Junior Professional Associate

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, please visit www.worldbank.org
Junior Professional Associates – Program Description

The Junior Professionals Associate Program (JPA) offers an exceptional opportunity for recent graduates to embark on a professional journey, providing a three-year contract with valuable work experience within a diverse and dynamic environment and the potential of field work experience. The program is an excellent platform to sharpen your existing skills and to develop new ones, all while gaining a profound understanding of the challenges associated with reducing poverty and fostering shared prosperity on a livable planet.

We will provide you with the opportunity to gain entry-level professional experience in a premier development institution, on an Extended Term Consultant (ETC) contract with benefits. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org/careers/jpa

The following are minimum requirements to be eligible for the JPA program:

• 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.

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 Practice Group is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies. The World Bank Group helps developing countries build smart infrastructure that supports inclusive and sustainable growth, expands markets, creates job opportunities, promotes competition, and contributes to a cleaner future. We help countries address their unique infrastructure needs by working with the public and private sectors. Infrastructure improves lives by connecting people to opportunity. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/infrastructure.

Unit Overview

ESMAP (IEES1 and IEES2) is a partnership between the World Bank and 22 partners to help low- and middle-income countries reduce poverty and boost growth through sustainable energy solutions. ESMAP’s analytical and advisory services are fully integrated within the World Bank’s country financing and policy dialogue in the energy sector. Through the World Bank Group (WBG), ESMAP works to accelerate the energy transition required to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. It helps to shape WBG strategies and programs to achieve the WBG Climate Change Action Plan targets. ESMAP programs support a comprehensive effort of the World Bank Group and client countries and regions in supporting a range of innovative tasks around retirement of coal, strengthening the grid and adding significant storage – all with a common objective to decarbonize power systems.

Duties and Responsibilities

A Junior Professional Associate (JPA) is sought to support operations of the World Bank Energy & Extractives and related activities of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) for economic analysis of a range of tasks including battery energy storage (BESS), green transmission, economic dispatch, electric utility transformative technologies and coal transition. ESMAP is looking for a qualified electricity economist to support three task teams on developing comprehensive methodology, data collection and implementation, given a common theme and skillset needed.
The JPA will need to support three teams, namely Energy Storage Partnership, Foundations of Electricity Program and Coal Transition. Tasks for each of these teams are specified below:

Under Foundations the JPA will cover the following tasks, namely:
1. Develop a working version of the Green Transmission Methodology (Methodology Paper) that the project teams can use to establish the green aspects of the transmission including carbon credits that can be claimed for this work. The work will need to be carried out in collaboration with the Climate Change Group as well as relevant country teams. The JPA will work to support the MARCOT team in developing an approximation of the model in the current Methodology Paper in the style of a succinct guidance note including data/assumptions that may need to be elicited from more detailed planning studies;

2. Support the implementation of Security Constrained Economic Dispatch (SCED) models (initially in India but work is also underway in Ghana and may extend to other countries). The immediate work would be to help our senior consultants in India to put together a guidance note that the state load dispatch centers can follow to implement; and

3. Support analysis and piloting of transformative technologies like Peer-to-Peer electricity trading and Demand Response.

Under Coal Transition the JPA will cover the following tasks, namely:

1. Help the coal transition team on developing an economic assessment methodology for repurposing options. This is an ongoing work including a prototype model that has been developed. The JPA’s work will be to support implementation of the model for South Africa initially with the help of a junior STT; and
2. The JPA will also need to support the broader Coal Transition team to coordinate Accelerating Coal Transition related work program in multiple countries.

Under the Energy Storage Partnership initiative, the JPA will need to support the following tasks:
1. Operational Technical Support: Together with the ESMAP storage team and as part of the storage program’s technical support, provide technical assistance to operational energy teams for tasks around energy storage, whether related to preparation (CNs, PADs, economic and financial analysis) or in implementation support (review of procurement documents). The JPA may be engaged in strategic technical assistance as deemed necessary.
2. Knowledge Resources Development: Support the ESMAP storage team in developing storage-focused knowledge resources that would be used by operational teams, including development of relevant guidance documents, procurement standards and notes for various storage topologies, whether stand-alone or hybrid with VRE.
3. Programmatic and Reporting Support: Assist in the ESMAP storage program general organizational and reporting requirements, including contributions to Progress Report, Annual Reports, tracking progress on investments and technical assistance engagement, amongst other tasks as to be assigned by the team.

In addition to the core tasks discussed above, the JPA is expected to participate in relevant team meetings, manage coordination tasks with country teams and our client counterparts, collect data as may be needed for implementation of analytical models, and assist the teams in preparation of reports and presentations.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline including economics, finance, business, public policy, climate change or power systems engineering, preferably with a specialization in electricity economics.
• Sound quantitative analysis skills with special emphasis on optimization modeling, GHG accounting, climate finance and economic analysis.
• Excellent communications skills especially in written English with ability to prepare articles and reports ready for publication.
• At least 8 years of relevant experience, preferably in all of the following areas:
• World Bank, or other development organizations or international financial institutions
• Research experience in economic analysis including on energy transition, electricity transmission, coal etc.
• Basic understanding of dispatch optimization

Poverty has no borders, neither does excellence. We succeed because of our differences and we continuously search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe.