Background / General
description:
The Energy Practice of the World Bank comprises some 200 seasoned energy specialists actively engaged in policy advice, technical assistance, project preparation and supervision, and analytical work. The World Bank Group is active in energy sector operations across the developing world and provides finance of the order of US$7 billion annually. The World Bank Group’s energy operations cover all forms of power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure, energy efficiency, energy access, utility and sector strengthening, as well as development policy operations.
The World Bank’s Energy Practice is organized in six Regional Units (Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa (Eastern and Southern), and Sub-Saharan Africa (Central and Western) plus one Global Unit (SEGEN). In addition, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multi-lateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) provide complementary financial support directly to private sector entities.
SEGEN forms part of the Sustainable Development Vice-Presidency (SDN), and directly supports the operations of the six regional energy units as well as corporate energy strategy and policy. As the “Energy Anchor” of the World Bank, SEGEN plays a key role in defining, guiding and supporting the mission of the World Bank in the energy sector. The primary roles of the unit include: (i) establishing and communicating a strategic vision for the energy sector in the Bank operations; (ii) developing partnerships within and outside the Bank; (iii) coordinating energy sector activities across Regions, with other Sectors, and with External Partners; (iii) undertaking cutting-edge global analytical work to inform the energy position of the Bank; (iii) managing global energy knowledge dissemination; (iv) monitoring the performance of energy operations; and (v) undertaking strategic management of sector staff. The Unit also supports multi-stakeholder partnerships, such as the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and Scaling up Renewable Energy Program (SREP) of the Climate Investment Funds, as well as the Carbon Capture and Storage Trust Fund. The unit works closely and collaboratively with staff of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).
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 4 year term appointment.
Duties and
Accountabilities:
In this context, the World Bank is seeking to recruit one or two Lead Energy Specialists in one or other of the following two strategic areas:
• Power Sector Institutions: The World Bank is widely engaged in the area of reform and performance optimization of power sector institutions, including ministries, utilities, regulatory agencies, and other related entities. The World Bank’s Energy Sector Directions Paper 2013 emphasizes the importance of improvements in the financial, operational and institutional environment of the sector as a guiding principle of engagement and a prerequisite for effective investments. The Lead Energy Specialist will lead work in the areas of structural reform of the power sector governance, private participation in the power sector, and operational turnaround of under-performing power utilities.
• Power Systems Planning: Power Systems Planning provides an important foundation for World Bank group engagement in the energy sectors of client countries. The World Bank’s Energy Sector Directions Paper 2013 emphasizes the importance of engaging holistically to catalyze the transformation of the energy sector through long-term system-wide planning to secure adequate, reliable and sustainable energy supply and efficient energy consumption practices. The Lead Energy Specialist will lead work in the areas of power systems analysis, planning, and technical due diligence of generation, transmission and distribution projects, covering key emerging areas such as regional power trade, smart grids, and system integration of renewable energy.
The Lead Energy Specialist will be expected to play a leading role in shaping Bank thinking and practice around engagement in their specialist field by:
a) providing expert advice on request to internal and external clients; b) defining a global knowledge agenda; c) promoting identification and dissemination of global best practices; d) participating to the quality assurance process for operational and advisory engagements; e) anchoring a Community of Practice across the Bank.
With a view to meeting these objectives, the specific responsibilities of the Lead Energy Specialist would be as follows.
a) Providing expert advice on request to internal and external clients.
• Giving advisory input to project teams on the design and implementation of energy operations and related advisory and analytical work. • Participating in missions to interact directly with clients bringing them a global perspective on key policy choices and debates. • Identifying and promoting opportunities for south-south and north-south peer exchange among clients facing similar development challenges. • Briefing the Sector Board on the state of the World Bank’s operational engagements in this area and on recommended directions for evolution. • Acting as a public spokesperson for the Bank’s perspective on issues related to their respective field of specialization.
b) Defining a global knowledge agenda.
• In collaboration with the Sector Board, identifying strategic knowledge gaps and developing a corporate knowledge agenda in their respective field of specialization. • Working with cross-regional and cross-sectoral teams to lead high profile knowledge products.
c) Promoting identification and dissemination of global best practices in this area.
• Staying abreast of global developments, best practices and technical literature in their respective field of specialization. • Maintaining an overview of approaches that are being applied within the Bank’s portfolio and the associated outcomes. • Promoting the development of an evidence base on which to rigorously assess the impact of different types of interventions in their respective field of specialization. • Promoting the careful documentation and analysis of best practice experiences in their respective field of specialization. • Convening dissemination events to ensure that best practice experiences are widely known and discussed within the Bank.
d) Participating the quality assurance process for operational and advisory engagements.
• Acting as peer reviewer for key operational documents as well as advisory and analytical outputs in their respective field of specialization. • Convening, at the request of management, groups of experts to provide informal advice to teams on quality enhancement of client services at different stages of project evolution. • Advising management on selection of best qualified peer reviewers for different operational and advisory engagements.
e) Anchoring a Community of Practice on power sector institutions within the Bank.
• Maintaining an overview of the professional development of all Community of Practice members. • Providing feedback to management on the technical performance of Community of Practice staff. • Developing a program of interventions designed to nurture the talent and deepen the expertise of the Community of Practice, including mentoring, training, peer exchange and stretch assignments. • Identifying talent requirements and supporting the process of recruitment of new specialized staff into the practice.
Selection Criteria:
The successful candidate is expected to meet the following requirements.
• Post Graduate degree in power related field, such as engineering, economics, management or finance. • Sustained record of achieving high-quality substantive results over an extended period (typically at least 10 years) of professional experience in the energy sector working either directly in sector institutions, or as a consultant/advisor, or in an international agency. • Recognized expertise in their respective field of specialization with record of active participation in global events and technical publications. • Either deep technical understanding of issues related to utility operations and management, power sector reform, and/or power sector regulation and/or deep technical understanding of issues related to power systems planning models and approaches, economic dispatch analysis, transmission and distribution systems. • Global exposure to power sector challenges of developing countries, across multiple countries and ideally in more than one continent. • Extensive experience of interaction with senior policy makers in the energy field, either through holding public office or in an advisory or managerial capacity. • Experience of working in multi-cultural team environments. • Fluency in English, plus ideally fluency in one or more of the Bank’s other official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russia, Spanish).
Given below are generic competencies that are expected for staff playing Lead Energy Specialist Role. • General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills - Possesses a track record of intellectual leadership and ability to integrate economic-specific knowledge and specific micro/sector fields of expertise; provides quality assurance and assesses technical soundness of work. • Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Influences design and execution of major policy and/or research initiatives; conceives and promotes innovations in development policies, project design, organization and management to improve operational/sector work. • Policy Dialogue Skills - Has a track record of conducting effective policy dialogue with country counterparts; communicates and defends difficult issues and positions to senior bank management and government officials. • Deep technical expertise either in Energy Policy, Strategy and Institutions (comprehensive understanding of energy policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations) and/or Power System Technologies (expert at policy-related decisions and advice, with expertise in one or more areas: power generation, transmission, distribution; utility management, operations, maintenance, and services, etc.). • Client Orientation - Translates insight into practice across disciplines, hierarchies, geographies and organizational units in service of clients. • Drive for Results - Ensures successful implementation and delivery of key programs and projects, ensuring that outputs positively impact results. • Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Creates a team climate of practical and innovative action, facilitating collaboration between competing interests and stakeholders. • Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Demonstrates command of all forms of communication and presents in a clear, objective and engaging manner in high-level settings; ensures knowledge is captured and shared in a variety of ways. • Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Serves as a trusted advisor to others on their decisions, ensuring alignment across units and optimal impact on the organization as a whole.
Interested candidates are invited to apply to
vacancy #131996 on www.worldbank.org/careers. This vacancy
closes on 21 Sep, 2013. Only online applications submitted through our
careers site will be admitted. 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
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. We are not a bank in the common sense; we are made up of two unique development institutions owned by 187 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). Each institution plays a different but collaborative role in advancing the vision of inclusive and sustainable globalization. The IBRD aims to reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries, while IDA focuses on the world's poorest countries. Their work is complemented by that of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Together, we provide low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture and environmental and natural resource management.