Job #: 123070
Job Title: Senior
Rural Development Specialist
Job Family: Agriculture
& Rural Development
Job Type: Professional
& Technical
Grade: GG
Location: New
Delhi, India
Recruitment Type: Local
Hire
Language
Requirement: English [Essential]
Closing Date: 14-Jan-2013
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A COUNTRY OFFICE POSITION IN INDIA SUBJECT TO LOCAL RECRUITMENT UNDER THE INDIA COMPENSATION PLAN. IF A STAFF MEMBER HOLDING AN HQ/INTERNATIONAL POSITION IS SELECTED INTO THIS POSITION, THEN THE STAFF MEMBER WOULD CONVERT TO A LOCAL APPOINTMENT (I.E., A LOCAL SALARY AND NO EXPATRIATE BENEFITS).
THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS COMMITTED TO ACHIEVING DIVERSITY IN TERMS OF GENDER, NATIONALITY, CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND. INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ARE EQUALLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. ALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE TREATED IN THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.
The mission of the South Asia Sustainable Development Department (SASSD) is to reduce poverty by helping the countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) of South Asia formulate policies and implement programs that support sustainable economic and social development. The Livelihoods and rural development unit (SASDL) is one of the eight units of SASSD with the strategic objective of promoting inclusive and sustainable rural growth, reducing poverty, supporting food and nutrition security, and adaptation to climate change.
SASDL’s rural livelihood development programs aims to support creation and development of institutional platforms of the rural poor to reduce rural poverty and enable them to access public, private and financial services. These programs aim to achieve social and economic empowerment of rural poor, particularly women, vulnerable, differently abled and indigenous peoples. The thematic focus of the program in India (and more broadly in the region) is based on three pillars:
(i) Scaling up and strengthening the institutional platforms of the rural poor with strong focus on the lagging and conflict affected regions;
(ii) Inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural growth and strengthening rural-urban linkages; and
(iii) Effective increase in access to public and private service delivery to the rural poor.
SASDL has been in partnership with India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan governments in major livelihoods, agriculture and irrigation programs. These investments aim at building and strengthening community organizations and their federations of the poor and establishing access to assets, credit and other market linkages for livelihood improvement. Moreover, most of the second generation rural livelihoods projects under implementation in the region are cross sectoral in nature and various innovative approaches include interventions on sustainable agriculture, dairy development, food and nutrition security, health, social protection and financial inclusion. The rural livelihoods approach is increasingly being used in irrigation, sustainable agriculture, watershed and natural resource management projects.
SASDL’s program in India includes support to Government of India’s flagship program, National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), which is implemented in 13 States of India. In addition SASDL finances a number of State level operations, one multi-state operation including 4 north-eastern States, analytical work, capacity building and a number of trust funds.
The Three year term position involves implementation support, technical assistance and knowledge management to on-going rural livelihoods program/projects in India.
The position is based in Delhi. The selected candidate will be expected to travel extensively throughout India (and possibly in the region). Local Hire.
Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.
THE WORLD BANK GROUP IS COMMITTED TO ACHIEVING DIVERSITY IN TERMS OF GENDER, NATIONALITY, CULTURE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND. INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES ARE EQUALLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. ALL APPLICATIONS WILL BE TREATED IN THE STRICTEST CONFIDENCE.
The mission of the South Asia Sustainable Development Department (SASSD) is to reduce poverty by helping the countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) of South Asia formulate policies and implement programs that support sustainable economic and social development. The Livelihoods and rural development unit (SASDL) is one of the eight units of SASSD with the strategic objective of promoting inclusive and sustainable rural growth, reducing poverty, supporting food and nutrition security, and adaptation to climate change.
SASDL’s rural livelihood development programs aims to support creation and development of institutional platforms of the rural poor to reduce rural poverty and enable them to access public, private and financial services. These programs aim to achieve social and economic empowerment of rural poor, particularly women, vulnerable, differently abled and indigenous peoples. The thematic focus of the program in India (and more broadly in the region) is based on three pillars:
(i) Scaling up and strengthening the institutional platforms of the rural poor with strong focus on the lagging and conflict affected regions;
(ii) Inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural growth and strengthening rural-urban linkages; and
(iii) Effective increase in access to public and private service delivery to the rural poor.
SASDL has been in partnership with India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan governments in major livelihoods, agriculture and irrigation programs. These investments aim at building and strengthening community organizations and their federations of the poor and establishing access to assets, credit and other market linkages for livelihood improvement. Moreover, most of the second generation rural livelihoods projects under implementation in the region are cross sectoral in nature and various innovative approaches include interventions on sustainable agriculture, dairy development, food and nutrition security, health, social protection and financial inclusion. The rural livelihoods approach is increasingly being used in irrigation, sustainable agriculture, watershed and natural resource management projects.
SASDL’s program in India includes support to Government of India’s flagship program, National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), which is implemented in 13 States of India. In addition SASDL finances a number of State level operations, one multi-state operation including 4 north-eastern States, analytical work, capacity building and a number of trust funds.
The Three year term position involves implementation support, technical assistance and knowledge management to on-going rural livelihoods program/projects in India.
The position is based in Delhi. The selected candidate will be expected to travel extensively throughout India (and possibly in the region). Local Hire.
Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.
Duties and Accountabilities
The Sr. Rural Development Specialist as an active member of the core team of the rural livelihoods in the region will have the following responsibilities:
• Provide implementation support of existing rural livelihoods operations in India , primarily the National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP), other State-level projects, and grants supported by SASDL. and and State projects;
• Help with overall strategic program development within the India rural livelihoods programs and specific focus on issues related to community institutions, producer aggregation and value chain development related agriculture, dairy, NTFP etc;
• Support task management of specific SASDL tasks and assist with overall program management by developing/organizing India specific events;
• Liaise with relevant opinion and decision makers and stakeholders to sustain and grow the rural livelihoods and SASDL networks;
• Render technical assistance and advice to clients on how to solve day to day implementation problems specifically related to agriculture and allied sectors;
• Assist in mobilizing and implementing additional Trust Fund grants for building the livelihoods program in India and across the Region; and
• Play a lead role in cross regional knowledge sharing including learning and exposure visits, workshops and seminars and in producing knowledge products.
• Provide implementation support of existing rural livelihoods operations in India , primarily the National Rural Livelihoods Project (NRLP), other State-level projects, and grants supported by SASDL. and and State projects;
• Help with overall strategic program development within the India rural livelihoods programs and specific focus on issues related to community institutions, producer aggregation and value chain development related agriculture, dairy, NTFP etc;
• Support task management of specific SASDL tasks and assist with overall program management by developing/organizing India specific events;
• Liaise with relevant opinion and decision makers and stakeholders to sustain and grow the rural livelihoods and SASDL networks;
• Render technical assistance and advice to clients on how to solve day to day implementation problems specifically related to agriculture and allied sectors;
• Assist in mobilizing and implementing additional Trust Fund grants for building the livelihoods program in India and across the Region; and
• Play a lead role in cross regional knowledge sharing including learning and exposure visits, workshops and seminars and in producing knowledge products.
Selection Criteria
Competencies
(i) Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
(ii) Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
(iii) Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
(iv) Rural Policy, Strategy and Institutions - Solid understanding of rural policies, strategies, and institutions.
(v) Rural Development - Deep experience applying knowledge (community-driven development, local government and civil society organizations, trade and access to rural markets, rural finance, etc.) to policy-related decisions and advice.
(vi) Corporate Policies and IDA/Trust Fund & Lending Operations - Working knowledge of IDA/trust fund operations; can advise on strategy development and management decisions and interact with private or public stakeholders and partners.
(vii) 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.
(viii) Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
(ix) Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
(x) Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
(xi) 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.
Other Selection Criteria:
The selected candidate would be expected to bring to the team strong analytical, operational, problem solving, and very good team-work skills. The candidate should have the following qualifications:
(i) MBA or a Masters in Development Studies/ Agriculture/Economics degree from an internationally recognized institute and at least 8 years of relevant experience;
(ii) Excellent technical knowledge in various sectors outlined above; among these, knowledge in Banking, MIS and ICT for rural development sector would be a plus;
(iii) Proven ability to conceptualize, design and supervise the implementation of major projects;
(iv) Ability to formulate and communicate wider strategic goals at sector and country level;
(v) Ability to communicate knowledge in clear and accessible form as well as derive policy-relevant messages;
(vi) Proven record of constructive and positive engagement in leading high level policy dialoguewith client Governments and other stakeholders;
(vii) Proven ability to work in teams, both as a team leader and team member, including in multi-sectoral teams; and
(viii) Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
(i) Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
(ii) Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
(iii) Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
(iv) Rural Policy, Strategy and Institutions - Solid understanding of rural policies, strategies, and institutions.
(v) Rural Development - Deep experience applying knowledge (community-driven development, local government and civil society organizations, trade and access to rural markets, rural finance, etc.) to policy-related decisions and advice.
(vi) Corporate Policies and IDA/Trust Fund & Lending Operations - Working knowledge of IDA/trust fund operations; can advise on strategy development and management decisions and interact with private or public stakeholders and partners.
(vii) 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.
(viii) Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
(ix) Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
(x) Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
(xi) 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.
Other Selection Criteria:
The selected candidate would be expected to bring to the team strong analytical, operational, problem solving, and very good team-work skills. The candidate should have the following qualifications:
(i) MBA or a Masters in Development Studies/ Agriculture/Economics degree from an internationally recognized institute and at least 8 years of relevant experience;
(ii) Excellent technical knowledge in various sectors outlined above; among these, knowledge in Banking, MIS and ICT for rural development sector would be a plus;
(iii) Proven ability to conceptualize, design and supervise the implementation of major projects;
(iv) Ability to formulate and communicate wider strategic goals at sector and country level;
(v) Ability to communicate knowledge in clear and accessible form as well as derive policy-relevant messages;
(vi) Proven record of constructive and positive engagement in leading high level policy dialoguewith client Governments and other stakeholders;
(vii) Proven ability to work in teams, both as a team leader and team member, including in multi-sectoral teams; and
(viii) Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
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