Job Description

E T Consultant

Job #: req39028 Organization: World Bank Sector: Energy Grade: EC3 Term Duration: 1 year 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: London,United Kingdom Required Language(s): English, French Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 11/4/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

At the World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd

VPU Context:

Home to about 700 million of Africa's people, the World Bank's Eastern and Southern Africa Region 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. The region has an estimated gross domestic product of $945,567 million in 2019. South Africa, an upper middle-income country, is the region's largest economy, followed by Angola, Kenya and Ethiopia. Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, is the region's only high-income economy. To learn more, visit: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/eastern-and-southern-africa

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 US$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; and on 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. The Africa energy sector grouping consists of four units across two regions: (a) Eastern and Southern Africa and (b) West and Central Africa.

This position is based in London, United Kingdom. London is one of the world's densest concentrations of distributed renewable energy (DRE) and energy access stakeholders, spanning UK public institutions, foundations, specialist fund managers, project developers and corporates active across Sub-Saharan Africa. The selected candidate will use this platform to deepen partnerships, mobilize private capital and represent the Bank in London-based fora and convenings, while remaining fully engaged in the operational work of the Eastern and Southern Africa energy team.

Duties and accountabilities:

The Eastern and Southern Africa unit is seeking a highly qualified and seasoned candidate for the position of Extended Term Consultant (ETC) to be a key member of the Energy Team. The position is integral to advancing the Bank's strategic objectives in the region, supporting investment operations, analytical work, and stakeholder engagement across multiple countries and regional programs. The work entails strategic, advisory, and operational responsibilities. This position will support the design and implementation of ongoing and future World Bank initiatives in the energy sectors in Madagascar, Burundi, the DRC, and the AFE region in general, in line with efforts to advance Mission 300 objectives.

The selected candidate will participate in overseeing the implementation of energy operations with the aim to enhance quality and accelerate implementation. They will also play an active role in the Bank's policy dialogue with government authorities, development partners, and other stakeholders regarding strategic energy issues and the implementation of ongoing energy sector reforms, including the Mission 300 energy compacts. From the London base, the candidate will additionally serve as a bridge between country operations and the DRE ecosystem concentrated in the United Kingdom.

The responsibilities of the selected candidate will include:

• Actively contribute to sector strategy development, policy reform engagement, and high-level government dialogue across Eastern and Southern Africa, with a particular focus on supporting private sector investment and engagement in line with Mission 300 energy compacts in Madagascar, Burundi, the DRC, and other AFE countries as needed.
• Support design, preparation, and implementation of World Bank–financed energy sector projects, monitor implementation, and resolve challenges to meet development objectives, including the oversight and management of specific project sub-components.
• Lead or contribute to studies, sector assessments, and policy notes, providing actionable, evidence-based recommendations for decision-makers as part of project preparation and implementation.
• Provide technical and operational support to key country-level and regional initiatives to expand electricity access both on and off grid, acting as seasoned technical expert in financing mechanisms for electricity access.
• Strengthen energy access and DRE initiatives, supporting the design, implementation, and evaluation of electricity access and distributed renewable energy programs, including mini-grid and off-grid solutions.
• Build and manage partnerships with UK public sector institutions relevant to Mission 300, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), British International Investment (BII), UK Export Finance, and the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) and its facilities such as InfraCo Africa and the Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund, to align programming, co-financing and concessional instruments.
• Engage London-based investors, fund managers and foundations to mobilize private capital for Mission 300, including Camco (manager of the Renewable Energy Performance Platform), Lion's Head Global Partners, ARCH Emerging Markets Partners, Cygnum Capital, and Acumen, alongside DRE developers, distributors and corporates.
• Represent the Bank in London-based sector platforms and convenings, including London Climate Action Week, the Africa Energy Forum and comparable industry fora, and maintain working relationships with UK-based sector bodies and NGOs such as Ashden, SolarAid and Practical Action, as well as with international associations active in the UK market including GOGLA, the Africa Minigrid Developers Association and the Clean Cooking Alliance.
• Participate in missions and knowledge sharing. Contribute to organizing missions, preparing project documentation, and capturing lessons learned for unit-wide knowledge. Draft and provide timely contributions to project documents, implementation reports and completion reports.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree in business, economics or social sciences with demonstrated ability to apply technical, socio economic and governance insights to energy sector challenges.
• At least 12 years of work in the energy sector contributing to or leading initiatives, components or projects in the sector as well as strategies, policy reforms, and high level government dialogue, preferably in Eastern and Southern Africa within the World Bank Group or with development partners.
• Operational Expertise in Energy Projects. Proven ability to support design, preparation, and implementation of complex energy operations, including project component oversight, implementation monitoring, and problem solving.
• Relevant experience in one or more of the following areas: energy access, energy policy, electrification planning, access to finance, or private sector capital mobilization.
• Practical experience with electricity access programs (grid and off-grid), including familiarity with financing mechanisms and operational models for DRE, mini-grid, and off-grid solutions. Experience with clean cooking programs is a plus.
• Track record of engaging effectively with governments, utilities, regulators, private sector actors, and development partners; experience representing institutions in sector platforms.
• Experience in providing support to policy dialogue with clients and stakeholders participating in field missions, preparing operational documents, contributing to supervision and completion reporting, and supporting timely project delivery.
• Strong communication skills and proven ability to work collaboratively in multi-country, multi-disciplinary teams, document lessons learned, and contribute to knowledge initiatives.
• Experience working in Eastern or Southern Africa or similar contexts, demonstrating the ability to operate in diverse institutional and socio-political environments.
• Demonstrated experience engaging impact investors, fund managers, development finance institutions and DRE companies, and structuring or supporting blended finance transactions, including concessional capital, guarantees, results-based financing or carbon finance instruments.
• Demonstrated experience working with bilateral donors and DFIs on joint programming or co-financing. An established professional network in the London and wider UK energy access and DRE ecosystem is a distinct advantage.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

As per WBG policy, an Extended Term (ET) appointment is subject to a lifetime maximum of three (3) years. Former and current ET staff who have completed or are in the process of completing their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

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