E T Consultant

Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works 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. Lebanon and Syria face acute and evolving agrifood system challenges shaped by fragility, protracted crises, climate and water stress, market disruptions, and rising food insecurity. In Lebanon, macroeconomic instability and stressed public services have undermined agricultural livelihoods and the functioning of value chains. In Syria, conflict impacts and constrained institutions continue to affect production, rural incomes, and the enabling environment for recovery and resilience. Across both portfolios, there is strong demand for evidence-based policy advice, targeted investments, and implementation support to strengthen food systems resilience, enhance rural jobs, and improve the sustainability of scarce natural resources. Within the World Bank’s Agriculture and Food Global Practice (AGF GP), the SMAPA unit is scaling up analytical, advisory, and operational engagement in Lebanon and Syria, including support to ongoing and pipeline lending operations, trust-funded technical assistance, and strengthened partnerships with governments, UN agencies, and development partners. Beirut provides a strategic platform to support country teams and counterparts, maintain close dialogue with national institutions and stakeholders, and coordinate effectively across the Lebanon and Syria portfolios. SMAPA seeks a highly qualified Agriculture Specialist (ETC) based in Beirut to support delivery of the Lebanon and Syria agriculture portfolios. The position will contribute to high-quality analytical work, project preparation and implementation support, policy dialogue, and coordination with internal and external partners. The Specialist will work closely with Task Team Leaders (TTLs), country management units, fiduciary and safeguards teams, and partner institutions to help ensure timely, high-quality outputs and results on the ground. He/She is also expected to contribute to the wider Mashreq program and will report to the Practice Manager for SMAPA. Duties Accountabilities 1. Analytical and Advisory Work (Syria and Lebanon) • Syria agriculture recovery and resilience analytics: Support the design and delivery of technical notes, sector diagnostics, and policy briefs to inform reengagement priorities, recovery planning, and partner coordination. • Lebanon policy and institutional support: Contribute to policy dialogue and analytical work on agricultural public services, producer organizations/cooperatives, climate-smart agriculture, and agrifood trade and quality infrastructure, translating analysis into practical recommendations for government and partners. • Portfolio analytics and reporting: Prepare inputs for project documents, aide-mémoires, implementation status and results reporting, donor reporting, and management briefs, ensuring consistency of results frameworks and alignment with country strategies for Lebanon and Syria. • Partnerships and knowledge: Support coordination with UN agencies, research institutions, civil society, and development partners on agrifood system priorities in Lebanon and Syria; contribute to knowledge products and dissemination (workshops, stakeholder consultations, learning events) in English, Arabic, and French. • Data and evidence generation: Support the compilation, cleaning, and analysis of agriculture, climate, and market data (including geospatial and remote-sensing inputs where available) to strengthen targeting, risk analysis, and monitoring for Lebanon and Syria operations and analytical work. 2. Operational Support (Lebanon and Syria) • Implementation support – Lebanon: Provide day-to-day operational support to the agriculture portfolio in Lebanon (including Green Agri-food Transformation for Economic Recovery (GATE) (P180334) and Employment Creation for Vulnerable Lebanese Citizens and Syrian Displaced Population in Livestock Value Chain (P176547)], working closely with TTLs and counterparts on work planning, disbursement support, results monitoring, and issue resolution. Maintain regular liaison with relevant stakeholders and partners to support implementation progress, troubleshoot bottlenecks, and ensure follow-up on agreed actions, including in Arabic and French as needed. • Implementation support – Syria: Support preparation and implementation arrangements for Syria-focused analytical activities and the preparation and implementation of the Syria Smallholder Transformation for Agriculture Revitalization (STAR) Project (P515346), including coordination of missions and virtual engagements, tracking of deliverables, and contribute to technical inputs to PAD, costing, implementation arrangements, and support to consultations and project readiness. • Operational quality and compliance: Coordinate with fiduciary, environmental and social, and operations colleagues to support timely clearances and compliance (procurement, financial management, E S instruments, GRM, and monitoring), and help ensure that documentation is complete and ready. • Mission and deliverables management: Support planning and execution of missions, stakeholder consultations, and implementation support visits for Lebanon and Syria portfolios; draft back-to-office reports, track action items, and follow up with counterparts and internal teams to ensure timely completion.