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Home > Jobs > Employment Opportuni... > Professional/Technical

Job #	082070
Job Title	Lead Specialist, Special Litigation Unit
Job Family	Corporate Governance/Ethics
Location	Washington, DC
Appointment	International Hire
Job Posted	02-Oct-2008
Closing Date	14-Nov-2008
Language Requirements	English [Essential]
Appointment Type	See Job Description Below

Background / General description

As part of the World Bank Group, the Vice Presidency for Institutional Integrity (INT) shares in the Group’s overall mission of poverty reduction.  INT’s fundamental role within the Bank Group is to help detect and deter fraud and corruption in the use of the Group’s financial resources, so that those resources are used effectively to benefit the poor people that they are intended to benefit.  In contributing to the Bank Group’s overall mission, INT works closely with other change agents across the Group to:

•	Help detect and deter fraud and corruption in Bank-supported contracts by: 
o	Professionally investigating allegations of fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion, or obstruction (the five Bank-sanctionable practices) in Bank Group activities; 
o	Seeking Bank sanction against firms and individuals that have engaged in any sanctionable practice; 
o	Undertaking detailed implementation reviews (DIRs) of Bank-supported projects to detect indicators of possible fraud or corruption; and 
o	Using information available to INT (including from the Voluntary Disclosure Program) to help operational staff design and implement projects in ways that minimize fraud and corruption risks.
•	Help client countries to fight fraud and corruption by: 
o	Referring investigative findings to the investigative and enforcement authorities in those countries and working with authorities, as requested, to follow-up; and 
o	Collaborating in multilateral efforts to mitigate the risks of fraud or corruption in development activities.
•	Enforce the highest standards of professional integrity, and ethical behavior among Bank staff by: 
o	Investigating specified allegations of staff misconduct involving significant fraud or corruption; and 
o	Mining the lessons learned from those investigations to undertake outreach programs and also correct the Bank’s enabling environment.

INT’s work contributes directly to achieving the poverty reduction mission of the Bank Group and to meeting the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.  Reducing fraud and corruption in Bank Group projects helps to ensure that Bank Group funds are used for their intended purposes: to alleviate poverty and to increase prosperity and stability in our borrowing countries.  Working with others in the international development institutions, INT’s principal goal is measurably to reduce the amount of development assistance funds lost to fraud, corruption and abuse and increase the quality and results of development efforts.  Results are reported in an annual integrity report that contains aggregated data, outcomes and generic descriptions of significant cases. To ensure its independence, INT’s Vice President (VP) reports directly to the President of the Bank Group. 

INT is currently pursuing a staffing initiative along multiple discipline and functional lines to support a sound and effective business strategy, in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of INT and to meet mission-critical needs.

The Special Litigation Unit (SLU) is located under the Director of Operations.  Its tasks include evaluating INT’s investigative findings for sanctionable practices, drafting quality Notices of Sanctions Proceedings, and representing the Bank Group in sanctions proceedings before the Bank Group’s Sanctions Board.  The SLU also liaises with member country governments, judiciaries and law enforcement agencies to coordinate investigations and to refer INT’s findings for national follow-up action.  To ensure that evidence generated by INT investigators meets the required standards, the SLU members guide investigations, review investigative findings and reports, and, if necessary, join investigative teams on missions to the field.

Duties and Accountabilities

The SLU Lead Specialist works closely with and is supervised by INT’s Director of Operations.  It is the duty of the SLU Lead Specialist to guide and supervise a diverse team of attorneys, litigation specialists, paralegals and support staff that represents the major legal systems of the world.  S/he is accountable for the timeliness and quality of proposed Notices of Sanctions Proceedings and for the production of referral reports that adhere to the Bank Group’s legal framework.  The SLU Lead Specialist represents the Bank Group in the sanctions proceedings before the Bank Group’s Sanctions Board and refers findings to member country governments, judiciaries and agencies.  As many of the procedures and documents involved in these activities are new and untested or still evolving, the Lead Specialist has a key role in the development of procedures, the interpretation of the legal framework and the representation of INT’s views in this process.  Additionally, the Lead Specialist is required to encourage and guide constructive legal debates between the representatives of different legal systems, mentor and train staff members in the field of law, transnational investigations and the generation of evidence and to actively participate in the Bank’s anti-corruption efforts. 

Key Responsibilities:
	
INT is recruiting a Lead Specialist, who is a seasoned trial attorney with extensive experience as a representative of the public interest in court; who has a substantial record of investigating development aid-related white-collar crime cases; who has exhibited leadership and has a reputation of being thorough, fair, and objective; and who is capable of leading an open and constructive exchange of ideas between attorneys from different legal systems, within a diverse and multi-cultural work environment. The position is based in Washington, D.C., but may require travel at short notice. The Lead Specialist’s duties and accountabilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

	Manage, guide and define INT’s role and function in Bank Group sanctions to ensure a fair, efficient and effective process, which includes:

•	Supervising and guiding the production of litigation-quality proposed Notices of Sanctions Proceedings and related documents; 
•	Representing the Bank Group in Sanctions Board hearings and negotiations with Respondents and their attorneys;
•	Developing INT’s strategy as well as its submissions for Sanctions Board hearings; 
•	Serving as liaison between INT and the Sanctions Board; 
•	Identifying legal and policy issues that arise in relation to the Bank’s sanctions process and working with other Bank Group Units to resolve them; 
•	Developing and implementing training sessions for INT and Bank Group staff on the implications of the sanctions process for their work; 
•	Contributing to the continuing development of the legal framework for sanctions proceedings;
•	Providing strategic and technical advice to INT and operational Bank Group staff on specific sanctions-related questions; and,
•	Responding to external inquiries on sanctions-related issues. 

	Manage, guide and define the drafting and delivery of referral reports, which includes: 
  
•	Managing and coordinating INT’s process for referring reports and cases to external constituents to ensure that it is consistent with INT and Bank-wide policies and procedures related to disclosure and other relevant topics;
•	Identifying findings by INT investigators that can be referred to member-state authorities for follow-up, e.g. in criminal, civil, administrative, employment or disciplinary procedures;
•	Guiding the drafting of referral reports on the basis of the Bank Group’s legal guidelines and delivering these Referral Reports to the governments of Bank Group member countries, judiciaries and other governmental and law enforcement agencies;
•	Participating in the representation of INT in discussions on referral-related matters, possible criminal, civil, administrative, employment or disciplinary action and best practice both within and outside of the Bank;
•	Providing strategic, analytical and technical advice and guidance to INT management on issues related to the Vice Presidency’s investigative outputs, to ensure maximum effectiveness of such outputs and consistency with Bank Group policies and procedures; and,
•	Participating in fostering an understanding of INT’s work with Bank Group staff and with relevant external partners (e.g., government officials, NGOs, scholars and students, and private sector representatives).

	Advise and guide SLU staff and INT investigators, which includes:

•	Helping to identify the best investigative instruments for a large spectrum of challenging investigative situations and advising and guiding their implementation;
•	Developing formats for and managing and guiding the drafting, editing and completing of Audit Letters, Show Cause Letters and similar tools for INT investigations;
•	Guiding and advising INT investigators during preliminary inquiries and full investigations on Sanctions Board decisions and precedent, the standard and production of evidence to be used in sanctions proceedings and the liaison with member country governments, judiciaries, law enforcement agencies and other external partners during investigations;
•	Helping to develop and implement pro-active strategies which prevent fraud and corruption in the Bank Group;
•	Leading special initiatives/projects and undertaking ad hoc assignments upon demand; and,
•	Helping to develop and implement teaching modules for Bank Group and INT presentations and workshops, mentoring and guiding the instruction of staff, including experienced attorneys and investigators from diverse jurisdictions.

Selection Criteria

•	Advanced university degree in law (JD, LLB, LLM, PhD) or equivalent and admission to the Bar (or equivalent) in at least one jurisdiction plus a minimum of 12 years relevant experience. 
•	Demonstrated understanding of the fundamentals of common law and civil law systems, as well as the international law that governs Bank Group operations.
•	Reliable, broad and current understanding of the modus operandi of corrupt entities (e.g. large and small companies, consultants, NGOs) in a development context and of procurement, investment and development aid related fraud, corruption, collusion and coercion in the World Bank Group’s theatre of operations, or in a similar setting.
•	Experience in white-collar criminal trials and litigation, the presentation of accusations, evidence and oral arguments before courts of law.
•	Proven ability to develop and implement pre-trial and trial strategies, evaluate evidence and the likely success of its presentation, and extensive experience in integrating investigative findings, procedural law and the anticipation of possible defense tactics successfully in the presentation of a case.
•	Proven leadership skills, preferably from a judicial environment and an international organization.
•	Proven diplomatic skills, e.g., as a representative of a member country government or an international organization, in sensitive negotiations, meetings, conferences or in publicly broadcasted statements.
•	Excellent communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written, and excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively in a team/task force as a team leader and with senior officials internally and externally.
•	Demonstrated sensitivity to the Bank’s distinctive demographics and cross cultural context and influences, and ability to build effective work relationships with clients and colleagues.
•	Established reputation for integrity, judgment, fairness and discretion. (Short listed candidates will be asked to supply references and to provide waivers to enable background checks to be conducted.)
•	Experience of working and living in developing countries and on-the-ground knowledge of at least two Bank Group Regions would be desirable.
•	Complete fluency in verbal and written English.

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.

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