E T Consultant World Bank Group – Islamabad

• 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Regional Context

• 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’s Islamabad Country Office has a program providing $1-2 billion per year to the Government of Pakistan. This includes sensitive policy advice and reports, small and large infrastructure operations, and services in a wide range of areas (health education, finance, water, urban, agriculture etc.). The Office has about 120 staff.

• The World Bank in South Asia: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar

• The World Bank in Pakistan: https://www.worldbank.org/pakistan

Unit Context

• South Asia External and Corporate Relations team (SAREC) manages strategic communications in support of the Bank’s work in the South Asia Region (SAR). In particular, the communications program is directed at building understanding and support for the work of the Bank and ensuring the full spectrum of views and information is brought into the Bank’s decision-making.

• SAREC is offering a 1-year Extended Term Consultant (ETC) position in its Pakistan Country Office to provide support with South Asia internal communications. The Consultant will play an important role in identifying and exploiting communication opportunities and risks, developing communications products to a high standard, and supporting the day-to-day operation of the World Bank’s Pakistan online presence. The Consultant will report to the Manager, External and Corporate Relations, South Asia Region (SAREC).

DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• The Consultant will work closely with the SAREC External Affairs Officer based in Islamabad and the team in Washington DC. His/her specific duties and accountabilities will include:

• Working closely with the Bank’s Management team in Pakistan, plan, design, execute, monitor and evaluate the impact of communications strategies, activities and campaigns to advance development impact of WB interventions and ensure that evolving priorities are being addressed effectively.
• Set priority for internal and external strategic communications for the World Bank in Pakistan in partnership with operational teams, ensure that high quality, strategic communication plans are consistently implemented across the unit.
• Determine the types of information and communications activities that are best suited to promote the Bank’s work in Pakistan. Accordingly, write and/or review the preparation, production, and dissemination of both routine and complex outreach products (e.g. backgrounders, media packages, press releases, articles, radio/TV broadcasts, PPT presentations, brochures, Q&As, website content, social media posts, speeches, briefing notes, internal stories, etc..) that promote the strategic positioning of the Bank engagement and operations and the dissemination of results to key audiences locally, regionally and internationally.
• Build strategic relationships with key internal and/or external constituencies (including the media, civil society, NGOs, academia, businesses, government agencies, etc.). Identify opportunities for and forge strategic partnerships both inside and outside the Bank to improve dialogue and outreach and to promote a better understanding of the Bank.
• Monitor and analyze, including through traditional and social media monitoring, key political, sectoral and socio-economic developments that can inform and/or affect the Bank’s work in Pakistan. Advise the Country Management and project teams on political economy questions, trends, news developments, or changing/unexpected circumstances that may impact the Bank and its work and help determine appropriate strategic responses to address them.
• Plan and coordinate local consultations with multiple stakeholders on different sectors in close cooperation with task teams involved.
• With the support of the country office staff, oversee the planning, coordination, scheduling and logistics around senior management visits, high-profile events, press briefings, major conferences and seminars, public or broadcast appearances, and other communications-related activities sponsored by the Bank.
• Support communications around Bank operations, throughout the different phases of the project cycle and determine the most appropriate tools and channels to provide communications support and advice to clients and build their communications capacity, as well as disseminate results and share knowledge, both to external audiences as well as internally across the Bank.
• Perform other tasks as needed.

Selection Criteria

• • Master’s degree and at least five years of professional experience, or Bachelor’s degree and at least eight years of professional experience, in a relevant discipline (communication, journalism, economics, finance, business administration, development studies, or international relations).
  • Experience in communicating complex technical concepts in a clear, compelling and concise manner and constructing messages that are accessible to a range of audiences.
  • Proven writing, editing and speaking skills in English and Urdu and ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, direct, and engaging style.
  • Capacity to work simultaneously on a variety of issues and tasks independently, adjusting to priorities and achieving results with agreed objectives and deadlines.
  • Demonstrated ability to function as a team player, within and across teams, and deliver on complex and sometimes parallel tasks on tight deadlines.

In addition to these above criteria, the successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies:

• • Communication in International Development – Ability to communicate with internal and external partners, based on understanding their communication needs and possessing experience with international development topics and issues.
  • Social Media, Information Channels, and Communication Tools Awareness – Ability to assist, consult or coordinate with others in assuring existing or new, upcoming communication tools and media channels are fully leveraged to assure proper communication.
  • Access to Information Policy – Knowledgeable in information access, and in the distribution, design, and delivery of communications products and in other information dissemination activities.
  • Content Development – Has experience in and/or demonstrates broad, proficiency in this competency and is therefore able to clear for internal or external use material that is developed.
  • Content and Style Editing – Has experience in and/or demonstrates proficiency in writing/rewriting or editing communications products, including social media products, for purposeful structure, clarity of ideas, and the logical persuasive presentation of content.
  • Communication Strategy, Planning, and Execution – Has experience in and/or demonstrates proficiency at a level sufficient to assist, consult and coordinate in the planning, development, and execution of communication strategies for projects and situations.
  • Relationship Management and Political Awareness – Has experience and/or demonstrates ability to manage relationships with critical internal and/or external constituencies to foster strategic partnerships and to strengthen the Bank’s image or mitigate reputational risk.
  • Client Orientation – Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
  • Drive for Results – Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
  • Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion – Works as a team player, stays organized and focused, and actively seeks diverse ideas and approaches.
  • Knowledge, Learning and Communication – Shares best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulates ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
  • 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.

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.

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