risk flags that emerge in these discussions
Building country / client E&S systems and capacity
• Promote strengthening of country / client E&S management systems
• Carry out overview assessments and promote use of borrower E&S frameworks
• Promote potential operations / components to strengthen client E&S management systems
• Collaborate with external partners, including bilateral development organizations and other MDBs, on strengthening client E&S management systems and capacity.
Streamlining procedures, enhancing focus on implementation
• Help deliver the regional lending program with a focus on embedding E&S issues in client operational systems – bidding documents, operations manuals, sector directives etc.
• Operationalize all the flexibility available in the ESF
• Promote efficiency and effectiveness measures in the delivery of E&S services, linked to broader OEE work at the regional level
POSITION
The Social Development Specialist