Energy Knowledge Specialist or Senior Specialist
USA
The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is the leading source of multilateral financing for regional development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It provides loans, grants, guarantees, policy advice and technical assistance to the public and private sectors of its borrowing member countries. The Infrastructure and Energy Department (INE) is seeking an Energy Economist, based in Washington DC to join the Energy Division to work on cutting edge policy challenges in the energy sector in the LAC Region. The position seeks candidates with expertise in energy economics issues, particularly those related to energy transition, market dynamics, economic regulation, and market structure/industrial organization.
About this position
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is seeking for a Knowledge Specialist or Senior Specialist assigned to the Energy Division (ENE) of the Infrastructure Department and Environment (INE) for the office in Washington DC.
The Energy Division has the operational responsibility in the IDB to finance energy infrastructure projects (generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity, renewable energy), especially to support companies and public agencies in LAC, with sovereign guaranteed operations. The Energy Division seeks to increase its team of professionals with the objective of maintaining an active dialogue with governments, donors and partners and thus be able to promote investments that increase access to energy in LAC.
The Energy Division also promote a high impact knowledge agenda, as the countries in the region seek high quality support from the Bank and the key strategic areas of assistance in the energy arena include: (a) providing best practices and guidance for institutional, policy, regulatory, and planning capabilities to instrument energy transitions, modernization and private sector participation in the power sector; (b) offering strategies and mechanisms for managing, financing, pricing, and maintaining energy services (with renewed interest in regulation and private sector participation), (c) advancing digitalization and modernization of infrastructure, from construction to service provision, (d) promoting investments to make infrastructure more inclusive by creating new and better jobs and design services to reduce prevailing gender biases and (c) attention to externalities, including environmental, climate change, energy efficiency, air quality issues and travel safety, (e) supporting government on new decarbonization frontiers such as hydrogen, electric mobility, and hard to abate sectors. The main objective of the research and technical assistance work of ENE is to support the quality of current and future operations, as well as the policy dialogue with member countries.
The Energy Knowledge Specialist will be in charge of coordinating all knowledge management activities of the ENE division and providing economic and analytical advisory to ENE, to the Infrastructure Department, and the rest of the Bank to support the elaboration and dissemination of high quality technical work, rapid evidence based knowledge to clients and operations, oversee the strategic direction of the research agenda of the sector and its dissemination, with a view to support the quality of current and future operations, as well as the policy dialogue with member countries.
What youโll do:
Lead and coordinate the multiannual knowledge agenda of the energy division, considering the institutional priorities, client demands, operational projects, and existing knowledge and information gap in the Latin America and Caribbean energy sector. Conduct and coordinate applied research and policy analysis by developing ideas/concepts that support both IDB operational activities and the energy sector strategic framework. Develop rapid, evidence-based, policy notes on recommendations for advancing inclusive, competitive, cost-effective energy transition in countries across the region.Lead, coordinate, and support innovative initiatives for a just energy transition. Use the available knowledge and promote knowledge in innovative energy services solutions for accelerating the energy transition. Lead the provision of technical and research inputs to the Paris-Alignment operation work of the energy division. Build and coordinate networks for disseminating research findings, promoting cooperative research initiatives, and discussing policy issues within and outside the Bank. Build partnerships to join research projects led by other Institutions and Divisions, including the implementation and enhancing of the Energy Hub, a data and information repository. Provide advisory services and technical support to senior management and operational teams, focusing particularly on financing, sector structure, regulation, and governance, particularly in relation to the energy transition and its associated challenges. Design and implement capacity building programs to support service providers and sector-specific institutions. Coordinate and/or review and evaluate the academic work of external researchers (consultants and research institutions hired by the IDB), ensuring that they meet the highest standards of quality. Design and implement internal programs for the dissemination of research products aimed at strengthening technical capabilities of staff members through conferences, publications, and seminars. Facilitate synergies between knowledge generation and communications efforts. Assist the Energy Division Chief in the following activities: (i) review IDB publications to guarantee compliance with operational policies that regulate IDB publications, (ii) prepare and execute research grants (Technical Cooperation, Economic and Sector Work, and Corporate Input Products), (iii) provide comments on the economic justification and cost benefit analysis of project appraisal documents, (iv) and provide comments to research proposals submitted by the energy specialists, (v) write or coordinate short notes for policy makers in the state of art knowledge on specific topics in the energy sector, (vi) provide analytical inputs to energy division chief for his interventions in internal and external events. Participate and collaborate with project teams to engage governments, service providers and other economic decision makers on issues relevant to advance the energy transition agenda, using lending and policy based financial instruments and technical assistance. Oversees the allocation and execution of financial resources assigned to knowledge products within the energy division.Key Responsibilities:
The candidate is expected to actively participate in all knowledge management activities of the Energy Division. Specific responsibilities include:
Identify, formulate, prepare, and participate in the development of complex research work, modelling, and strategic initiatives focused on the energy transition agenda and sector sustainability (including environmental, financial, institutional, and technical aspects).
Oversee the development of various types of content such as blogs, newsletters, press releases, and social media posts that highlight the division's research and achievements.
Represent the Energy Division in conferences, workshops, and public forums, either as a speaker or panelist, to share expertise and disseminate research findings.
What youยดll need
Education: Mastersโ level degree in Economics, Engineering-Economics, or a related field with a focus on energy sector. PhD. is a plus. Proven track record on high-impact research and evidence-based knowledge translatable to policy advice.
Experience: Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in conducting applied research using robust theoretical and empirical tools with focus on power and energy pricing and subsidies; energy market dynamics; institutional, planning, and regulatory design for energy sector low-carbon transitions and private sector participation; job-and-value chain creation in the energy sector; technology adoption; energy access, energy sector adaptation and mitigation challenges in developing countries, energy transition challenges and opportunities.
Languages: Proficiency in English and Spanish. Knowledge of another of the official languages โโof the Bank (Portuguese and French) is desirable.
Technical Competencies
Energy Economics Analytic Research: Demonstrates a command of statistics, econometrics and economic theory, and the ability to design, conduct and evaluate economic research.
Strategy Programming: Informs, formulates, and evaluates country and/or sector strategies, and acts to sustain and reinforce their implementation.
Energy Economics Evidence-Based knowledge and policy recommendations demonstrates and commandโs ability to prepare evidence-based knowledge and policy actionable research in the energy sector, with focus on electricity: energy transition, pricing and subsidies, institutional design, market and regulatory design for energy sector transformation and private participation.
Results Management: Critically analyzes and validates the economic data, assumptions, and design underlying IDB projects and programs, and ensures their efficient and successful coordination, implementation, and evaluation.
Knowledge Management and Dissemination: Effectively disseminates research findings economic/sector knowledge and learning experience and provides advice on economic trends and development needs to enhance the relevance of the IDB to borrowing countries and the region.
Relationship Management: Develops ongoing relationships with government counterparts, internal stakeholders, academia, and relevant third parties to better inform IDB priorities and the formulation of sound economic strategy and approaches.
Country/Sector Knowledge: Understands the main development challenges and policies of countries and/or sectors and the implications for IDB country and/or sector strategies and programs
Alignment and Coordination: Aligns efforts across the matrix organization to promote a unified and service-oriented approach to clients.
Technical dialogue: Involves high-level dialogue through the country specialists, in the challenges of instructional, regulatory transformation, and redesign of markets for the country's energy transition preferably in Latin America or the Caribbean. Relevant experience in economic policy formulation is highly desirable. Both should cover one or more of the key institutional areas of the sector.
Economic and sectoral work: Develops and applies economic and sectoral analysis to support the formulation of country, sectoral and regional strategies, as well as dialogue with countries, loan operations and technical assistance programs.
Track record of publications in energy sector is necessary. Publications in peer reviewed journals would be a plus.
Coordination and project management skills. Ability to lead and coordinate different stakeholder, researchers and experts profile in gathering information and producing joint knowledge.
Core Competencies
Innovation and Creativity: Develops imaginative ideas and solutions through creativity, experimentation, and critical thinking.
Client Focus: Understands client needs and provides services that meet their expectations for quality and performance; meets the Bankโs expectations for ethical behavior.
Collaboration, Teamwork and Inclusion: Works cooperatively and guides others independent of background (e.g., gender, ethnic origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, background, perspective) or organizational role, and takes a team-based and inclusive approach to projects and decision making.