Operations Officer - Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory (SIA)

World Bank Group • Washington, DC

11d

About The Position

Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works 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.
The World Bank’s Infrastructure VPU, part of the WBG knowledge Bank at IFC, provides investment and advisory services for private and public sector clients across energy, mining and metals, transport, waste, and tourism sectors, and further mobilizes private sector capital from institutional investors and other financial institutions. It acts as a strategic partner to the private sector, leveraging its financial resources, deep-seated global expertise, and ability to mitigate risk and mobilize capital to foster infrastructure development that opens markets, drives economic growth, creates jobs and improves living standards in emerging markets in the development of a wide array of infrastructure sectors.
As part of the Infrastructure VPU, Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory (SIA) offers sustainability-related services on climate, digital, and social inclusion to IFC’s investment clients and partners. A global team of experts based in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Washington DC, delivers tailored advice to clients based on their unique circumstances, risks, and sustainability objectives. The team is guided by the World Bank Group’s core values - Impact, Integrity, Respect, Teamwork, and Innovation.
The SIA team is seeking a dynamic and highly motivated climate/decarbonization expert with private sector infrastructure and natural resources experience to join its global team. The candidate is expected to have excellent project management and business development capabilities, private sector experience in the transport, energy, mining sectors, in-depth technical and complex data handling background, and network building capacity. S/he will focus on advising clients on climate and energy transition through co-developing and implementing ambitious, credible, and value-adding commercially viable decarbonization strategies and ambitious targets underpinned by actionable plans to unlock new opportunities in the green economy, carbon markets, and access sustainable finance.

Requirements

• Master's degree in environmental sciences, engineering, business, finance, public policy, economics, or an area of expertise specific to climate science or sustainable finance.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience working with or within infrastructure companies on decarbonization strategies, management consulting services with a focus on climate, energy transition, energy efficiency and sustainability, carbon finance. Experience should include direct client engagements in emerging markets.
• Proven history in designing, implementing, and operationalizing technical climate mitigation/transition projects using structured and innovative approaches, including demonstrated ability to uphold operational procedures.
• Experience with corporate and asset level GHG emissions data tools, carbon accounting software, GHG inventories development and /or gap analysis and GHG emissions baselining, familiarity with GHG Protocol, sector‑specific methodologies, and data quality controls.
• Deep technical knowledge of sectoral decarbonization pathways, technological levers, carbon sink mechanisms, and carbon credit markets, understanding of national and regional decarbonization challenges, capacity to translate pathways into short-, medium- and long-term science-based targets and access ambition vs feasibility in a specific national, sector or cost context.
• Familiarity with financial cash flows and balance sheets to be able to advise on the implication of transition strategy on capex, opex and cash flow of a corporate / asset.
• Solid understanding of global sustainability reporting and disclosure standards (IFRS), SBTi methodology and sectoral decarbonization pathways, low carbon, and energy efficiency technologies.
• Proven ability to manage and develop local and international staff, and competencies in interacting with, and managing relationships with diverse stakeholders/partnerships including a range of private and public sector partners.
• Highly collaborative, energetic, proactive, and flexible in quickly adjusting to changing project requirements and working within multiple timeframes in cooperation with matrixed teams.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, in particular ability to effectively dialogue with and relate to clients and stakeholders.
• Solid experience in infrastructure or natural resource sectors (e.g., transport, energy, mining, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, water, or waste) required.
• General understanding of IFC operations and investment and advisory services as well as knowledge of IFC ESG standards, and how they relate to client engagement.
• Fluency in English essential

Nice To Haves

• Experience in stakeholder facilitation, capacity building and training is a plus.
• Ability to work in other World Bank Group languages (notably, French or Spanish) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development for decarbonization product, prepare client pitches, develop, implement and assess climate mitigation focused projects supporting private capital mobilization, and work on market innovation through thought leadership.
• Identify client opportunities, support client relationship coordination, and contribute to building a pipeline of advisory engagements aligned with IFC infrastructure investment priorities by clearly articulating the business case for sustainability and IFC value addition.
• Collaborate with IFC’s Strategic Initiatives and Innovation Team to roll out investment and advisory products including sustainable finance, bonds, and carbon credits.
• Identify new market trends and opportunities in energy transition in emerging markets, communicate strategic and tactical relevance and garner internal support, foster/shape and contribute to corresponding market development opportunities.
• Develop tailored proposals of varying complexities in coordination with investment and cross-functional teams, for clients around enhancing sustainability strategies and implementing climate mitigation programs.
• Provide technical guidance in designing advisory projects for private sector and government clients with a focus on green/blue/social/sustainability-linked financing, and other instruments for climate finance and sustainable finance.
• Recommend and design effective Key Performance Indicators, transition levers, credible targets, plus monitoring and results verification mechanisms for climate finance transactions.
• Provide expert guidance to clients; building and maintain strong relationships with senior executives, sustainability managers, and technical teams at client companies.
• Lead and deliver tailored advisory to clients on their climate mitigation and sustainability strategies with a focus on developing management systems, decarbonization roadmaps and setting credible targets.
• Support the Sustainabiltiy4Business program aimed at improving climate action practices of portfolio companies of global equity funds.
• Build and maintain external knowledge networks and facilitate conversations across different stakeholder groups related to sustainability challenges, recommendations, and learnings.
• Serve on cross-functional teams and contribute to regional / global corporate initiatives. Mentor and develop junior staff.
• Undertake additional duties and tasks as specified by the Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Manager in coordination with the Infrastructure Department’s Sustainable Finance champions.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees