Lead Energy Specialist, Program Leader at The World Bank

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Western and Central Africa



Home to about half a billion of Africa’s people, Western and Central Africa (AFW) is a geographically, culturally and economically diverse region of 22 countries stretching from Mauritania in the northwest to Chad in the northeast and down to the Republic of Congo in the south. It includes both some of the poorest and most conflict affected countries on the continent (Central African Republic, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger) as well as sophisticated lower middle-income countries (like Ghana, Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire) and upper-middle income countries (like Gabon). Development challenges across the region are enormous: only 49% of sub-saharan Africa’s population has access to electricity, connection levels to digital broadband -- though growing -- remain low and rural populations often live far from all-season roads.



The Ghana CMU (AWCW1)



The Ghana CMU comprises one lower middle income country (Ghana) and two countries (Sierra Leone and Liberia) which remain fragile lower income countries .



The Country Director (CD) is based in Accra, together with an Operations Manager (OM), and INF/EFI/SD/HD Program Leaders (PL), coordinating and overseeing the AFCW1 CMU. Country Managers (CM) in Sierra Leone and Liberia manage the day-to-day operations of the program for the respective country.



The Infrastructure Program (URL, Energy and Transport) in the Ghana CMU is substantial with a total of 13 projects worth approximately USD1.5 billion in the portfolio. The energy sector is a major focus, representing a major fiscal drain in all three countries. In addition, electricity access remains a major challenge in both Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Bank’s transport program addresses both urban mobility (in Kumasi and Freetown) as well as inter-urban and rural connectivity in all three countries all of which struggle to secure a steady source of financing to maintain costly infrastructure assets. Urban resilience remains a major challenges in all three countries, particularly in Freetown, where steep hillsides present significant risks of landslides and loss of life during the rainy season.



The INF PL will also provide program leader services to the Digital VPU. Both Sierra Leone and Liberia face huge challenges in terms of broadband access and usage gaps as well as redundancy for international connectivity (both depend on a single fiber-optic submarine cable).



In terms of new operations, the Bank is preparing an FY26 lending operation for a medium size hydroelectric dam (St. Paul 2) in Liberia, and a bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Kumasi (Ghana) (FY26).



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.



Energy Global Practice



The Energy GP has a large program in AFW, including the flagship “Mission 300” initiative to provide 250 million people in western and eastern Africa with electricity access by 2030 (AfDB has pledged to connect another 50m people over the same time period). This access target comes in addition to significant sector reform, generation, transmission, and distribution investments.



Duties & Accountabilities:-



Infrastructure Program Leader: The person selected is expected to be highly skilled and motivated who will act as the primary interface between the CMU and the Energy & Extractives, Transport, Urban Resilience and Land (URL) practices within the Infrastructure vertical as well as the new Digital Development VPU. She/he will possess technical breadth and depth and deep knowledge of INF-related sectors. She/he will have strong operational experience, sensitivity to the political economy of the countries, and in-depth knowledge of the WBG and is able to serve as an effective integrator across practices. She/he will be recognized for her/his mentorship ability, giving more junior team members opportunities for leadership, and mentoring them to ensure success. She/he will have a strong commitment to collaboration and participatory decision making.



Lead Energy Specialist







Leads and/or participates in complex/strategic energy lending or supervision tasks or leads/co-leads strategic pieces of ASA or multi-sectoral DPLs in line with the candidate’s background;

Stays abreast of key developments in various areas of the corporate agenda and in cross-cutting issues affecting the performance of the transport sector.



Reporting: The staff will report to the AFW Regional Director for Infrastructure and the AFW/AFE/MENA Regional Director for Digital with a dotted line to the Country Director. Her/his transport sector engagements will be under the responsibility of the practice manager for energy (IAWE4). S/he will be a part of the CMU management team and INF Regional management team and will work closely with INF Global Directors, regional Practice Managers (PMs), the Country Director, Country Managers, and other CMU staff, particularly the Operations Manager, and HD/SD/EFI Sector Leaders. It is expected that the Infrastructure Program Leader role will require about 50% of his/her time. For the remainder of time, the staff will be expected to lead/co-lead/support key transport sector operational tasks and analytical work as agreed with the RD and PM and engage in peer reviews and corporate assignments as requested/ feasible.



The selected candidate will be based in Accra, Ghana for a four-year assignment.



The selected candidate is expected to start this assignment on July 1, 2025.



Roles And Responsibilities (as Lead Energy Specialist)







Lead policy dialogue on strategic energy issues and implementation of some of the sub-region’s ongoing energy sector reforms.

Lead operational work (policy dialogue, ASA, lending and supervision), including being the Task Team Leader for individual projects while also maintaining sufficient knowledge of individual operations and activities not managed by her/him to be able to identify and help resolve project-specific or systemic issues.

Provide guidance and mentoring to other staff and junior TTLs (including members of the energy and other INF teams based in the CMU).

Develop strategic partnerships with other multilateral/bilateral organizations. This will also require effective communication and outreach to relevant units in IFC and MIGA.

Advise colleagues and clients on global best practices in the energy sector and keeping abreast of country sector issues as well as contributing to global knowledge by introducing successes and lessons learned in the Africa transport sector.

Support the Regional Director and Practice Manager in shaping the Bank’s energy strategy, developing business, and policy dialogue.



Strategy, Relationship Management (as Infrastructure Program Leader)







As a core member of the Country Management Team, participate, contribute, and shape specific areas of upcoming strategic products including SCDs/CPFs/PLRs/CCDRs.

Support the CD to manage country client relationships, focusing on defining client commitment, integrity and capacity to support the CPF pillar/results framework, assigned to infrastructure.

Coordinate the implementation of the INF strategy in the countries of the AWCW1 CMU and facilitate, engage in and shape high level policy dialogues on INF-related topics, while supporting business development.

Connect technical expertise and knowledge across multiple practices to serve the client.

Work closely with the IFC Country Manager and IFC staff when designing country engagements in their area of coverage to ensure that the role of both the public and private sectors is adequately reflected.



Integrated Program Development (as Infrastructure Program Leader)







Together with GP teams, identify core analytical knowledge gaps which need to be addressed to provide top quality service to clients.

With clients, and with input from the GPs and CD/OM, develop program priorities to address client needs, expected program results, and mix of interventions.

Facilitate collaboration among the WB, IFC, and MIGA within the CMU to develop integrated programs and, to provide integrated solutions to clients.

Develop INF cluster work programs, with an emphasis on thematic, multi-sectoral work, with clear results frameworks.

Work with Practice Managers (PMs) to identify and mobilize the appropriate staff to deliver the program.

Assist the CMU and PG with close monitoring of INF tasks, contributing to timeliness and high-quality of program delivery.



Knowledge, Learning, Solutions (as Infrastructure Practice Leader)







Initiate, facilitate and capture the outcome of discussions around key INF development challenges with clients at the country level to be fed into the Global solutions dialogue.

Generate and share INF knowledge through in-country projects and programs.

Develop partnerships with local and regional knowledge institutions, think-tanks and NGOs to facilitate knowledge exchange.

Co-develop knowledge & learning requirements for in-country support from INF GPs and GP Global Units.

Disseminate knowledge from in-country projects/program with reference to strategic knowledge & learning plans of the practices.

Be an active participant of GP communities of practice, as appropriate.

Engage in Peer Reviews, as requested.

Play a role in advising and mentoring INF staff working on the program and/or in the field.

Work on corporate assignments, as feasible.



Selection Criteria



PhD or Master’s degree level in relevant field/discipline and substantial professional experience (typically the successful candidate will have a minimum of 12 years of experience in positions of increasing complexity and responsibility). Experience in two regions, or in case of one region, a corporate assignment or similar experience that builds global expertise and client facing skills.

Demonstrated capacity to be an innovative knowledge disseminator/generator, and collaborative community builder/convenor

Demonstrated skills in integrating multi-sectoral inputs into a package of solutions to achieve development results.

In-depth knowledge of WBG financing operations as well as analytical and advisory services, including work programming, budgeting, task management, and strong familiarity with WBG instruments.

Proven experience in designing and managing/supporting IPF/DPF/ PforR and guarantee operations as well as innovative ASA which has impacted policy dialogues and reform paths.

Demonstrated ability to lead discussions at the highest policy levels in the area of Infrastructure.

Ability to communicate with senior authorities on complex INF policy issues, including the integration of sectoral solutions into the broader the economic framework.

Demonstrated client orientation by identifying and evaluating emerging opportunities aligned with WBG strategy, and challenging others to remove barriers and to deliver beyond client expectations.

Demonstrated achievement of results – by building a culture that consistently delivers high-quality products and services to clients and by engaging others in implementing strategies that have long-term impact.

Demonstrated leadership in teamwork and inclusion to support collaboration and working across boundaries, and ensuring diverse talent and capability is mobilized across Global Practices.

Proven ability to work across practice and disciplinary boundaries as well as with multiple stakeholders to build collaborative alliances for results.

Demonstrated capacity to understand the political economy and local context, tailoring policy dialogue and operational response to meet client expectations.

Excellent inter-personal skills, ability to constructively solve conflict situations and proven ability to lead from behind.

Superior communication skills with proven experience in dealing with conflict situations, the media, external constituencies, and expert groups.

Demonstrated clear and concise oral and written communication skills in English.

Prior experience in FCV countries would be a plus.



WBG Competencies



Lead and Innovate – Inspires and influences others to drive innovation.



Deliver Results for Clients – Acts as a trusted, strategic advisor, partnering with clients to deliver results.



Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Leads collaboration across WBG and with partners drawing on robust professional networks.



Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Establishes an environment where knowledge is created, applied and shared.