Senior Adviser (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency)

Background / General description

The Sustainable Development Network (SDN) is in charge of advancing the World Bank Group's (WBG) agenda for sustainable development, ensuring that it takes into consideration evolving global challenges and client needs and demands, and that it is effectively mainstreamed in the Bank's country and global programs. SDN brings together people and programs in five anchor departments and six operational regions working on environment and natural resources, social development, agriculture and rural development; energy, transport and water; and urban development. The Vice Presidency also manages, jointly with the International Finance Corporation, global product groups that carry out the World Bank's work in information and communications technology and oil, gas, chemicals, and mining.

Since about 2004, the World Bank Group has rapidly expanded its assistance for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The World Bank Group financing of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) projects and programs rose 87% in FY08 to reach $2.7 billion with 95 projects in 51 countries. Total RE and EE commitments for the year ended June 30, 2008 accounted for more than 35% of total Bank Group energy lending. In addition, the Bank Group has already surpassed the commitment it made at the Bonn International Renewable Energies Conference in 2004 to increase support for new renewable energy and energy efficiency by $1.9 billion over the period 2005-2009.

This rapid expansion in support for renewable energy and energy efficiency was driven by the increased priority given to the sector by the Bank Group. The Bank Group was thus able to respond quickly to the uptick in demand by its clients, partly driven by the volatility of oil and other conventional energy prices, concerns about reliable access to adequate energy supplies, greater concerns about climate change, and the cost reductions and technology maturation in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The SDN Vice Presidency is enhancing its energy practice drawing from the institution's 15 years of experience in this area, with a special focus on assisting developing countries make a transformational change to a low carbon energy development pathway. The WBG played a major role in promoting the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation under the Kyoto Protocol and has been instrumental in catalyzing the development of carbon market -- its Carbon Finance business currently manages about $2.0 billion in carbon funds.

Over the past two years the Bank launched several initiatives that have a strong bearing on its continued and expanded support for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

• Infrastructure Recovery and Assets (INFRA) – Acknowledging the fact that infrastructure investments and maintenance were the main casualty during and after the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s and other similar recessions, the WBG has launched the INFRA platform to prevent a similar outcome after this recession. This platform will spearhead the WBG’s efforts to enhance investments in ongoing projects that are at risk of loss of financing; projects near closure whose financing has fallen through, and provide dedicated resources to maintain the current infrastructure spending for new assets and regular maintenance of assets since this provides higher returns than renovation and rehabilitation at the end of term.
• Climate Investment Funds (CIF) - consist of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) with donor commitments of US$5.2 billion, and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF). The CTF is designed to promote scaled up demonstration, deployment and transfer of low-carbon technologies in power sector, transportation, and energy efficiency in buildings, industry and agriculture. One of the funds in the SCF, Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries, is under development.(to reduce length)
• Recently the World Bank Board approved the “Development and Climate Change: A Strategic Framework for the World Bank Group”. This Strategic Framework serves to guide and support the operational response of the World Bank Group to new development challenges posed by global climate change. Under the framework, the Bank Group will increase financing for energy efficiency and new renewable energy by an average 30 percent a year, from a baseline of US$600 million in average annual commitments during FY05-07, and expand lending to hydropower, with the share of low-carbon projects rising from 40 percent in fiscal years 2006–08 to 50 percent in fiscal year 2011.

The World Bank Group is presently preparing its Energy Strategy. This Strategy will provide a framework for the Bank’s support to the twin objectives of improving access and reliability of energy supply and facilitating the shift to a more environmentally sustainable energy development path. This Strategy preparation is being developed by an underway extensive global consultation with all stake-holders.
The Sustainable Development Network, is seeking an internationally recognized leader who will provide strategic coherence and enhance the operational impact of the Bank's renewable energy and energy efficiency activities and uphold the institution's role as enabler of global dialogue on moving energy development to a more sustainable and cleaner pathway.

Duties and Accountabilities

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 renewable term appointment.

Reporting to the Director of Energy, Transport and Water, the Senior Advisor provides leadership on the overall direction of the Bank strategy and operations on renewable energy and energy efficiency as it pertains to economic development and climate change, and is the primary spokesperson for the institution on renewable energy and energy efficiency. In collaboration with the relevant Departments across the Bank, he/she is responsible for guiding the development of a five-year renewable energy and energy efficiency operational strategy and ensuring its effective integration into the broader Energy Strategy. This would include coordinating the energy work program of staff in the Anchor and the Regions, as well as WBI and DEC. The staff would be specialists working on Environment, Energy, Transport, Water, Agriculture, Rural and Social Development, and other relevant areas.

In collaboration with the anchor and regional units, he/she will be responsible for pursuing a Bank’s energy lending profile with increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency content. He/she will guide and motivate a team of specialists who work in various regional and anchor units, IFC and MIGA to ensure knowledge sharing across the Bank Group and deliver high-impact policy analysis and operational advice that will influence clients' and shareholders' perspectives on responses that can rapidly scale up the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency .

The Senior Adviser would also be expected to:

• Advise and guide the development of the Energy Strategy, regional strategic work programs and related flagship reports and major learning events of relevance to the WBG renewable energy and energy efficiency agenda; \
• Together with the Vice President, SDN and other key Bank Group managers, provide guidance and advice to the President, Managing Directors and other Senior Managers in the Bank on all issues of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Advise the SDN Vice President and Senior Managers on policy and strategic approaches needed to balance the dual challenges of increasing access to modern energy supplies to support development, while simultaneously moderating the emissions of greenhouse gases.
• Facilitate the transfer of Bank generated knowledge to partners and staff within the Institution and throughout a global network comprising counterparts in Government and Civil Society.
• Work with SDN teams across Energy, Environment, Transport, Water, Agriculture, Rural, and Social Development to ensure a robust and coherent approach from the Anchor on RE and EE.
• Proactively outreach to support the operational units at the Bank to pursue a greater content of renewable energy and energy efficiency in its lending programs, including providing technical input into key strategies or operational programs for highest strategic impact.
• Monitor renewable energy and energy efficiency technological advances and provide advice on more rapid technology transfer to developing countries. This will require high level and regular contacts with industry and guiding actions to overcome barriers to advanced technology transfer.
• Develop and lead a program to estimate and report the impact of Bank activities in countries on their overall emission of GHGs (carbon footprint program) and to recommend viable approaches to offset such emissions.
  
• As invited, participate in and represent the Bank in high impact high level international meetings and conferences across the globe to further the agenda of renewable energy and energy efficiency, and associated topics.
• Maintain a network with relevant high-level contacts of special interest for the Bank Group in key stakeholder groups, in particular the UN agencies, IEA, IRENA, regional Banks, but including key private sector organizations, NGOs, academia, the media, bilateral agencies; and collaborate with Multilateral Development Banks and International Financial Institutions.

Selection Criteria

• Indicative profile may include Doctorate in relevant discipline and approximately 17 years experience, or combination of advanced educational attainment in relevant discipline plus year’s experience.
• High level of professional expertise and credibility (within the Bank and within the renewable energy and energy efficiency community).
• Demonstrated experience in more than one complex, large, demanding management leadership assignment.
• Proven strategic leadership and ability to develop creative solutions, and advise at both the strategic and technical levels.
• Demonstrated authority on subject matter including relations with the community of experts and institutions leading the international technical and policy dialogue.
• Demonstrated capacity to influence organizations, governments and civil society, and lead the adoption of aggressive programs to rapidly expand the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• Extensive experience in managing and implementing development programs or corporate strategic programs dealing with sustainability, and renewable energy and energy efficiency in particular; direct developing country experience highly desirable.
• Demonstrated capacity for negotiating and managing trade-offs at senior level with diverse and demanding internal and international stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and motivate a diverse, high-quality and experienced team.
• Outstanding and persuasive communication skills in English; additional language abilities desirable but not required.
• Highly developed mentoring and advisory skills to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and skill.
  

Ability to:

• Provide leadership across the institution on cross-cutting development themes linked to renewable energy and energy efficiency development (e.g., climate change, agriculture, water management, transport, conventional energy, energy policy);
• Adapt to a large and complex organization, including matrix management, and to function effectively at the highest level in a multicultural environment;
• Demonstrate sustained leadership in meeting client needs and strengthening partnerships, and influencing relationships within and outside the Bank Group; and,
• Sustain high motivation and contribute effective team work across the institution.
  

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.