ABOUT THE COMPANY:

non profit

JOB SUMMARY

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges.

For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region

We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent.

Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.

Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential.

Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.

In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 349 projects totaling more than $60 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation- all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives.

Across the continent, the World Bank’s program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years.

By 2030, about 87% of the world’s extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.
Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa

UNIT CONTEXT

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.

Infrastructure Practice Group

Globally, one billion people live more than 2 kilometers from all-weather roads, 685 million people lack electricity, and nearly 4 billion people lack Internet access.

Access to basic infrastructure services is critical for creating economic opportunities for the poor. The Infrastructure (INF) Practice Group within the World Bank is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies. The INF Vice Presidential Unit (VPU) currently consists of four global practices (GPs): Energy & Extractives (EEX); Transport; Urban, Resilience and Land (URL), and Infrastructure Finance Practice (IFP).

It oversees the Bank’s work across energy and transport sectors, urban development, as well as efforts to promote energy transition, low-carbon transportation, livable cities, disaster risk resilience, land management, and quality infrastructure services through public-private partnerships.

Infrastructure represents around $110 billion of the Bank’s portfolio. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/infrastructure

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 Africa energy sector grouping consists of four units across two regions of Eastern and Southern Africa (AFE) and Western and Central Africa (AFW), each managed by a Practice Manager.

The units together total over 120 staff of which 58% (over 70) are based outside the US, and more than half of the operational and advisory activities are managed /led by field-based staff.  The Bank is engaged in all aspects of the electricity sector – generation, transmission, distribution, rural electrification, and off-grid.

The Africa Energy Program in Western and Central Africa currently comprises about 41 projects with a value of over US$9 billion, covering reforms (sector and corporate governance, energy security and the environment, regional energy trade, public-private partnerships, energy efficiency, etc.) and investment support in power generation, power and gas transmission and distribution, regional connectivity, rural energy services, renewable energy development, low-carbon and climate friendly initiatives. The Program uses a variety of instruments, including investment lending, guarantees for public private partnerships, and development policy lending.

In addition, the Bank manages a strong knowledge agenda to inform the policy dialogue in the sector.

The AFW Energy Program is now at a turning point since the Bank has embraced the objective to provide electricity access to additional 250 million people by 2030.

As a result, all Units are gearing up efforts and new lending is expected to reach approximately US$2 billion per annum.

The IAWE2 (West Africa) unit seeks an experienced Senior Energy Economist based in Washington D.C.

to contribute to the Unit’s strategic, advisory, and operational work. He will lead lending and non-lending activities and support teams on the growing energy portfolio of the unit.

In West Africa, where insufficient electricity supply is a major barrier to expanding access, regional power system integration and clean energy transition are key areas of focus to help countries achieve energy security.

Also, reforms remain critical to improve the financial standing of power sectors and utilities and ultimately create the conditions for private investment.

Finally, renewed focus will be given to electrification, based on attentive planning and a combination of grid-based and decentralized solutions as the WBG joins forces with other partners to increase energy access to at least 300 million people in Africa.

Duties & Accountabilities

The duties and accountabilities of the Senior Energy Economist (SEE) will be as follows:

• Lead or contribute to analytical work related to regional power markets design, implementation and regulation:  models for electricity market, design of regulations and institutions for efficient power markets, development of sustainable transmission system operators and transmission rights, advising governments on the trade- offs between energy security and cost reductions through regional integration, development of national and regional strategies to support the shift towards clean energy at regional level, modeling power markets and securitization of payments in support of trade;
• As part of project teams, prepare, appraise, negotiate and supervise investment operations in the energy sector, especially for regional interconnections and regional power markets;
• Supporting teams on strategic energy issues and implementation of the sub-region’s access agenda, including efforts to turnaround financial performances of utilities and sectors, maximize finance for development (MFD), and increasing the participation of the private sector in energy;
• Support teams for the development of prior actions for Development Policy Financing (DPFs) operations around utility financial sustainability, power sector planning, payment credit support, adoption of regional market regulatory framework
• Actively participate in overseeing World Bank-supported energy country programs in the region with the aim to enhance quality and pro-poor focus and accelerate implementation;
• Contribute to business development in selected countries;
• Develop and maintain close relationships with local public and private stakeholders, support policy dialogue and keep abreast of developments in the energy sector.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in engineering, energy planning/economics, business administration, or equivalent areas relevant for energy/extractives sector development;
• At least 10 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 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; Hands-on experience with infrastructure projects with power sector utilities will be a distinct advantage;
• Strong knowledge of at least one of relevant thematic business lines such as Economics, Energy Markets & Institutions; Renewable Energy; Energy Finance; Hydropower; Power Systems & Technologies.
• A consistent track record in carrying out high quality and timely analytical reports and activities, especially experience with leading economic and financial analysis for regional power sector integration projects, would be advantageous;
• Experience working on World Bank or other International Financial Institutions (IFIs) lending and non-lending operations is desirable; including knowledge and experience with fiduciary and safeguards policies and application.
• 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; Proven record of teamwork 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;
• 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.
• Full proficiency in spoken and written French and English.

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 (gas-to-power and other power generation technologies, transmission and distribution, renewables, and energy efficiency) to policy-related decisions and advice;
• Energy Policy, Strategy and Institutions – Proven understanding of energy policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations.

The WBG Core Competencies

• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Translates 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 – Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
• Integrative Skills – Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.

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