Job #:
req22214
Organization:
World Bank
Sector:
Infrastructure
Grade:
GF
Term Duration:
4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment
Location:
Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
English
Closing Date:
4/26/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
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
The Infrastructure Practice Group
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.
Globally, close to 1 billion people live more than 2 kilometers from all-weather roads, 730 million people lack electricity, and 3 billion people lack Internet access. Access to basic infrastructure services is critical for creating economic opportunities for the poor. The Infrastructure Practice Group (INF) is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies. It comprises Energy and Extractives (EEX), Transport, Digital Development (DD), and Infrastructure Finance, Public Private Partnerships and Guarantees (IPG).
INF is responsible for providing technical support to regional and corporate WB teams on energy transition issues. Growing demand in this area is focused on support for implementing the corporate commitments made under the Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP), primarily the production of CCDRs but also the Paris alignment of WB operations. INF is also seeing increasing demand for mining experts from the Extractives team, to support countries considering the closure of coal mines and/or the sustainable development of mining resources associated with the minerals and metals needed for the energy transition. While most of the work on climate is led by the EEX GP, the Transport GP is also focusing on advancing decarbonization and resilience objectives in WB transport operations. Climate action is also being prioritized in the work of the IPG GP - through work on climate finance - and the DD GP, which is conducting work on the greening of digital infrastructure.
The INF PG is also responsible for responding to the high growth in regional demand for expanding access to digital technologies. This has been reflected in a growing pipeline of Digital projects and Advisory Services and Analytics (ASAs) across all regions. There is also a growing focus on addressing cybersecurity risks in WB operations, which is being reflected in country and global ASA work, in the incorporation of cybersecurity components in all new DD operations, and in the provision of guidance and training to staff in this area. Global analytical work on digital infrastructure issues is covering other globally important themes like 5G, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Platforms, and Data Regulation. Delivering on all these fronts is a key priority for the INF GP.
The INF PG plays an important role in supporting corporate and IDA commitments to enable and mobilize private capital for development purposes. There has been an increased corporate focus on expanding results in this area. While regions are responsible for developing and delivering on the respective project pipelines, the IPG team is seeing increasing demand for technical support to operational teams in the regions. There has also been an increased focus on systematically monitoring the amounts of private capital that are "enabled" by WB operations, an area to which the INF PG is devoting increasing resources. While demand for support to Guarantee operations has slowed down during the pandemic, this is an area that is bound to grow faster going forward, as it is critical for IBRD to meet its private capital mobilization (PCM) commitments (included in the IBRD capital package).
The core values guiding our work include our passion for sustainable poverty reduction, our belief in putting the needs of the client at the center of all our activities, teamwork, respect for others and integrity.
Infrastructure Finance, PPPs and Guarantees (IPG) Global Practice (GP) Overview
As part of the Infrastructure VPU, the Infrastructure Finance, PPPs & Guarantees (IPG) GP works alongside sector teams, regions, IFC and MIGA to support WBG's effort to scale up private capital mobilization for infrastructure and climate transitions. IPG GP brings together the World Bank's cross-sector infrastructure finance, PPP structuring, and analytics skills, as well as the Trust Funds and Financial Intermediary Funds that support those areas of development across the WBG. IPG also provides thought leadership and technical expertise globally on private participation in infrastructure to support cross-cutting infrastructure solutions. With these human and financial resources, IPG helps WBG teams and client countries improve the quality and affordability of service delivery through sound infrastructure policies and investment programs; strong enabling environments; and bankable projects. We build our support around knowledge, tools, and experience that support informed choices on the role and value of the private sector in financing and delivering infrastructure, while deploying financial structures and instruments that sustainably manage, mitigate and reduce risk.
IPG GP provides programmatic interventions and cross-support, in collaboration with the other World Bank Global Practices, IFC and MIGA, across the infrastructure investment cycle: (i) upstream through advice on strategic prioritization and planning for infrastructure investment programs, support for policy and regulatory strengthening, and institutional capacity building; (ii) midstream through project identification, preparation and structuring, including analysis of the most appropriate contracting and financing modes; and (iii) downstream by structuring alternative options to public finance and by deploying financial instruments of the World Bank, including World Bank Guarantees to that end, while ensuring financial and technical sustainability of appropriate financial solutions.
IPG consists of two units and three Global programs: i) the PPP Group, which leads the global PPP agenda and supports the development of cutting-edge analytical as well as innovative and sustainable solutions in cross-cutting infrastructure areas; ii) the Infrastructure Finance and Guarantees (IFG) unit, which offers investment support and designs innovative financial structures, including in support of the World Bank's guarantees program; iii) the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF), which was established in 2014 as a G20 and WBG initiative to address the lack of bankable pipelines of sustainable, quality infrastructure investment opportunities that are attractive to private capital, in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies (EMDEs); iv) the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), which provides grant funding for support to EMDE governments in the areas of market creation and institutions building, policy and regulatory reforms, early development of a range of public-private partnership (PPPs) options and improving the creditworthiness of state-owned enterprises and municipal entities, as well as funding a wide range of related knowledge products; and v) Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) Partnership which promotes sustainable, resilient infrastructure investments in WB operations in line with G20 QII Principles to help our client countries build resilience against natural disasters and climate change and to raise awareness and scale up attention to quality dimensions of infrastructure in developing countries through financial support for project preparation, implementation, and analytical work.
IPG has staff based in Washington DC, in Singapore at the World Bank's Infrastructure and Urban Development Hub, in Japan, and in World Bank country offices in Senegal, Kenya, Thailand, and Indonesia.
PPP Group Overview
The PPP Group leads the World Bank's global PPP agenda to support the institution as the center of expertise for PPPs. Staff in the PPP Group work closely with the Regions, Global Practices, Global Departments, IFC and MIGA to:
• Lead the delivery of sustainable PPP policies, programs and projects with an objective to increase private sector participation in infrastructure. Support upstream reforms, PPP ecosystem development as well as enabling environment and pipeline development for PPPs. IPG is directly advising 30 countries/regional entities on transversal and sector-specific PPP topics. The PPP Group supports the development PPP institutions, builds country capacity, and develops tools to promote transparency. The PPP Group advises countries and regional entities on transversal and sector-specific PPP topics.
• Manage risks arising from PPPs including on issues related to fiscal commitment and contingent liabilities, transparency and disclosure. The PPP Group engages in countries to help assess the fiscal costs and risks arising from PPPs, including contingent liabilities (through the PPP Fiscal Risk Assessment Model (PFRAM)). With the IMF, the PPP Group developed the PPP Fiscal Risk Assessment Model (PFRAM) to assess the fiscal costs and risks arising from PPPs, including contingent liabilities. IPG's framework for disclosure supports transparency that development partners, investors and civil society organizations are calling for.
• Deploy the Infrastructure Sector Assessment Program (InfraSAP) and assess infrastructure priorities and identify binding constraints on delivery, the InfraSAP provides an agile yet sound basis for deploying World Bank financing to leverage private finance. Downstream of this diagnostic, PPP Group experts combine grant resources and financing to support policy reforms and sector restructuring as well as project and financial structuring.
• Enable and mobilize private capital. In support of the WBG's commitment to Maximize Financing for Development, the PPP Group houses PCM-PCE expertise to provide intellectual leadership on private capital enablement and mobilization by supporting the GPs and Regions in their effort to increase PCM levels by providing project and sector level advisory support in line with methodology; defining regional action plans; conducting sector/regional level deep-dives to increase PCM opportunities; and providing training to task teams to support Bank-wide capacity on the PCM agenda.
The PPP Group also houses the Analytics team which produce several PPP flagship knowledge initiatives, including the PPI Database, the PPP Procurement Benchmarking, the PPP Fiscal Risk Assessment Model (PFRAM) for valuing and managing contingent liabilities and fiscal exposure from PPPs, alongside a range of other tools, operational standards. In collaboration with INF's Chief Economist's office, the PPP Group supports the development of cutting-edge knowledge and analytics, innovative and sustainable solutions in cross-cutting infrastructure areas (such as connectivity and regional integration, infrastructure governance, and quality infrastructure).
Duties and accountabilities:
The Infrastructure Finance, PPPs and Guarantees Global Practice is recruiting a PPP Specialist for the PPP Group who will contribute to the design and delivery of development solutions through innovative solutions, thought leadership, global engagement, and client support with respect to the delivery of sustainable PPP policies, programs and projects. The PPP Specialist will contribute to supporting regions in their effort to enable and mobilize private capital.
Specific duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to:
• Task manage or contribute to activities (including ASAs and lending operations) designed to create conducive enabling environments for sustainable PPPs and other forms of private participation in infrastructure-including developing robust country policy, legal, and institutional frameworks that are embedded in sound public investment planning and fiscal risk management, and developing governments' capacity to procure and implement well-structured, bankable and affordable PPP projects that offer value for money.
• Task manage or contribute cross-cutting advisory work and technical assistance with focus on (i) creating and supporting country/regional strategies to increase private sector participation, (ii) prioritization and planning of infrastructure investment, (ii) strengthening PPP/PPI policy and regulatory frameworks, (iii) enabling infrastructure, social and other PPPs and (iv) enhancing government institutional capacity.
• Provide technical contribution in infrastructure sector assessments (InfraSAPs) or InfraSAP follow-ups ;
• Draft evaluation reports on the Bank's PPP engagement and extract strategic lessons for effective support to PPPs and private participation in infrastructure.
• Provide support to IPG management, teams, as well as Bank GPs and Regions in their effort to increase PCM at project and portfolio levels and contribute to the preparation of diverse material including training material to task teams to support Bank-wide capacity on the PCM agenda.
• Contribute to supporting regions in their effort to enable and mobilize private capital, leveraging IPG housed global platforms and collaborate with IFC and MIGA to that end.
• Coordinate the preparation of diverse material on World Bank's engagement on PPPs in international and regional forums, and with other multilateral and bilateral development institutions.
Reporting: The staff will report to the Practice Manager, PPP Group.
Selection Criteria
• Advanced university degree(s) and Masters (or additional degree or equivalent experience) in finance, economics, public policy, business administration, engineering, law or another relevant discipline. • Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience as a practitioner in the infrastructure finance, PPP, and/or infrastructure policy-making fields, or an equivalent combination of post-graduate education and experience.• Capacity to work flexibly on a range of assignments and prioritize a variety of complex evolving tasks.• Extensive experience in translating technical knowledge into practical application in developing country contexts.• Motivated, committed to highest ethical standard, ability to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries.• Good communication skills, with ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing in a logical and comprehensive yet concise manner. • Good inter-personal skills, ability to constructively solve conflict situations and proven ability to lead from behind and to mentor. • Fluency in English is required; proficiency in Spanish, French or Portuguese is an advantage.• Willingness and ability to travel extensively.
Technical Competencies:
• Understanding PPP strategies, policies, and/or projects (preferably including working from a public sector perspective, obtained from within a government or public sector entity, development finance institution, management consultancy firm, or similar entity).• Understanding of good practice with respect to PPP project preparation, legal, policy, and institutional frameworks for PPPs and other forms of private participation in infrastructure, and of relevant aspects of broader public investment and fiscal risk management.• Capacity to translate technical knowledge into practical application in developing country contexts.• Proven ability to engage with internal and external clients and work across practice and disciplinary boundaries. • Experience with WB operations and evidence of close collaboration within IPG, with sector teams, other GPs, country teams as well as within WBG.
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.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.