Description

Background & General 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. 

Eastern and Southern Africa

Home to about half a billion of Africa’s people, Eastern and Southern Africa is a geographically, culturally and economically diverse region of 26 countries stretching from the Red Sea in the North to the Cape of Good Hope in the South. Children under 18 make up almost half of the total population. The subregion boasts of some of the world’s richest human and natural resources and, apart from South Africa, the countries are predominantly raw material exporters.

The subregion harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continues to keep people from reaching their full potential. This creates a huge development challenge, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of people, and hinders regional integration and trade. But it also creates an opportunity to work closely with country leaders, civil society, development partners, and young people to chart a brighter course for the future. 

The World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,207 staff, mostly based in 26 country offices, has been helping countries realize their considerable development potential by focusing on the following priorities:

• Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies: We are working with countries across Africa to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by leveraging all sources of finance, expertise, and solutions to promote investment.

• Building up the Digital Economy: We are supporting Africa’s vision to ensure that every African individual, business, and government is connected by 2030 – a vision that, if realized, can boost growth by up to 2 percentage points per year, and reduce poverty by 1 percentage point per year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.

• Institutions more Efficient and Accountable: Our support is helping governments strengthen public policy processes, manage resources effectively, and reinforce fair and reliable delivery of public services.

• Investing in People: We are at the forefront of helping African countries accelerate human capital gains and empower women by improving their access to education and skills acquisition, sexual and reproductive health services, and employment opportunities. With the influx COVID-19, we are mobilizing financial support and timely analysis and advice to countries across the subregion deal with the pandemic.

• Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption:  In the face of increasing climate-related risks, we are working with African countries to advance efforts to adopt renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green infrastructure. A number of East African countries are currently facing a debilitating Desert Locust infestation, threatening the already precarious food security situation. The Bank has put together a program to help affected countries deal with the scourge.

• Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence: Given the cross-border nature of conflicts in Africa, we are employing an approach that simultaneously focuses on the drivers of fragility while also supporting well-targeted regional initiatives to create opportunities for peace and shared prosperity.

• Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent: We are scaling up our work on regional integration, taking a holistic view of the continent that covers both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The World Bank is a dedicated partner for Eastern and Southern African countries, helping them deliver strong development outcomes for their people. A brighter future for Africa is a better future for the world.

UNIT CONTEXT

The Energy & Extractives (EEX) Global Practice (GP) of the World Bank Group is made up of about 300 professionals, a 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. The EEX GP focuses on providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to meet the needs of fast-growing economies and to ensure universal access to modern energy services for people in client countries; and, strengthening policy and institutional frameworks to promote transparent and equitable growth of the extractives sectors for public benefit. There is a strong emphasis on private sector resource mobilization and catalyzing financing from commercial and other sources of development and climate finance.

The Bank is engaged in all aspects of the electricity sector – generation, transmission, distribution, rural electrification and off-grid– through development policy financing, program for results, investment financing support, technical assistance and guarantee operations; assisting the government with policy reforms to attract investments in generation and renewable energy along with the promotion of the regional energy trade in the Central, Eastern, and Southern and Western Africa power pools, modernizing the electricity network for the needs of a modern economy and increasing energy access are among the key areas of the Bank’s deepening engagement in the sector.

The Africa energy sector grouping consists of four units across two regions of Eastern and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa VPUs. The position for a Senior Energy Economist is based in Pretoria, South Africa, supporting the Eastern and Southern Africa energy unit (IAEE3).

The position is to support and develop further a very vibrant dialogue on energy sector issues and energy transition in South Africa and beyond, support the design and implementation of existing and pipeline projects, including regional.  As such, while being a key member of the South Africa energy team, the selected candidate will be expected to focus on at least one of the AECS1 countries and the regional integration agenda.

Duties & Accountabilities

The Southern Africa energy unit (IAEE3) seeks a highly motivated Senior Energy Economist who, as part of the South Africa-based energy team, will contribute to the overall energy sector engagement in South Africa and the region of Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP). The Senior Energy Economist will lead or co-lead the preparation and implementation of complex operations, the ongoing sector dialogue, and the extensive analytical work on the energy sector, with particular emphasis on energy sector (utility and market) reforms, financial sustainability of the sector, and the decarbonization agenda. The Southern Africa energy program is growing rapidly, with a critical focus on a just and low-carbon energy transition, resilience, and regional integration.

Specific duties and responsibilities shall include:

• Co-lead the Bank’s policy dialogue on the energy sector and develop strong working relationships with the Government counterparts (e.g., Ministries responsible for energy, power utilities, electricity regulators, etc.) to advance engagement on strategic energy issues in South Africa;

• Lead or co-lead the development of energy sector strategic documents, advisory reports, and analytical work on power sector regulation, market and utility reforms, and financial sustainability of the power sector (with a particular focus on the distribution sector) in South Africa and the SAPP region;

• Working closely with energy colleagues in AFE, lead the development of new lending, preparation, and supervision of investment operations in the energy sector aiming to enhance quality, efficiency, and pro-poor focus and accelerate the implementation of the energy portfolio in South Africa and the Southern Africa region;

• Lead the drafting and provide inputs for other sector and country analytical and advisory reports and studies, prepare briefings on sector and utility reform, transmission and distribution, renewable energy, climate change, just energy transition, energy efficiency, and other programs within the AFR Energy portfolio;

• Ensure adequate and appropriate integration of relevant aspects of the energy development agenda in core Bank products, including the country partnership framework, strategic country diagnostic, country economic memorandums, etc.;

• Participate in the dialogue with relevant representatives of the private sector to keep abreast with issues related to the business investment climate and identify possible areas of collaboration through public-private partnerships; and

• Develop strong working relationships with the staff of other donor and financing agencies at the country and regional levels and co-operate with them on alignment on strategic issues, preparation, and supervision of projects.

Selection Criteria

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

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