Closing date:

Senior economist (climate change)

City/location:
Washington, DC
Organization:
World Bank, the

This job posting has closed

Background / general description

As articulated in the recently completed WBI’s Renewal Strategy, the Vision and Mission of WBI is to become a global facilitator of capacity development for poverty reduction. WBI’s core business is to facilitate learning, knowledge exchanges, and practitioner-generated innovations, all with a view to addressing the key capacity constraints facing leaders, institutions, and coalitions in their pursuit of development results. It will do so by connecting and leveraging global expertise on the “how” of reform through country and regional institutions and practitioner networks. WBI’s approach in order to achieve greater impact and results will focus on:

1. working with regional and country institutions, and through the use of technology to achieve a durable and scaled-up impact;

2. substantially strengthening knowledge exchange just-in-time practitioner exchange, South-South learning, and peer networks and innovation platforms;

3. specializing in the “how” of reform, including practitioner knowledge and processes for consensus-building;

4. forging much stronger external and internal partnerships for greater leverage and impact.

WBI has selected Climate Change as one of its four cross-cutting themes it wants to expand. The overall mission of WBI’s Climate Change Practice is to accelerate learning and knowledge sharing by development practitioners to help countries move faster towards a low carbon and climate resilient development [LCCRD]. As such WBI’s Climate practice supports implementation of the Bank’s Strategic Framework on Development and Climate Change (SFDCC), specifically for the Area 6: Knowledge and capacity building.

To that effect, WBI will act as a connector between Global Knowledge and Best Practices on one side, and Development Practitioners on the other side, to enhance their capacity to act and to mainstream climate change considerations into their decision making, leading towards low carbon and climate resilient development.

WBI will focus on select areas of knowledge and select groups of practitioners which have been chosen based on their relevance and potential impact for moving towards LCCRD, on their strategic priority under the WBG strategy, and on WBI’s capability to serve as an effective connector.

Initially, WBICC will focus on two knowledge areas that are fast evolving and with steep global learning curves:

- Innovation in adaptation to Climate Change, initially with a focus on identifying innovative approaches that improve the climate resiliency in the agriculture – water sector with a geographic emphasis on Africa, as well as enhance climate resilience and risk management in cities. Furthermore, the Development Market place in November 2009 will provide a platform to capture and share innovations in adaptation at the level of indigenous groups, community level, and linked to disaster risk management.

- Financing climate mitigation, initially with a focus on cities and carbon market instruments and mechanisms under development by the Bank and shaped by the emerging post 2012 climate regime. Specific emphasis is on programmatic approaches with relevance to urban areas, as well as on the Bank’s new Carbon Partnership Facility. In addition, a learning program on REDD is under preparation together with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility.

As the WBI CC Practice evolves, it will expand its scope further ‘upstream’ to capture best practice in the fast growing field of low carbon and climate resilient strategies, studies and programs aimed at mainstreaming climate change into national, city level, and sectoral development strategies, encompassing both mitigation and adaptation aspects. Such strategies and programs will gain additional relevance in the context of ‘green growth’ and crisis recovery programs.

It is in this context, that WBICC seeks a seasoned and internationally recognized economist to develop WBI learning programs which explain the macro- and micro-economic cost and benefits of climate oriented strategies and programs and establish the link between the climate change and the broader development agenda.

Duties and accountabilities

WBICC is searching for a Sr. Economist (climate change) who would have the following key responsibilities:

- Provide intellectual leadership and strategic guidance as required on economic issues covered by the unit, including topics such as methodologies for economic analysis of mitigation options, economic costs of degradation and genuine savings (economic prioritization of environmental and natural resource degradation challenges), and economics of adaptation to climate change.

- Lead the Development of a Low Carbon Studies Best Practice Learning Program: initially jointly with ESMAP, assess the process and outcomes from the initial 5 LCS, extract principal lessons learnt and convert into a learning program, which in its final form should become a module of the larger climate change e-learning library WBI is producing. This would also involve following other ongoing LCS type studies by other organizations, to incorporate and reflect their best practice approaches, eventually leading to a toolkit for clients and WBG teams on how to undertake a LCS.

- Contribute to the development of a Learning Program on city level low carbon and climate resilience planning, building on the national level LCS work, regional and Anchor initiatives, develop a learning program geared towards city mayors and other relevant decision makers. This would involve reviewing ongoing LCS type studies by other groups and organizations (e.g Eco2Cities, Cities Alliance, PPIAF, others) and reflect their best practice in a toolkit for clients and WBG teams. In its final form this should become a module of the larger cities and climate change e-learning library WBI is producing.

- Contribute to the development of a learning program on the economic opportunity cost of reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD), jointly with the Forest Carbon Partnership Fund team.

- Contribute from an economic perspective to various initiatives by WBICC, including learning programs for parliamentarians, media, and youth, Program of Activities.

- Beyond development of high quality learning program, actively deliver and build partnerships (with regional hubs, centers of excellence, etc) to wholesale delivery of learning programs.

- In select places, provide customized support to help leaders and change agents apply relevant knowledge to their specific situation. Typically, but not always, this would be as part of a larger WBG policy dialogue or operation.

- Maintain a close cooperation with other WBI Practice Areas (e.g. Growth and Crisis, Private Sector, Leadership, others), the Anchor (Urban, Energy, ENV, ARD), and the Regions (particularly regarding ongoing DPLs or investment operations, involving climate finance for climate adaptation and mitigation measures.

Selection criteria

This position requires a person with a strong reputation in the field of economics and climate change, who is recognized by peers for his/her substantive knowledge, intellectual leadership and ability to work in a team across sectors. Furthermore, the candidate would have very strong communication skills and experience in preparing proposal for generating funds for capacity building and building of partnerships with collaborating institutions and donors.

Specific selection criteria include:

- Advanced university degree in economics plus a minimum of 8 years of directly related Bank and/or external experience.

- Understanding and ability to apply economic concepts to key economic challenges and opportunities related climate change, in at least some of the areas relevant to WBICC, including topics such as low carbon and climate resilient strategies and their micro and macro-economic dimensions; costs of climate related damages of , degradationor deforestation, costs and benefits of climate change related mitigation and adaptation actions; economic policies and incentives supporting climate smart economic growth and recovery.

- Experience with climate change oriented investment and policy based lending in one or more regions of the Bank and experience with leading or contributing to key analytical tasks on environment, natural resource management and climate change are a significant plus.

- Understanding of spatial issues related to urban development and climate change is a significant plus.

- Understanding of public administrations at central and local level and of political economy of the range of stakeholders, including civil society, with an interest in environment and climate change is a plus;

- Knowledge and experience in learning, capacity development, training events and strengthening organizations. Experience with change management for organizations, inter-active pedagogy, multi-media, e-learning, and distance learning methodologies is a plus.

- Track record of successful work in interdisciplinary teams, including field experience in working in technical teams on practical implementation of projects and activities in developing countries;

- Demonstrated ability in the provision of high quality policy guidance, technical assistance and advisory services to national, provincial, urban and local governments as well as professional associations is a plus.

- Excellent writing and communications skills in English are essential. Working knowledge in other official languages, including Spanish and French, is a plus.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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