Energy Specialist– Battery Storage
Job #: req24056
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Energy
Grade: GF
Term Duration: 4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 9/7/2023 (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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.
The Infrastructure Practice Group
Globally, 840 million people live more than 2 kilometers from all-weather roads, 1 billion people lack electricity, and 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 is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies. more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/infrastructure INF Vice Presidential Unit (VPU) currently consists of four global practices (GPs): Energy & Extractives (EEX), Transport, Digital Development (DD) and Infrastructure Finance, PPPs and Guarantees (IPG).
Energy and Extractives Global Practice (EEX)
Energy is at the heart of development. Energy makes possible the investments, innovations and new industries that are the engines of jobs, inclusive growth and shared prosperity for entire economies. Universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable and modern energy – Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 — is essential to reach other SDGs and is at the center of efforts to tackle climate change. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy There are around 300 staff professionally mapped to the Energy and Extractives Global Practice, of which about 90 mapped to EEX global units. Remaining staff is within regional energy units. EEX has an annual lending program in the order of US$5-7 billion a year, an active portfolio of some $40 billion, and a rich program of Advisory and Analytical Work. Regional energy units oversee and develop lending and non-lending energy operations in different subsectors including renewable energy, energy efficiency, utility performance, grid and off-grid access, regulatory and policy reforms. The EEX GP focuses on: providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to meet the needs of fast-growing economies and to ensure universal access to modern energy services for people in client countries; and, strengthening 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. There are three global units for EEX: (a) the Infrastructure Energy Extractives Industry Unit (IEEXI) oversees and contributes to lending and non-lending activities in mining and hydrocarbon development with particular emphasis on transparency, governance, capacity building, and gender opportunities together with the regional units; and takes the leadership on global extractives initiatives; (b) the Infrastructure Energy Global Programs (IEEES) oversees mobilization and deployment of trust funds (Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and the climate funds); and (c) the Infrastructure Energy Global Knowledge & Expertise (IEEGK).
Energy Global Programs Unit (IEEES)
The Energy Global Programs Unit harbors the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and the Energy Climate Finance Team. The ESMAP is a donor-funded global knowledge and technical assistance program, administered by the World Bank. It provides analytical and advisory services to low- and middle-income countries to increase their know-how and institutional capacity to achieve environmentally sustainable energy solutions for poverty reduction and economic 2 growth. Supporting over a hundred activities in countries around the world at any given time, ESMAP is an integral part of the Energy and Extractives Global Practice of the World Bank.
The Energy Climate Finance Team coordinates and manages the demand of the Energy and Extractives Global Practice for climate funds, including the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs, such as the Clean Technology Fund), Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and others.
Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)
The ESMAP’s Business Plan FY21-24 focuses on supporting client countries on two overarching objectives: (i) Achieving universal access of energy by 2030 (SDG7) and (ii) achieving decarbonization across the energy sector in support of international commitment on climate change. The Business Plan is structured around four pillars (clean cooking, electricity access, renewable energy and accelerating decarbonization), and two cross-cutting or foundational programs (Foundations for the Energy Transition and the Energy Data and Analytics Hub). ESMAP provides a combination of self-managed analytical work in order to further scale-up the energy access and transition agendas, monitoring of grants to regional operational units to support regional and country-specific analyses and capacity building, and operational support for country-specific projects in the six Bank regions.
Duties and Accountabilities
The World Bank seeks to recruit an Energy Specialist to join the ESMAP Team in Washington, D.C., in the area of Energy Transition and Battery Storage. The Energy Specialist will be responsible for supporting global knowledge programs in energy transition and storage, supporting project design and implementation at the operational level, and promoting knowledge exchange across internal teams and with leading external institutions. The position is expected to focus on decarbonization, policy support, scaled-up implementation models, capacity building, and innovative financing, underscoring all of the Bank’s work.
The Energy Specialist will be expected to forge strong partnerships with organizations and individuals to better inform the Bank’s energy strategies and result in higher quality implementation and impact of Bank-supported programs. This will require effective communication and outreach to key stakeholders, including client governments, academia, civil society organizations, media, other development partners, and other Bank Group units. The ESMAP is a pivotal contributor to the WBG strategy for Maximizing Finance for Development (MFD) with the objective of helping countries maximize their development resources by drawing on a range of financing sources and sustainable private-sector solutions. The candidate is expected to 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 stakeholders that can contribute to the achievement of our development objectives.
S/he would report to the Practice Manager of IEEES and work alongside a group of professionals based in Washington DC, and colleagues globally.
Selection Criteria
- Master’s degree in energy planning/economics, finance, business administration, or equivalent areas
- At least 5 years of experience developing and implementing battery storage and/or renewable energy projects and programs in developing countries ; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Understanding of financial structuring of energy and storage projects globally.
- Experience developing and implementing renewable energy and storage strategies, policies, and regulations in developing countries.
- Knowledge of programs and methods to assess and quantify greenhouse gas emissions, such as CDM and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol
- Experience working with large global teams, with an ability to produce high-quality results and outputs with minimal supervision, is required.
- High level of excitement, ability to work independently, taking initiative, and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements
- Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to build strong partnerships with clients, different stakeholders, and colleagues across units and departmental boundaries in a multicultural environment with virtual teams located in different countries
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including an ability to communicate complex issues in simple terms and to engage in evidence-based dialogue with regional energy teams and their client counterparts
- Experienced in managing and implementing donor-funded projects in programs in developing countries.
- The candidate must be proficient in English.
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. Note: World Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment will retain this status. All others will be offered a 4-year term appointment.
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.
