IFC: Energy Specialist – Vientiane

“This position is a part of the Japanese recruitment mission.”

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank 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, www.worldbank.org.

The East Asia and Pacific Region (EAP) and the EAP Regional Infrastructure Department (IEADR).

The EAP region serves 22 client countries with a total population of about 2 billion. Clients range from large IBRD countries such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines; to smaller IDA countries (or IDA/IBRD blend countries) such as Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, several Pacific Island states, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. The EAP region presents a dramatic illustration of the global dynamics, opportunities and risks of the 21st century. EAP has made spectacular progress towards achieving the WBG’s twin goals, eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity – extreme poverty declined faster than any other region and the income of the bottom 40 percent increased substantially. Such a rapid transformation has made EAP one of the most dynamic regions in the world. However, it also faces significant challenges such as managing the largest shift in rural-to-urban population in human history, coping with rising inequality, addressing large infrastructure gaps, dealing with climate change, and building human capital.

The EAP Infrastructure Department (IEADR) is responsible for project lending and policy advisory work in the energy, transport and urban related climate action and private capital mobilization space for the EAP Region. The department presently comprises an energy and extractives unit (IEAE1), a transport unit (IEAT1) and two Urban units (IEAU1 and IEAU2).

Energy & Extractive Global Practice Context

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.

The EAP Energy Unit (IEAE1) supports clients in the region in addressing diverse energy sector challenges, including sector reform, utility efficiency and restructuring, renewable energy, energy efficiency, industrial decarbonization, energy access, and regional power integration. In particular, since the region represents a substantial portion of global greenhouse gas emissions and coal consumption, the engagement focuses on expanding access to clean and mordern enegy services, facilitating energy transition and cross-border power trade in the region while meeting rising energy demand to sustain economic development.

For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy or https://worldbankgroup.sharepoint.com/sites/wbenergy

The World Bank is stepping up its efforts on regional power trade, focusing on supporting the ASEAN Power Grid Financing Initiative. This is a technical and operational role in which the Specialist will work closely with task team leaders, serve as a core team member on business development, lending operations, advisory services and analytics, trust-funded activities, and policy dialogue, and progressively build the skills and experience to assume more responsibilities over time. The role requires strong technical skills in regional power trade. The role also required knowledge or familiarity with World Bank (or other MDB or FI) operational procedures and policies to support business development and lending engagements in Viet Nam and Cambodia.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Regional Power Trade: Serve as a core team member to support the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid Financing Initiative (APGF), working closely with task team leaders across business development, project preparation, implementation, and knowledge agenda.

• Business Development: Help identify and advance opportunities to expand the cross-border power trade, support upstream client engagement and concept development, and contribute to positioning regional power trade as a stronger regional lending agenda.

• Operations: Provide technical and operational support across lending operations, advisory services and analytics, trust-funded activities, and policy dialogue, including technical inputs on regulatory, institutional, and commercial structuring aspects of private-led cross border electricity projects.

• Donor relation: Support the EAP team lead in coordinating the Bank’s participation and relations with non-government stakeholders under APGF, including organizing and facilitating engagement with APG stakeholders to align interests, build consensus around shared priorities, promote convergence toward common objectives, and build alliances to advance implementation.

• Country Program Support: Provide operational, technical, and administrative support for Lao PDR energy program, applying sound knowledge of World Bank operational procedures and policies to support project implementation, support quality, compliance, coordination, and timely delivery across lending, trust-funded, and analytical engagements. The candidate may also provide support to advance the implementation of energy programs in Viet Nam and Cambodia.

• Ad hoc tasks: Carry out other tasks as requested by the Practice Manager, country program coordinators, and task team leaders, including preparing briefings, supporting cross-unit collaboration, and contributing to internal and external reporting.