Lead Water Specialist

Description

The World Bank Group is a unique global partnership of five institutions driven by a bold vision to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, we help solve the world’s greatest development challenges. When you join the World Bank Group, you become part of a dynamic, diverse organization with 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide. We work with public and private sector partners, invest in groundbreaking projects, and use data, research, and technology to bring tangible and transformative change around the globe. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

VPU Context: 

The Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan Region

The Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan Region serves a highly diverse set of countries across income levels, institutional settings, and operating contexts, including IDA and IBRD clients, FCV settings, and high-income non-lending countries served primarily through reimbursable advisory services. This diversity makes MENAAP one of the most dynamic and professionally rewarding Regions in which to work. The Region’s mission is to foster sustainable growth with a focus on job creation and poverty reduction, economic and social inclusion, resilience, and good governance. It places high value on teamwork, transparency, trust, client service, professional excellence, and diversity.

With an expanded regional strategy, the World Bank aims to help the region weather current crises, move from stabilization to transformation, unlock the economic potential of youth and women, develop human capital to adapt to global megatrends, and foster innovation.

The Planet Practice Group

The Planet Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food; Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy; Climate Change; and Water.  

Unit Context: 

MENAAP Water Unit

Water security is one of MENAAP’s foremost development priorities, given the scale of water scarcity, service delivery gaps, climate vulnerability, and the centrality of water to jobs, food security, health, resilience, and inclusion. Water touches every aspect of development and links to nearly every Sustainable Development Goal. It drives economic growth, supports healthy ecosystems, and is essential for life itself. Water availability and management affect whether  girls are educated, cities are healthy places to live, countries have food security, and communities can withstand floods and droughts. The MENAAP Water Unit (SMAPW) is a largely decentralized regional unit with more than two thirds of staff in country offices. Its focus is on lending, analytics, advisory services, and policy dialogue across a diverse range of IDA, IBRD, FCV, and reimbursable advisory service contexts, with an active portfolio of approximately US$4.6 billion.

The Pakistan water program and team

Pakistan represents one of the World Bank’s largest and most strategically important water engagements, comprising a significant portfolio of investment operations alongside a robust analytical and policy dialogue agenda. 

Water security is central to the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Pakistan, which identifies reducing child stunting, strengthening resilience to floods and climate shocks, improving food security, and mobilizing private investment as core development objectives. Water supply and sanitation services are critical to addressing Pakistan’s high burden of child stunting and poor health outcomes, while investments in water resources management, irrigation modernization, groundwater sustainability, and flood resilience are essential to protecting lives, livelihoods, and economic growth in one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. 

The Water team supports a broad program of lending, analytics, and policy engagement aligned with the Water Forward initiative and increasingly delivered through a One WBG approach that leverages the complementary strengths of IBRD, IFC, and MIGA to support sector reforms, resilient infrastructure, and private sector participation

The team includes internationally and locally recruited staff and consultants based primarily in Islamabad and Washington, DC, bringing expertise across water supply and sanitation, irrigation, water resources management, infrastructure, economics and operations. 

Duties and accountabilities: 

Under the oversight of the Practice Manager and in coordination with the CMU, the Lead Water Specialist will provide strategic and technical leadership for the World Bank Group’s water engagement in Pakistan, empowering the team, enabling the program and liaising with other corporate priorities (in particular AgriConnect), GPs and institutions within and beyond the WBG. 

While the position will be based in Islamabad and will focus primarily on Pakistan, the Lead Water Specialist is also expected to contribute selectively to other country engagements, including in FCV contexts, and to the broader regional water and planet agenda, reflecting the senior leadership role expected of GH-level staff.

Strategic leadership and program direction

• Provide overall strategic direction for the Pakistan water program and other countries to be agreed, ensuring alignment with the CPF, government priorities, CMU objectives, and the Water Forward agenda.
• Help shape and implement a coherent water security narrative and Water Forward-aligned engagement across water supply and sanitation, water resources management, irrigation, groundwater, flood resilience, climate adaptation, and institutional reform.

Client dialogue, policy engagement, and partnerships

• Enable high-level dialogue with federal and provincial counterparts on water security, service delivery, irrigation modernization, groundwater sustainability, flood resilience, and sustainable financing.
• Build strong relationships with government, development partners, and other stakeholders to support reform momentum, implementation quality, and development impact.

Operational delivery and portfolio quality

• Guide preparation and implementation of high-quality lending, analytical, and advisory work, with attention to alignment with corporate priorities, results, fiduciary standards, safeguards, and implementation readiness.
• Support teams in resolving complex technical, institutional, and operational issues across a large and decentralized portfolio.

One WBG collaboration and private sector solutions

• Champion collaboration across IBRD, IFC, and MIGA to identify opportunities for private sector participation, market creation, risk mitigation, and mobilization of private capital.
• Promote integrated public and private sector solutions in areas such as resilient infrastructure, service delivery, reuse, desalination, storage, and financing.

Team, knowledge, unit and department contributions

• Mentor more junior colleagues on the Water team and support multidisciplinary teams, strengthening collaboration across thematic areas, locations, and WBG institutions.
• Contribute to unit-level strategic directions, regional narrative, business development, quality management, partnerships, and knowledge generation beyond Pakistan.
• Support the Practice Manager and regional management in advancing operational excellence, innovation, inclusion, and results across the MENAAP Water Unit and broader global water program.
• As a member of the Planet Leadership Team, contribute to cross-sectoral integration within the Planet Practice Group and, where relevant, across other Practice Groups and Global Departments.

Selection Criteria

Candidates for this position must meet the Water Competencies requirement for a GH-level position, as well as all Bank-wide Grade GH criteria, including work in at least two world regions or a combination of regional and corporate assignments; field experience is strongly preferred. In addition, candidates should meet the following criteria:

• Master’s degree in water resources management, civil or environmental engineering, economics, institutional development, water supply and sanitation, irrigation and drainage, public policy, or another field relevant to water security.
• At least 12 years of relevant experience and a strong record of leadership in complex water programs, with demonstrated expertise in water security and particular technical credibility in Water for People, Water for Food and/or Water for the Planet.
• Demonstrated ability to lead integrated policy dialogue and advise senior government counterparts on complex water security, service delivery, institutional, financing, and climate resilience issues, including in politically sensitive environments.
• Proven ability to guide preparation and implementation of large, multisectoral lending, analytical, and advisory programs; support teams in resolving complex technical and operational challenges; and maintain high standards of quality and results.
• Strong integrative skills and experience working across sectors, regions, clients, and institutional boundaries, including the ability to mobilize partnerships and contribute to One WBG solutions involving IBRD, IFC, and MIGA.
• Recognized professional credibility, sound judgment, and ability to mentor colleagues and multidisciplinary teams, build coalitions around practical solutions, and contribute to thought leadership, knowledge generation, and business development.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to develop, present and defend complex positions to senior management, clients, partners, and technical audiences.
• Experience working in large, decentralized MIC countries and in complex institutional and political economy environments such as Pakistan, is highly desirable; readiness and ability to work effectively in low capacity; stressed; fragile; challenging implementation environment; willingness to travel to FCV countries is expected.
• English required.

Note: This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/ temporaries). External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.