| Job #: | req31492 |
| Organization: | World Bank |
| Sector: | Water/Sanitation |
| Grade: | GG |
| Term Duration: | 4 years 0 months |
| Recruitment Type: | International Recruitment |
| Location: | Washington, DC,United States |
| Required Language(s): | English |
| Preferred Language(s): | |
| Closing Date: | 2/12/2025 (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 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, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. 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
The South Asia Region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) is at a crucial stage of development. Rapid economic growth, driven by urbanization and demographic dividend, has brought down poverty rates, but severe forms of exclusion and disparities based on ethnicity, caste, and gender remain. Rapid growth has also come with congestion and pollution in cities. South Asia is more than other regions affected by changes in temperature and extreme weather event. Additional challenges are that South Asia is underperforming in exports, has large informal sectors and low female labor force participation rates. All these challenges must be addressed to secure rapid growth in coming decades. Private sector led growth, focused on investments in infrastructure, energy, logistics and cities are essential to generate the jobs needed to employ South Asia’s sizeable youth population. At the same time, the region needs to continue building human capital so that South Asia’s population is well equipped for the jobs of the future.
The World Bank in South Asia: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar
The Planet Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy, and Water.
The Water Global Practice
Water resources are under unprecedented and increasing pressures, driven by greater climate variability, population and economic growth, land use changes, and declining quantities and qualities of both ground and surface waters. With cross cutting impacts on agriculture, education, energy, health, gender, and livelihoods, water is an essential resource for all life on the planet and is at the center of economic and social development. The world will not be able to meet the great development challenges of the 21st century – human development, livable cities, climate change, food security, energy security, and universal access to services – unless we ensure a water-secure world for all.
The Water Global Practice (GP) is in a unique position to help governments take an integrated and strategic approach to securing water for all through partnerships (e.g. Global Water Security and Sanitation Program, 2030 Water Resources Group), finance, and knowledge. The Water GP places water resource management (hydrology, economics, storage, groundwater use, rivers and deltas, disaster management), service delivery (to households, businesses, and farmers), and an understanding of water in the context of the broader economy at the center of its efforts to help countries address these challenges. For more information, please visit: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water
South Asia Region (SAR): Water and Sanitation Context
Safely managed water supply and sanitation (WSS) services are the foundation of public health and quality of life. But half of the population in SAR (close to one billion people) still lacks these services because of decades of underinvestment in maintenance of WSS infrastructure and chronically underperforming and financially strapped water service providers. Although most people (80 percent on average) have water pipes in their homes or vicinity, service is only available a few hours per day or a few days per week; when it comes, it is often contaminated and unsafe for drinking. Similarly, sanitation programs have focused primarily on building toilets to reduce open defecation, with generally less progress on the behavior change required to sustain the use of toilets and even less attention to the safe removal and treatment of wastewater. Therefore, countries must redirect their investment programs toward ensuring sustainable safely managed services to maximize public health impact and improve quality of life.
The World Bank Group has decades of global experience supporting countries delivering impactful WSS programs. But we need to scale up our engagement to match the SDG ambition, going beyond infrastructure access to sustainable safely managed services. To deliver with greater scale and speed we must also move from a retail mode – project by project approach – to a programmatic engagement. According to the June 2024 release of the WBG scorecard, our current stock of operations has reached 14 million people so far and will reach 41 million people by closing. About half of these will be receiving safely managed services. The World Bank SAR region has laid out ambitious goal to reach 100 million people in SAR with safely managed WSS services by 2035. In December 2024, the Bank approved a financing package of US$2.5 billion for two urban WASH MPAs for Pakistan and Bangladesh which target to reach 60 million people with safely managed services by 2035. Other operations are under consideration in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
The South Asia Water 2 (SSAW2) unit provides lending, advisory and knowledge services for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. The unit has an active portfolio of US$2.2 billion in 14 projects and a pipeline of US$250 million (two projects) for FY25.The unit has a total of 21 staff – half of which are based in Washington DC and the other half in the country offices.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Senior WSS Specialist will support the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) agenda in SSAW2 countries (with more emphasis on Pakistan) and providing strategic direction and technical leadership to achieve SAR’s ambitious goal to reach 100 million people with safely managed WASH services by 2035. The role will include advising clients on policy and institutional frameworks, supporting clients to design and implement high-impact WASH programs, advising on water utility reforms and performance improvement, knowledge management and capacity building, (including managing the country WASH knowledge platforms), lending origination and implementation support.Specific duties include:
– Policy and Institutional Reforms.Advise government counterparts on WASH policy frameworks to align with SDGs. Provide technical input on institutional restructuring and capacity building for utilities, regulators, and relevant WASH institutions. Promote tariff reform and financial sustainability strategies to ensure affordable yet viable water and sanitation services. Support the development of policies for urban sanitation planning, fecal sludge management, and rural hygiene initiatives.
– Utility Reforms and Performance Improvement.Lead efforts to improve utility performance, including governance, operations, and customer service delivery. Support capacity development programs focusing on non-revenue water reduction, service expansion, and the digitalization of operations (e.g., smart metering). Facilitate the design and implementation of PPPs for enhanced service delivery.
– Lending Origination and Implementation Support.Lead the identification and preparation of lending projects and ensure alignment with country development priorities and the World Bank’s CPF. Provide implementation support for ongoing and new WASH projects in urban and rural areas, ensuring project timelines, budgets, and outcomes are met. Collaborate across the World Bank Group (IFC, MIGA) and other MDBs to develop innovative instruments to derisk WASH programs to attract private capital. Monitor and evaluate project outcomes and provide timely feedback and technical advice to improve performance.
Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement.Foster strategic partnerships with development partners, government agencies, utilities, civil society organizations, and private sector actors to leverage resources and ensure coordinated action. Represent the World Bank in high-level sector dialogues, conferences, and technical meetings related to WASH. Ensure that cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, climate adaptation, and youth engagement are incorporated into WASH programs.
– Knowledge Management and Capacity Building.Lead knowledge-sharing activities, including workshops, technical trainings, and policy briefs on best practices and emerging trends in the WASH sector. Coordinate country WASH knowledge platforms (where relevant).Promote the scaling-up of successful models for service delivery, especially in challenging environments such as informal settlements, arid rural areas, and fragile countries. Prepare analytical reports, case studies, and policy recommendations for dissemination within the World Bank and to external partners.
Selection Criteria
The ideal candidate will have
(i) an advanced degree in water or civil engineering, sanitary engineering, public health, environmental science, economics, or a related field,
(ii) advanced technical understanding of issues related to water supply and sanitation and wastewater management in urban and rural areas and service delivery models,
(iii) at least 8 years of experience in the water supply, sanitation, and hygiene sector, including experience leading complex WSS operations involving policy reforms, institutional strengthening, and utility strengthening,
(iv) demonstrated experience working on impactful WASH programs in urban and rural areas,
(v) strong knowledge of health impacts of WASH interventions, including links to child nutrition and stunting,
(vi) excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience interacting with senior government officials, development partners, and civil society, (vii) proven ability to lead teams, manage complex projects, and deliver results under tight deadlines,
(viii) ability to work independently and take initiative and adjust to changing work program requirements as needed, and
(ix) strong communication skills (both written and oral). Excellent English language skills in both spoken and written form, is a must.
World Bank Group Core Competencies
The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
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