Senior Energy Specialist-Utility Reforms, World Bank
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. For 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.
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).
The Infrastructure Energy Global Knowledge & Expertise (IEGGK)
IEEGK staff are responsible for delivering on global analytical tasks and for supporting country and regional operational and analytical engagements, with cross support accounting for a large share of their work programs. At the global level, the IEEGK staff collaborate closely with INF’s chief economist office on a programmatic series of global flagship studies, aimed at expanding knowledge in strategic areas and helping operations’ design and implementation. At the country and regional levels, staff in IEEGK take the lead on embedding frontier global knowledge and expertise in infrastructure country engagements, including joining teams in lending and analytical operations, providing peer review services and supporting the role of Global Directors in quality enhancement activities for selected strategic operations and analytical tasks.
Duties and accountabilities:
The Senior Energy Specialist will act as the focal point for distribution reform in IEEGK. He/she will lead/contribute to Bank’s energy sector engagements involving performance improvement of electricity distribution and retail supply companies. The Senior Energy Specialist will be responsible for fostering knowledge sharing between energy task teams in different regions focused on utilities to ensure that energy task teams learn from good practices and lessons learnt from the World Bank’s utility engagements in different countries and regions. He/she will provide cross-support to energy task teams in select countries and lead/support global knowledge products.
Specific responsibilities will include:
• Lead/co-lead some of the global knowledge products focused on utility performance improvement
• Cross support complex regional lending and analytical engagements involving utility performance improvement, as well as associated policy and regulatory reforms
• Foster knowledge sharing among the regional energy teams on the topic of utility performance improvement, distribution reforms and private sector participation
• Represent the World Bank in meetings with other multilateral organizations and donors and in international fora.
• Support senior management by preparing briefs on utility turnaround.
• Contribute to other global knowledge products produced by IEEGK.
• Serve as peer-reviewer for energy sector engagements focused on utility turnaround.
• Carry out ad-hoc corporate tasks and corporate reviews as a staff member of the IEEGK.
Selection Criteria
• Master’s degree or PhD in engineering, economics, finance, business administration, or equivalent areas
• At least 8 years of experience in managerial positions of electricity distribution and retail supply utilities (Managing Director or positions in two immediate lower levels) in developing countries in the last 20 years
• Demonstrated ability to develop solutions for utility performance improvement, such as direct participation in implementing organizational restructuring and business process reengineering of utilities supported by management information systems
• Direct experience in the areas of commercial operations (including management of losses in electricity supply), distribution networks operations and/or regulatory (economic and service quality) framework applied to the utilities is desirable.
• 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
• The candidate must be proficient in English. Proficiency in French is an added advantage
To learn more and apply, click here.
