Washington, United States
World Bank HQ Washington
Senior Energy Specialist
Job #: req4961
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Energy
Grade: GG
Term Duration: 4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): Spanish
Closing Date: 12/3/2019 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work 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. Visit www.worldbank.org.
The World Bank Group (WBG) supports the Sustainable Energy for All initiative and is committed to working towards accomplishing the initiative’s three goals by 2030: i) universal access to electricity and clean cooking fuels; ii) doubling the share of the world’s energy supplied by renewable sources from 18 percent to 36 percent, and iii) doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
The Infrastructure Practice Group is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies. As part of the Infrastructure Practice Group, the Energy & Extractives (EEX) Global Practice (GP) focuses on providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to meet the needs of fast-growing economies, ensure universal access to modern energy services for people in client countries, strengthen policy and institutional frameworks to promote transparent and equitable growth of the extractives sectors for public benefit. There is a strong emphasis on private sector resource mobilization and catalyzing financing from commercial and other sources of development and climate finance.
The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Regional Energy Unit (ILCE1) operates in the context of the overall Bank mission while focusing on some of the key challenges for the region, which include improving energy security (through both supply and demand side interventions) and efficiency of sectoral enterprises, increasing financing for investments, supporting reforms in the power and gas sectors as well as the shift towards utilities of the future, and increasing resiliency to climate change. Energy services development is an increasingly critical element in the Region’s strategy for promoting green and inclusive growth and reducing poverty.
The unit seeks a Senior Energy Specialist to develop and lead a complex sector dialogue and a portfolio of investment lending operations, as well as analytical work, primarily focused on Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. The Bank support to the energy sector in the region is integrated in a coordinated effort led by the Government and partners in a variety of sub-sectors, including electricity and gas legal, regulatory and institutional framework; sustainable public distribution companies and their transition to the utilities of the future; renewable energy development and integration into power systems and markets; social and climate resiliency, with the common objective of contributing significantly to the country’s economic growth through a transparent, viable and sustainable energy sector development. As a member of the team, a strong and versatile task team leader, you will become a key representation of the Energy Global Practice for these countries, contribute to the unit’s activities in other sub-regions and client countries in LAC, and will have an important level of responsibility and autonomy in conducting the sector policy dialogue and leading task teams.
Duties and accountabilities:
- Play an active role in the Bank’s policy dialogue with the authorities, development partners, and others on strategic energy issues and implementation of ongoing energy sector reforms. Lead the organization of large events and high-level sector roundtables. You will be encouraged to forge positive relationships with organizations and individuals which can better inform the energy strategies and result in higher quality implementation and impact of Bank-supported programs. This will require effective communication and outreach to key partners including client governments, academia, civil society organizations, media, other development partners and other Bank Group units;
- Lead the preparation and supervision of investment operations in the Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela energy sector, including Public Private Partnerships and innovative financing investments in infrastructure projects. The operations demand a good understanding of the electricity, and gas legal, regulatory and institutional framework; transition to the utilities of the future (including electro-mobility); energy efficiency; renewable energy development and integration into power systems and markets; social and climate resiliency; Public Private Partnership investments in infrastructure projects as well as regional integration projects.
- Lead analytical and advisory work in the energy sector and related areas, including political economy and macro-fiscal aspects, in collaboration with other GPs.
- Contribute to the Maximizing Finance for Development (MFD) approach. The LAC Energy team is a key contributor to the WBG strategy for MFD with the objective to help countries maximize their development resources by drawing on a range of financing sources and sustainable private sector solutions. You will actively seek opportunities to apply MFD principles in our work program and build a strong internal WBG partnership with IFC and MIGA as well as networks with private sector partners that can contribute to the achievement of our development objectives.
- Lead teams and provide guidance and mentoring to junior staff on operational, policy dialogue and analytical activities.
- Actively contribute, in collaboration with the GP, global leads and knowledge management organizations active in the region, to the identification, development and dissemination of global knowledge products and of our activities within the WBG and in external events. Provide inputs to operational products/outputs for sector and country briefings, analytical and advisory reports, portfolio performance and monitoring reviews, and liaison between the energy and extractives practice and the country unit on energy issues.
Selection Criteria
- Master’s degree in engineering, energy planning/economics, business administration, or equivalent areas relevant for energy/extractives sector development;
- At least 8 years of combined experience in the World Bank, other international institutions and/or companies, government agencies, and/or power sector utilities with consistent record of successful engagement with complex projects;
- Understanding of energy/extractives policies, regulations, technologies or strategies, private sector participation, and institutional development needed to support development and for the success of project and analytic work; experience leading and/or playing key roles in policy dialogue with clients and partners;
- Strong experience in planning, designing, and implementing power infrastructure projects including renewable energy generation, transmission and distribution, and on-grid and off-grid electrification and access projects; Hands-on experience with infrastructure projects with power sector utilities will be a distinct advantage; certification and/or previous experience designing or implementing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) will be highly valued.
- Strong knowledge of at least one of relevant thematic business lines such as Energy Access; Economics, Markets & Institution; Oil & Gas; Mining; Energy Efficiency; Renewable Energy; Energy Finance; Hydropower; Power Systems & Technologies.
- A consistent track record in carrying out high quality and timely analytical reports and activities would be advantageous;
- Experience working on World Bank lending and non-lending operations is desirable;
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- Active listening skills, excellent interpersonal skills, able to influence the audience and build positive relationships with clients, different partners and colleagues across units and departmental boundaries in a multi-cultural environment with disperse teams located in different countries.
- Experience working with large global teams, producing high-quality results and outputs with minimal supervision; Consistent track record of team work and ability to lead and mentor junior staff, to advise and guide senior staff in your core skills, to produce high-quality policy and project related written outputs with autonomy and in a highly-visible country profile;
- Demonstrated experience in fragile states, including field assignments, in preparing and implementing projects and analytical work in areas such as energy efficiency, renewable energy and power sector reforms will be an advantage;
- High level of excitement, ability to work independently, taking initiative, and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements;
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including an ability to communicate complex issues in simple terms and to engage in evidence-based dialogue with clients.
- Proficiency in English, spoken and written. Proficiency in Spanish would be a strong advantage. Knowledge of other languages spoken in the LAC region (including Portuguese and French) is highly valued.
Technical competencies:
- Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Translate technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level;
- Policy Dialogue Skills – Anticipate needs and requests in the field and conduct independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners;
- Integrative Skills – Understand relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations;
- Energy Sector Technologies – Deep experience applying knowledge (hydrocarbon, power generation, transmission and distribution, renewables, and energy efficiency) to policy-related decisions and advice;
- Energy Policy, Strategy and Institutions – Solid understanding of energy policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations;
The WBG Core Competencies:
- Lead and Innovate – Develop innovative solutions with others.
- Deliver Results for Clients – Achieve results and identify mission-driven solutions for clients
- Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Initiate collaboration across boundaries and broadly across WBG, and bring differing ideas into the forefront;
- Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Create, apply and share knowledge from across and outside the WBG to strengthen internal and/or external client solutions
- Make Smart Decisions – Recommend and take decisive action
Poverty has no borders. Neither does excellence. This is why we continually search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe. We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
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