Carbon Finance Specialist, Washington

Job #	111141
Job Title	Carbon Finance Specialist
Job Family	Environment
Location	Washington, DC
Appointment	International Hire
Job Posted	16-Jun-2011
Closing Date	30-Jun-2011
Language Requirements	English [Essential]; French [Desired]; Spanish [Desired]
Appointment Type

Background / General description

The Carbon Finance Unit of the World Bank has contributed significantly to the establishment of carbon markets and to the facilitation of market access of developing countries. The operational business includes asset/project development and purchases of emission reductions from projects in developing countries and economies in transition. The World Bank’s carbon finance business has contributed through methodology development, pioneer transactions and capacity building to the development and the broadening of the scope of the project-based mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, CDM (Clean Development Mechanism) and JI (Joint Implementation). It has been instrumental in developing new approaches to carbon crediting such as Programmes of Activities (PoAs). Beyond CDM/JI the Unit undertakes already technical work and capacity building in new areas such as reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation and potential new market mechanisms. The existing project portfolio of the Carbon Finance Unit includes 160 projects and programs reflecting commitments of $1.7 billion in 10 carbon funds toward the purchase of more than 200 million tones carbon dioxide equivalent emission reductions. Projects are located in developing countries and economies in transition and cover a broad spectrum of sectors and technologies, including energy generation, energy distribution and energy demand, waste management, manufacturing industry, extraction industries, chemicals, transport, forestry and agriculture. With the establishment of a new generation of carbon facilities this project pipeline will increase further over time in particular in the area of programmatic approaches (PoAs). The Policy and Methodology Team (PMT) of the Unit advices the operational business on regulatory policy and methodology requirements for CDM and JI projects and undertakes quality control of the CDM/JI project documentation including Project Design Documents and Monitoring Plans. The PMT advises in the project selection and development and provides quality assurance services to ensure compliance with the regulatory process. Team members work closely with their counterparts in the operational and regional teams to achieve successful validation, registration and verification of CDM/JI projects. PMT members closely observe the regulatory process and contribute to its development and improvement by leading the development of new methodologies, interacting with the regulatory agencies and participating in the international regulatory and policy debates. This includes writing of policy and methodology notes and leading work on related reports and studies. PMT is organized by sectoral competencies. This position is for energy sector projects with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energies. The position includes participating in the dialogue of the Carbon Finance Unit with the regional and sectoral energy specialist in the World Bank in developing methodological approaches and projects in support of carbon finance projects and programs in the energy sector.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Follow up of the UNFCCC regulatory processes relevant to the energy sector, in particular the decision making of the CDM Executive Board. • Interpret and apply the CDM and JI modalities and procedures and their application to carbon finance operations of the energy sector. • Taking over of a portfolio of 30+ existing energy CDM projects in various stages of the project cycle for methodology and regulatory policy support. • Review CDM Project Design Documents, Monitoring Plans, validation and verification reports. S/he will advise the operational team and project entities in complying with regulatory requirements and undertake quality assurance reviews of projects and portfolios. • Communication with project entities, consultants and designated operational entities (DOE) associated with carbon finance projects. • Contribute to the policy work of the PMT and prepare short notes on relevant policy and regulatory issues. • Contribute to training, outreach, knowledge management and capacity development programs in support of regulatory compliance of carbon finance projects. • Work with regional teams in the bank, on need basis, on assessing the mitigation potential for the bank lending projects and their potential to claim carbon credits. • Over time he/she is supposed to take over on new tasks as to work on approaches to standardization of baselines for energy sector projects, including the development of new methodologies.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree in engineering, energy, economics, environmental studies and related fields. • Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in Carbon Finance and/or project related energy sector work. • Excellent knowledge of the UNFCCC regulatory process and at least 3 years of experience working with CDM methodologies and regulation. • Experience in developing and implementing CDM projects/programs in the energy sector and experience of working with clients in developing countries is a plus. • In-depth understanding of the energy sector based on academic education and/or working experience, in particular in the areas of energy industries, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. • Demonstrated ability and willingness to translate complex and technical CDM methodological and procedural requirements into CDM projects and their documentation. • Strong analytical skills and command of quantitative and statistical methods for the calculation of expected emission reductions from projects, performing financial analysis and applying survey and sampling procedure in project monitoring. • Organized, methodical and conscientious approach to work, strong attention to detail and effective verbal and written communications skills. • Ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams within a matrix structure, to operate in fast changing dynamic environment and to work sensitively in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues. • Effective verbal and written communications skills and excellent command of English, command of additional languages such as French and/or Spanish are 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.