IFC: WBG Regional Director, Environmental and Social Policy and Operations – Nairobi

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The WBG is advancing the next phase of the evolution of its Environmental and Social (E&S) function to strengthen the delivery of integrated, client-focused E&S solutions across its public and private sector serving institutions. Building on the successful implementation of a professionalized E&S operating model, the WBG is establishing a unified leadership structure to enhance consistency, responsiveness, knowledge sharing, and operational support across regions and business lines.

As part of this transformation, the WBG is creating five Regional E&S Director positions with regional oversight responsibilities for the World Bank Group. These positions will be strategically located in regions to bring leadership closer to clients, operations, and E&S teams, enabling more timely decision-making, stronger engagement with country and regional stakeholders, and enhanced support for project preparation and implementation. Together, the Directors will lead a globally integrated community of E&S professionals, fostering collaboration, capacity building, and the effective management of E&S policy across the WBG’s portfolio.

This leadership model supports the realization of the WBG’s long-term vision of a unified E&S function that leverages expertise across institutions, promotes operational excellence, and strengthens the institution’s ability to deliver sustainable development outcomes while safeguarding communities and maintaining the highest environmental and social standards.

Note: The aim is to fill these five Director positions by September 2026. Selected candidates will be expected to relocate to their designated field duty stations by that time, or on a mutually agreed timeline approved by the hiring WBG Chief Maker.

The duty stations for these positions will be Nairobi, Singapore, and Vienna. The duty station for the position covering the Latin America and Caribbean region will be confirmed at a later stage. Similarly, the duty station for the position covering West and Central Africa and North Africa is yet to be determined and will be communicated in due course.

Duties & Accountabilities

The WBG Regional Directors for Environment and Social Policy and Operations will lead a multidisciplinary team across IFC and IBRD/IDA in HQ and in country offices that provides operational support and guidance on E&S issues, ensures compliance with applicable E&S policies, and supports continuous learning and adaptive management across the institution. The E&S Regional Managers from both IFC and IDA/IBRD will report to the respective WBG Regional Director, who in turn will report to the WBG Chief Maker.

Each Director will be responsible for one of following geographic areas, covering both IFC and IBRD/IDA operations:

•Eastern and Southern Africa

•West and Central Africa, and North Africa

•Europe & Central Asia, Middle East, and Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the Global Support team based in Europe

•East Asia and Pacific, and South Asia

•Latin America and the Caribbean, with oversight of some select global corporate functions

The WBG Regional E&S Director will be accountable for modeling WBG leadership values and managerial behavior and for ensuring that the unit delivers on its commitments. Accountability means being responsible for making strategic choices; ensuring quality, managing risks, promoting results, championing institutional initiatives, tapping into external and internal resources; and ensuring compliance with WBG policies and procedures.

Key responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership

•Work closely with the WBG E&S Makers Leadership Team to craft a vision and direction for the WBG’s client-facing E&S function, ensuring alignment with the institution’s policies, development objectives, and long-term sustainability goals.

•Based on this vision, work with their management team to develop a business plan for the implementation of the WBG E&S function in their respective region that combines technical rigor, resource efficiency, adequate risk management and innovation.

•Drive innovation in the E&S field, enabling streamlined systems and procedures with a strong focus on promoting positive development impact and outcomes.

•Maintain close coordination with the respective Region(s) and across global practices, participate in regional leadership teams and ensure proactivity and high standards of client responsiveness.

•Promote staff learning, training, and knowledge exchange to enable them to stay abreast of the latest developments in the operational E&S field, including and especially on the use of AI in E&S.

•Build and develop strategic external partnerships on E&S issues in the respective regions.

•Maintain strong productive relationships with civil society stakeholders in the respective region(s) with a focus on ongoing, systematic engagement.

•Promote a ‘One WBG’ approach and cross-institutional learning and knowledge exchange on E&S management.

•Oversee select global corporate functions as requested.

Operational Risk Management

•Oversee the provision of timely, high-quality E&S support to frontline operations teams throughout project preparation and implementation, drawing upon the most appropriate knowledge and expertise from across the WBG and externally.

•Ensure establishment of strong systems for monitoring E&S implementation and for proactively identifying and addressing potential issues and challenges.

•Support the respective IFC and IBRD/IDA Regional Vice Presidents in the quarterly regional risk review exercise.

•Take the lead in liaising with the Checkers on Watch List projects in the respective regions.

•Play a key role in ensuring a fully functioning E&S risk management system is in place, linked to the broader regional and corporate architecture for managing risk in operations.

•Play a key role in crafting Management Responses and preparing Management Action Plans in CAO and Inspection Panel cases, and in management of grievances.

•Support public and private sector clients in strengthening their own E&S management systems, investing in long-term, durable institutional capacity strengthening.

Team / Talent Management and Development

•In the first year, elaborate and implement a strategic approach to consolidating E&S teams across WB and IFC that enhances the joint function, leverages the different skill sets and ensures adequate embedded learning and reskilling.

•Lead, mentor, and support a high-performing team of WBG E&S professionals.

•Foster a culture of rigor, inclusion, collaboration, and ethical leadership.

•Model exemplary WBG leadership values and managerial behavior and reinforce these qualities in the management team and staff.

•Contribute to and implement talent management, diversity, and inclusion plans.

•Drive and encourage technical excellence within the team by creating an environment of learning and innovation that attracts and develops the best talent reflective of the diversity of our clients.

•Coordinate and support Management in developing and implementing appropriate strategies for global staffing, deployment, staff learning and development , as well as career progression and talent and performance management.

Resource Management

•Manage the department’s budget to support the implementation of the Directorate strategy and business plan.

•Ensure Management accountability for delivering the agreed-upon work program through cost-effective use of resources (human and budget) within the agreed parameters and in compliance with internal WBG fiduciary and safeguard controls and policies and ensures timely delivery and overall quality of the region’s outputs.

•Ensure effective implementation of Resource Management policies, procedures, and governance frameworks to support the unit’s objectives and compliance requirements.