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

Job #	082243
Job Title	Litigation Specialist
Job Family	Corporate Governance/Ethics
Location	Washington, DC
Appointment	International Hire
Job Posted	06-Nov-2008
Closing Date	05-Dec-2008
Language Requirements	English [Essential]; Arabic [Desired]; Chinese [Desired]; French [Desired]; German [Desired]; Hindi [Desired]; Indonesian-Malay [Desired]; Portuguese [Desired]; Russian [Desired]; Spanish [Desired]; Swahili [Desired]; Urdu [Desired]
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:

Reduce the risk of fraud and corruption in Bank-supported projects.  This is achieved through (i) professionally identifying, investigating and resolving fraud and corruption issues affecting the Bank Group, (ii) sanctioning firms and individuals that have participated in fraud or corruption of Bank Group funds; and (iii), by drawing on its learning, assisting operational staff in proactively designing and implementing projects in ways that minimize the risk of fraud or corruption. 
	
Encourage the highest standards of personal honesty, integrity and ethical behavior among Bank Group staff, through investigating allegations of staff misconduct and undertaking outreach programs incorporating the lessons learned.

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.  Since 1999, INT has investigated over 2,000 cases.  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.

INT’s renewed business strategy focuses on seven key pillars of activity: (i) integrating investigative work more effectively into Bank Group operations to help ensure the integrity of Bank Group operations; (ii) helping to ensure integrity among Bank Group staff; (iii) higher proactivity; (iv) a stronger focus on prevention; (v) enforcement and deterrence; (vi) providing leadership and excellence in managing knowledge on fraud and corruption in Bank Group-supported operations; and (vii) effectively measuring INT’s impact to show that it can reduce the incidence of fraud and corruption in Bank Group operations.  

The Special Litigation Unit (SLU) is part of INT’s External Operations.  Its tasks include drafting proposed Notices of Sanctions Proceedings and representing the Bank Group in sanctions proceedings before the Group’s Sanctions Board.  The SLU also liaises with Member States’ 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.
 
The Litigation Specialist works under the guidance and supervision of the Manager of the SLU.  It is the duty of the incumbent to draft litigation quality proposed Notices of Sanctions Proceedings and Referral Reports that adhere to the Bank Group’s legal framework.  The incumbent may be part of a team representing the Bank Group in the sanctions proceedings before the Bank Group’s Sanctions Board and join investigative missions and missions to refer findings to member country governments and agencies.  INT and the SLU are diverse environments in which the major legal systems of the world are represented.  The incumbent is expected to participate in open debates between the representatives of different legal systems and to contribute to solutions that take the Bank’s unique legal framework as a Multilateral Development Institution into account. The incumbent will also mentor and train junior staff members in the field of law and transnational investigations and actively participate in the Bank’s anti-corruption efforts.

Duties and Accountabilities

INT is seeking to recruit a Litigation Specialist who has a proven track record for being meticulously thorough, fair, and objective, and who can easily and effectively participate in an open exchange of ideas between attorneys from different legal systems, and can work well in a diverse and multi-cultural environment. The positions are based at Headquarters in Washington, D.C., but require frequent travel. The incumbent’s duties and accountabilities will include, but are not limited to the following:


1.  Contribute to INT’s role and function in Bank sanctions to ensure a streamlined and effective process, which includes:

a)  Drafting, editing and completing litigation-quality proposed Notices of Sanctions Proceedings and related documents; 
b)  Representing INT at Sanctions Board hearings; 
c)  Serving as liaison between INT and the Sanctions Board; 
d)  Working with other World Bank Group Units to resolve policy issues that arise in relation to the Bank’s sanctions process; 
e)  Delivering training sessions for Bank staff on the implications of the sanctions process to their work; 
f)  Providing strategic and technical advice to INT management and Bank staff on specific sanctions-related questions; 
g)  Teaching and coaching INT staff on matters of sanctions and sanctions procedures; and,
h)  Responding to external inquiries on sanctions-related issues. 

2.  Deliver referral reports, which includes: 
  
a)  Coordinating INT’s process for referring reports and cases to external constituents to ensure consistency with Bank Group and INT policies and procedures related to disclosure and other relevant topics;
b)  Drafting, editing and completing referral reports to be submitted to the governments of Bank member countries, judiciaries, and law enforcement agencies; 
c)  Participating in the representation of INT in discussions on referral-related matters both within and outside of the Bank;
d)  Providing strategic, analytical and technical advice to INT management on issues related to investigative outputs to ensure maximum effectiveness of such outputs and consistency with Bank Group policies and procedures;
e)  Coaching INT staff on referral policy and procedures; and,
f)  Participating in fostering an understanding of INT’s work with Bank Group staff and with relevant external partners (e.g., government officials, NGO officials, and private sector representatives).

3.  Advise INT investigators, including:

a)  Drafting, editing, and completing Audit Letters, “Show Cause” Letters and similar tools for INT investigations;
b)  Advising INT investigators during preliminary inquiries and 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;
c)  Contributing to the development and implementation of pro-active strategies which prevent fraud and corruption in the Bank Group;
d)  Leading special initiatives/projects and undertaking ad hoc assignments upon demand.

Selection Criteria

•  Advanced university degree (JD, LLB, LLM) or equivalent and admission to the Bar (or equivalent) in at least one jurisdiction.
•  At least five years of relevant experience in the investigation of fraud and corruption and the prosecution or litigation of national and/or transnational corruption and related white collar crime.
•  Experience in fraud and corruption related preventative efforts.
•  Reliable, broad and current understanding of the modus operandi of corrupt entities (e.g. large and small companies, consultants, NGOs) and of procurement, investment and/or development aid related fraud, corruption, collusion and coercion in the World Bank Group’s theatre of operations.
•  Proven excellence in communicating investigative findings to operational staff as well as to deliver innovative and state-of-the-art workshops and presentations on the identification and prevention of triangular transnational fraud and corruption in a development context.
•  Excellent communication and presentation skills, both verbal and written.
•  Proven ability to clearly and concisely prepare, present, discuss and defend findings and recommendations at senior levels and to produce complex and compelling briefs, memoranda, reports, and papers, often on very short notice.
•  Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to work effectively in a team/task force as a team member or a team leader and with senior officials internally and externally.
•  Demonstrated understanding of the fundamentals of different legal systems (e.g. common law/civil law).
•  Ability to translate theoretical concepts into practical applications and solutions to legal issues and policies.
•  Ability to conduct comprehensive research on a range of issues, including those of a unique and complex nature.
•  Demonstrated sensitivity to the Bank Group’s distinctive demographics and cross cultural context and influences, and the ability to build effective work relationships with clients and colleagues.
•  Complete fluency in verbal and written English.
•  Established reputation for integrity, sound judgment, impeccable fairness and discretion in dealing internally and externally. Short listed candidates will be asked to supply references and to provide waivers to enable background checks to be conducted.
•  Additionally, full proficiency in at least one of the following languages is desirable: French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Swahili, Indonesian, Chinese, Portuguese, German, Urdu or Hindi.

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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