Junior Professional Associate

· Be 32 years of age or younger

· Hold a bachelor’s degree

· Be fluent in English

The JPA program at the World Bank is a highly competitive initiative. Candidates who are being actively considered for positions may be required to present academic transcripts and professional references. The World Bank’s Human Resources team and hiring team will reach out exclusively to individuals selected for assessment and interviews.

Positions may be in any of the World Bank’s offices worldwide.

Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP)

The position is located in the Energy Data and Analytics Hub (the Data Hub), which in turn is a part of the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) unit (for more information on ESMAP: https://www.esmap.org/), The Data Hub is a key participant in identifying, and addressing critical data and knowledge gaps pertinent to the Energy and Extractives Global Practice (EEX GP). As it is located within the EEX GP’s global unit, it has an opportunity to build external collaborations and work with other GPs within the Bank in addressing energy, climate, GHG emissions, and other cross-sectorial areas. Team members also work closely with regional EEX GP units, in addressing their data related questions and supporting efficient data-gathering, project monitoring, and reporting exercises. The Data Hub has well recognized products that include, among others: (i) Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, measuring global progress towards attaining universal access to clean and affordable energy, (ii) Multi-Tier Framework (MTF) that provides granularity in the measurement of energy access through well-designed household surveys, and (iii) Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE) that provide information on the regulatory readiness of countries in the area of sustainable energy investments and deployment. These are marquee products produced through close collaboration and consensus-building with other development partners. The Data Hub is also developing a new business plan for the next 2-3 years that addresses the growing needs for data and analysis to support targeted data-driven decision-making in the energy and allied sectors.

Duties and Responsibilities

The JPA will work closely with the Task Team Leader (TTL) as well as other team members, supporting key products and activities of the Data Hub. More details on some key products of Data Hub are outlined below:

1. Tracking SDG 7 – Energy Progress Report (https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/) provides a global dashboard to register progress on energy access, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. It assesses the progress made by each country on these three pillars and provides a snapshot of how far we are from achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) target. The report is cited as a successful example of partnership between five custodian agencies, that jointly bring out this report annually. The World Bank holds the permanent secretariat function and the other custodian agencies, namely, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), and the World Health Organization (WHO), all contribute with specific deliverables tailored to their areas of expertise. The Energy Progress Report is released each year at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) at the UN Headquarters in New York. In addition to reviewing progress toward SDG 7 targets, this report identifies best practices, policies, and measures to accelerate progress while supporting the achievement of other SDGs. The next edition of the report will build on the solid foundation of earlier work. Following lessons learned from previous editions, several adaptations could be considered, and there is likely a strong emphasis on data and partnerships in many of these deliberations.

2. MTF 2.0: As previously noted, household survey data has been developed as a key tool for assessing quality, affordability, and consumer-behavior linked parameters for energy access. The MTF tools produce original data that enhanced investment project design and guides the development and monitoring indicators for such projects. The MTF framework is due for a significant re-think and scale-up, as the Bank and other agencies redouble efforts to close the access gap in electricity and clean cooking. New collaborations are being designed with DECS-LSMS in the design of surveys that include questions around access quality, end-consumer behavior, and affordability. A lot of this thinking will guide the development and implementation of MTF 2.0 in FY25-26.

3. RISE 2.0: Like MTF 2.0, the team is also undertaking an exercise around revisiting and creating innovations that enhance RISE 2.0. This includes consideration of collaboration with the African Development Bank (AfDB), as well as discussions around the inclusion of Global Electricity Index or GERI. The team will undertake this work FY25-26.

4. Support for New Initiatives: The Consultative Group (CG) meeting with donors to ESMAP was successfully completed in FY24, and the FY25-30 period for a new business plan has begun. Thus, in FY25, the Data Hub team will be developing new ideas around data, analytics, and collaborations. At the centre of this are discussions for developing a new data platform that can address energy consumption, GHG emissions, carbon pricing, and financial parameters like payback periods. The initial discussion in this area will likely focus on the development of reporting and financial tools for distributed energy technologies, titled “widget financing.” The initiative development will include collaboration with other GPs in areas such as clean air with the PM2.5 metric being used as a distinct measurement – different from GHG emissions. A flagship report titled “Access to Clean Air,” is already being written in collaboration with the Environment GP, and this is targeted at the Bank’s senior management. The Data Hub is a part of this initiative, and we expect that this will also feed into developing the common data platform. The use of big-data and AI tools is also anticipated, with a workshop already having been conducted to see how ready software as a service (SaaS) companies are in developing widget financing tools. This work is expected to continue in FY25-26.

The multiple activities highlighted above have their own specific timelines and work pressures. It is anticipated that items 1 and 4 will account for about 80% of the JPA’s time commitment, with other miscellaneous Data Hub activities will consume the remaining 20%. The JPA must be ready to multi-task and work with tight timelines including supporting just-in-time requests on other tasks within the Data Hub.

Some anticipated tasks and assignments are outlined below:
i. Support SDG7 Tracking, through data cleaning, use of statistical packages, and providing data-driven inputs into the electricity access chapter in the Energy Progress Report.
ii. Focus on understanding and working with data for MTF, SDG7, RISE, or other datasets; cross-checking data collection for accuracy, preparing data validation processes, and helping with publication.
iii. Contributing to the Clean Air Flagship Report, reviewing existing Project Documents and leveraging knowledge in clean cooking, energy efficiency, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to integrate innovative solutions.
iv. Supporting business plan development and conducting systematic literature reviews on market demand and technology cost curves for the better reach of Distributed Renewable Widgets under the Data Hub. This includes preparing presentations and concept note documents as ideas are developed and presented to management.
v. Supporting the development of a common platform with tasks such as calculating payback periods, carbon reduction, and performing cost-benefit analyses, for Distributed Renewable Widgets in collaboration with SaaS companies.
vi. Support the team in coordinating the project with the other agencies (IEA, IRENA, WHO, and UNSD) involved in producing new reports: prepare communication materials and UN Deliverables on SDG 7.1.1, manage and arrange meetings to facilitate collaboration, etc.
vii. Evaluating and conducting impact assessments of SDG7 indicators to analyse portfolios effectively.
viii. Coordinate the editing, design, and website update process.
ix. Any additional tasks or work assignments that the TTL assigns, aligned with the Data Hub areas of work.