Senior Evaluation Officer
Job #: req22846
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Climate Change
Grade: GG
Term Duration: 3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): French [Desired]; Spanish [Desired]
Closing Date: 6/6/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group (WBG) 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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.
Climate Change Group
The Climate Change Group (CCG) has as key functions to propose the strategy to mainstream climate change across the WBG.
The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) – one of the world’s largest multilateral funds – uses climate financing to help low and middle-income countries accelerate low-carbon, climate-resilient development. CIF supports an inclusive and just climate-smart future, focusing on diverse partnerships that de-risk green markets and unlock additional investments and financing.
To date, 14 contributor countries have pledged over US$11 billion to CIF, leveraging an additional US$62 billion in co-financing in 72 recipient countries. Since its start, CIF has worked in the areas of clean technologies, energy access, climate resilience, and sustainable forests. And now, after identifying the next frontier of climate challenges, CIF is investing in five new areas: the transition from coal, climate-smart cities, nature-based solutions, industry decarbonization, and renewable energy integration.
The Climate Investment Funds’ reputation as a pioneering and effective international climate fund has been built to a large degree through its expansive energy portfolio of more than 230 operations. Leading the way is the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), established with USD 5.8 billion in funding from nine sovereign sponsors. It has since provided USD 5.2 billion in loans, equity investments, guarantees, and grants to contribute to the demonstration, deployment, and transfer of clean technologies in middle-income countries. It has more than 160 approved projects spanning investments from concentrated solar power and floating solar to district heating efficiency to battery storage installations. The aims of the CTF, which accounts for USD 7.9 billion in CIFs resources, are to make transformational impacts in developing countries by supporting cutting-edge technologies that can lead to significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
The CIF was founded with the mandate to serve as a learning laboratory for scaled-up climate finance. The CIF Evaluation and Learning (E&L) Initiative is helping to fulfil this mandate through a range of strategic and demand-driven evaluations covering some of the most important and pressing challenges facing climate finance funders and practitioners. Drawing on experience from across the CIF portfolio of investments in clean energy, forests and resilience in 72 developing countries, the E&L Initiative uses evaluation to enable learning that is relevant, timely and used to inform decisions and strategies, for both the CIF and the wider climate finance sector.
Guided by an expert Advisory Group that includes representatives from MDBs, donors, recipient countries, CIF Observers, the CIF Administrative Unit (CIF AU) and external experts, evaluations are undertaken with high stakeholder engagement and a focus on applied learning opportunities. The E&L Initiative prioritizes five core learning themes and related sub-topics, developed through wide consultation and dialogue. Evaluations address key issues relevant to CIF programs, sectors and stakeholder groups. Broadly, the five core themes include transformational change, private sector investments, development impacts of climate finance and just transitions, local stakeholder engagement and benefit, and program/sector studies.
The E&L FY23-27 Business Plan was approved by the CIF Trust Fund Committees in June 2022 with three broad objectives: 1) new evidence generated to optimize CIF program investments 2) Application of learning in countries and institutions; 2) and 3) Collaboration and partnerships for climate finance impact. The E&L FY23 Work Plan that highlighted key objectives and activities specifically for FY23 was approved in July 2022.
Duties and Accountabilities:
The Senior Evaluation Officer will lead and support the implementation of several activities as outlined in the E&L Business Plan and Annual Work Plans, with specific focus on the following key activities among others: 1. Strategic guidance and dedicated management capacity for an enhanced Transformational Change Learning Partnership (TCLP) fostering analytical work, peer learning and the operationalisation of transformational change within CIF activities and broader climate finance related initiatives.
2. An evaluation of the transformative environmental, social, and economic contributions of CIF investments to adaptation and mitigation including impacts on ecosystem services, jobs, economic value addition, energy security, health, gender mainstreaming, and other areas, to help inform ongoing and new investments.
3. Guidance of, and support for, conceptualizing and implementing transformative social and organizational learning processes that create, share and use knowledge to deliver technical assistance and capacity development activities with and for internal and external partners.
4. Various MDB, country, and/or CIF-led studies and participatory learning activities related to current or prospective new CIF programming areas (e.g., energy storage and renewable energy integration, climate-smart urbanization, nature-based solutions, decarbonizing industry, and coal transitions).
5. Provide advisory support for the Just Transition Initiative and guidance on ensuring transformational just transitions in the design, implementations, and review of CIF related programs, MDB projects, and country led initiatives.
6.Supporting dialogue/ engagement on transformational climate finance.
Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The overall responsibility of this position is to lead and support different E&L activities, including evaluations and learning partnerships, and provide strategic input to its overall direction and work planning.
More specifically the position will be expected to perform the following responsibilities: 1. Evaluations and other studies: Manage evaluations and other kinds of studies, including design and stakeholder consultations; contracting evaluation teams; managing processes and work planning; providing technical guidance on methods and content; and coordinating review processes with experts and reviewers. Study themes could include a range of topics related to development impact and transformational change from climate investments in clean energy, resilience, and nature-based solutions. Manage stakeholders including evaluation teams, CIF AU colleagues, MDBs, recipient countries, donors, private sector partners, and local community representatives to ensure quality, timeliness and high relevance of all deliverables.
2. Learning events and partnerships: Design and manage learning partnerships and events that include CIF internal and broader external participants on key thematic areas of relevance to the CIF and broader climate finance stakeholders. Conduct outreach, manage membership, guide content and ensure proactive engagement and relevance to participants. Guide the design and implementation of workshops (in-person and virtual) on key topics of interest to stakeholders. Participate in external conferences/events, in coordination with CIF AU, amongst other stakeholders, generating high levels of visibility, buy-in and uptake for E&L activities and lessons. Coordinate meetings with CIF AU, E&L Advisory Group, CIF Trust Fund Committees, and other external and internal partners.
3. Strategic advisory: Provide strategic advice, direction and technical assistance to the overall E&L work plan and annual reports, including the dissemination of and engagement around different studies to ensure lessons emerging are used in decision making and to spark new ideas and grounded action. Guidance for key development partners in identifying operational issues and solutions with a demonstrated ability to bring together divers perspectives.
4. Development of briefs and tools: Work to develop follow-on tools and products from key studies, potentially including guidance notes, tools, learning modules, summary briefs and others, as well as engage in related dissemination, engagement and learning uptake activities.
5. Assist with other miscellaneous support for implementation of the E&L Initiative, including on strategies and approaches, links to new CIF program design and implementation, and stakeholder outreach.
MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING
This position will be based in Washington, DC, within the CIF Administrative Unit located in the World Bank.
This position will report to the Senior Evaluation and Learning Officer in the CIF and will work collaboratively with colleagues in the CIF E&L team and the wider CIF Administrative Unit team, as well as with colleagues in multi-lateral development banks (MDBs), recipient/client countries, and other key stakeholders.
Selection Criteria
a) Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field and at least 12 years of experience in managing or conducting evaluations of complex, multi-component programs and funds; b) Proven track record in designing and/or implementing learning-oriented evaluations in a context of complexity, using systems thinking and mixed methods (e.g., quantitative and qualitative); c) Proven track record of designing and implementing international learning initiatives, events and partnerships that engage multiple stakeholders on thematic/topical areas of interest, including a solid understanding of various approaches to evidence-based learning and sustainable development; e) Sector experience in climate and environment programming and/or research, especially in relation to the CIF programming areas listed above with particular emphasis on developing country contexts; f) Knowledge and understanding of monitoring, evaluation and learning in the context of MDBs; g) Demonstrated understanding of relevant evaluation standards and norms, and familiarity with relevant evaluation codes of conduct and ethics; and h) Strong team-work, flexibility, and adaptability, and ability to successfully navigate complex issues and challenges in a multi-stakeholder, multi-cultural environment. i) Proven track record of leading task teams and assisting public, private, and civil society partners in establishing ethical, implementable, and sustainable priorities and action plans.
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.
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