E T Consultant

Job #: req22935

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Urban

Grade: EC1

Term Duration: 1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Bucharest,Romania

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 6/13/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group 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. Visit www.worldbank.org.

THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE GROUP

The Sustainable Development (SD) Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy, Environmental and Social Framework, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience & Land, Social Sustainability and Inclusion, and Water.

THE “URBAN, RESILIENCE AND LAND” (URL) GLOBAL PRACTICE

Urbanization is occurring at an unprecedented pace. Cities generate 80% of global GDP and are key to job creation and the pursuit of shared prosperity. Yet one billion city residents live in slums today, and by 2030 one billion new migrants will arrive in cities. This concentration of people and assets will exacerbate risk exposure to adverse natural events and climate change, which affects the poor disproportionately. The absence of secure land tenure underpins deprivation and is a major source of conflict in the urban and rural space. One and a half billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of violence. In the absence of services, participative planning and responsive institutions, these trends will result in increased poverty, social exclusion, vulnerability and violence. Finally, avoiding a 4-degree warmer world requires drastically reducing the carbon footprint of cities.

The URL Global Practice covers a wide gamut of issues including: (i) supporting the development of green, inclusive, resilient and productive cities, including harnessing urbanization to contribute to growth and poverty reduction, and strengthening local governments’ capacity to plan, finance and deliver services and infrastructure investments; (ii) promoting efficient, well-coordinated spatial and territorial development processes including strengthening rural-urban linkages and developing lagging regions; (iii) strengthening disaster risk management policies, institutions and regulations and mainstreaming resilience across development sectors including risk assessment and mapping, risk reduction (including urban flood management, stormwater drainage, coastal management, and retrofitting of infrastructure), disaster preparedness (including hydromet services, early warning systems, and civil defense), risk financing (including CAT-DDO), and resilient reconstruction and recovery (including post-disaster damage and needs assessment); (iv) post-conflict reconstruction and recovery; (v) strengthening land tenure, management and information systems; and (vi) supporting the development of national and sub-national spatial data infrastructure and supporting the development of geospatial information.

COUNTRY CONTEXT

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Urban and Disaster Risk Management (SCAUR) Team engages in a range of disaster risk management (DRM) projects in countries across ECA countries, including lending projects (e.g. Romania, Croatia), Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) program (e.g. Bulgaria, Romania), Rapid Damage and Needs Assessments (e.g. Ukraine but also other countries in need), and technical assistance funded by the World Bank or the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) or by the European Commission (e.g. DG ECHO).

In Romania, geophysical and hydro-meteorological disasters pose a considerable threat to country’s poverty alleviation efforts and its sustainable economic growth, with disaster losses growing with climate change and urbanization. Romania is prone to a range of natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, floods, drought and extreme weather, which have resulted in significant physical, social and financial impacts over recent decades. Since 1990, 77 severe disaster events were recorded in Romania, including 44 floods, 15 extreme temperature events, 7 storms, 2 strong earthquakes, 1 drought and 1 landslide , resulting in over US$3.5 billion of direct damage.

Disaster impacts are increasing including due to (i) increased exposure of people and economic assets in vulnerable areas; (ii) insufficient funding for risk reduction; and (iii) climate change effects. This is particularly concerning given that the poor and near-poor are disproportionately more affected by disasters . Bucharest is one of the most earthquake-prone capital cities in the EU due to its proximity to the Vrancea earthquake zone which is capable of producing earthquakes as high as magnitude 8.1. The increased concentration of economic assets and population growth in earthquake-prone areas, such as Bucharest, means that the risk will continue to increase over time, almost doubling by 2080, unless urgent action is taken to reduce and manage earthquake risks.

Against this background, the World Bank has been actively engaged in supporting disaster risk management efforts in Romania. In particular, the bank has implemented a comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) program that takes an integrated and multifaceted approach using a range of Bank instruments. The bank has supported a number of projects aimed at reducing the risks posed by earthquakes and other disasters. The first series of three Investment Project Financing (IPF) projects implemented by the Ministry of Internal Affairs aim to retrofit or demolish/rebuild first responders’ buildings such as fire stations, police, and gendarmerie stations. These buildings will also be modernized, energy-efficient, and gender/disability inclusive. The fourth DRM IPF, implemented by the Ministry of Education, focuses on making schools safe, inclusive, and resilient. In addition to these projects, the bank is also providing Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) under implementation with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and a GFDRR TF aimed to complement these efforts and advance the inclusion agenda under DRM Program.

POSITION

The Urban, Resilience and Land Global Practice (GPURL) is seeking to recruit a highly qualified and experienced Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Analyst to work in its Europe and Central Asia unit (SCAUR). This ETC position will be based in Bucharest, Romania.

The DRM Analyst will work on DRM, climate change, urban development and land issues through existing and future lending operations, technical assistance and analytical work. She/he will be an integral part of the GPURL’s GP’s wider work on resilience and sustainable urban development and will report to the Practice Manager of the SCAUR unit.

Roles & Responsibility:

The Disaster Risk Management Analyst is expected to work under the supervision of the ECA Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist and provide technical and operational expertise to implement and develop the Romania DRM portfolio. The consultant is expected to carry out the following main duties and responsibilities, but not limited to:

•  Support the task team leaders and participate in/coordinate with task teams throughout the implementation of the DRM activities in Romania, including the implementation of program’s activities, monitoring and evaluation thereof, and liaison with government counterparts;
•  Contribute the preparation and implementation of lending operations and the execution of trust funded projects and, including: (i) participate in missions and developing mission documents; (ii) develop and review Trust Fund Proposals; (iii) contribute to Project Concept Notes (PCNs), Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), and other related project preparation documentation; (iv) prepare and review terms of reference; (v) prepare implementation status and results reports; (vi) prepare project briefs; (vi) and technical and corporate presentations.
•  Follow up on actions specified in Progress Reviews, Aide Memoire and Intermediate Status Reports (ISRs).
•  Conduct research, prepare analysis as needed, and draft presentations.
•  Prepare reports, action plans and any other documentation or materials required.
•  Work independently, seeking guidance and instruction on new, unusual or complex assignments.
•  Coordinate with task teams in the implementation of donor-funded activities supporting the strengthening of disaster and climate risk governance for national and sub-national DRM stakeholders;
•  Contribute to maintaining liaison and dialogue with development partners, research institutions, government counterpart, non-Government organizations, the private sector, and other sector-related institutions;
•  Participate and support knowledge sharing activities across countries in the region and contribute specific knowledge sharing activities.
•  Provide any other assistance needed for the day-to-day coordination of activities.

Selection Criteria

•  Advanced Degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent) in science, economics, international relations, policy or engineering (or related field) and at least 4 years of directly relevant experience. Professional experience in earthquake risk management will be highly regarded.
•  Relevant professional experience in research or applied work on disaster risk management, urban development and/or climate change, in Romania.
•  Proven analytical and problem-solving skills and proven ability to apply these in carrying out research and operational tasks, identifying issues, presenting findings/ recommendations and contributing to resolution of sector and country issues; analyzes and identifies portfolio cross-cutting issues.
•  Operational experience in Investment Project Financing, Reimbursable and Analytical and Advisory Services and Trust Fund management will be an asset.
•  Highly organized with understanding of good project management practices. Ability to work independently
•  Proven capacity to work with a wide range of stakeholders, including, municipalities, national government agencies, international organizations, academics, development agencies, and NGOs.
•  Strong oral and written presentation/communication skills, as well as creativity and problem-solving skills. Excellent fluency in English and Romanian is a must.
•  A good understanding of the development context in Romania demonstrated by professional experience working with government, donors, and development agencies.

Competencies:

•  Ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments and adjust to a variety of complex evolving tasks to meet tight deadlines.
•  Outstanding verbal and written communications skills in English and Romanian.
•  Ability to support preparation and supervision of investment operations in DRM and related sustainable development work program as it may develop.
•  Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making – Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable for an additional one year, at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET Appointment of two years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their second-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.