Innovation Officer (Carbon Markets)
Apply NowCompany: The World Bank Group
Location: Washington, DC 20011
Description:
Innovation Officer (Carbon Markets)
Job #:
req32805
Organization:
World Bank
Sector:
Other
Grade:
GF
Term Duration:
3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment
Location:
Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date:
4/30/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.
Office of the Senior Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships
The Senior Managing Director's (SMD) key mandate includes overseeing the Bank's knowledge and partnership programs and ensuring that the Bank's analytical work continues to address the pressing development challenges facing client countries and global partners. The office is responsible for the Evolution Roadmap, G20 and G7 engagements, the implementation of the Knowledge Compact, as well as the replenishment of IDA, the Bank's concessional lending arm for the poorest countries. It provides strategic guidance on the WB's global knowledge and IDA corporate commitments; oversees key partnerships with shareholders, development agencies, other multilateral development banks (MDBs) and academia; helps shape and drive the Bank's strategic directions; and through the Trust Fund portfolio in Global Practices, mobilizes support and financial resources across the international community to bring concessionally to our work.
Building on the progress of past efforts, the WBG Knowledge Compact for Action aims to empower clients, public and private, by systematically making the latest knowledge available to respond more effectively to increasingly complex development challenges. This includes knowledge embedded in policy advice, expertise and know-how, including from financing operations, as well as the latest research, data and tools to formulate robust development policies and programs. The Compact will deliver this knowledge to clients under the four pillars of enhanced products, partnerships, learning and systems. To advance the knowledge agenda, the practice groups will be organized into five vertical vice presidencies aligned with the new mission (People, Prosperity, Planet, Infrastructure and Digital). In addition, three new departments are being created to enhance coordination, integration and outcome orientation across the WBG.
Department for Innovation
The Department for Innovation was established to drive forward-thinking approaches to address complex development challenges facing the world today. It has three pillars to its work program: i) lead innovation initiatives -in collaboration with the verticals, regions, corporate units, IFC and MIGA-, that help strengthen the implementation of the evolution agenda and find new solutions for development challenges; (ii) build a collaborative and experimental innovation ecosystem within the institution; and, (iii) evaluate innovation initiatives to measure their effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for potential scaling in the Bank's interventions.
Under the first pillar of the work program, with input from across the WBG, and senior management guidance, the Department has selected three initial priority innovation initiatives on which it will collaborate with relevant business and corporate units.
The Carbon Markets Initiative
Catalyzing carbon markets, with focus on the energy sector. Carbon markets have the potential to generate material volumes of private finance to respond to the climate emergency and to finance green and equitable growth in middle- and low- income countries. However, they are facing significant challenges in taking off, primarily due to lack of trust in the integrity of credits. This initiative will design and implement a comprehensive wrap-around support for WB client countries interested in selling high impact, high integrity, emissions reductions credits generated through WBG operations to high-integrity buyers. The goal will be to generate interest from both supply and demand side for investing in high integrity carbon credit generation and purchase. The initiative is expected to focus on emissions reductions credits with digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems as a key element to generate trust and include operations in the energy sector where there is large potential for scaling. The initiative will start with focus on the ASCENT program/Mission 300 projects that are anticipated to generate digital credits. There may be additional regions interested in participating in the pilot and this will be assessed as part of the initiative.
The Director for Innovation is seeking an Innovation Officer with working knowledge of the topic and who is highly motivated, a self-starter to serve as a core member of the cross-unit initiative team. The Innovation Officer will work directly with the PL, Infrastructure, in the Ethiopia CMU, who is co-TTL of ASCENT and collaborate with leaders and staff from Department for Innovation and relevant business units, as well as internal and external experts.
This position is an HQ appointment. The selected candidate will spend first 6-month in HQ and then have the unique opportunity to be on STA (Short Term Assignment) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for up to two years to be embedded in the operations. Following this period, the staff member will return to HQ to continue contributing to our innovative efforts.
Please note that only candidates who are able and willing to take on this STA will be considered for the position.
Duties and accountabilities:
Support the PL, Infrastructure to define and refine the strategy and implementation plan for the innovation initiative in collaboration with initiative co-leaders. Execute the strategy and implementation plan for the innovation initiative under the guidance of the PL, Infrastructure.
Participate in the cross-unit team as a core member to move the initiative through the innovation process with rigor. Actively engage in key activities including initiative work planning, key problem brainstorming and regular stand-ups.
Conduct critical work in each phase of the process and ensure timely execution. This may include conducting primary research with target users, identifying challenges, root causes and opportunities, mapping landscape of carbon markets, translating user needs into technical specs and create workplans drafts, collaborate with internal and external experts and partners to deliver agreed results.
Provide quantitative and qualitative analytical support for a wide range of carbon markets related topics to inform leadership team discussions.
Serve as a key member in the implementation phase, support planning and coordinating with counterparts across relevant WBG teams, including country teams, to prepare for potential acceleration, scaling, and integration.
Prepare reporting for the initiative. This may include drafting updates and briefs on progress and plans for the Director for Innovation, relevant business units, senior management of the WBG and broader WBG staff.
Collaborate with storytelling colleagues to translate initiative progress into tangible pieces to serve dual purposes of raising awareness of the initiative impact and cultivating an institution-wide innovation culture.
Provide project management support including progress tracking, metrics KPI monitoring, following up with relevant groups for help, drafting emails and capturing meeting notes as needed.
Selection Criteria
Master's degree in a relevant field/discipline (Finance, Environmental Policy, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics, Energy).
At least 5+ years of relevant experience in leading carbon markets related innovations and transformative projects, with strong skills in delivering strategic initiatives.
Technical expertise in climate/carbon markets, ideally in the energy sector, but environment sector may also work.
Proven ability in cross-functional collaborations with internal and external partners, under guidance from senior colleagues and achieving challenging goals. You should be a "connector"!
High-level of strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
Passionate about driving innovation and solving complex global challenges. Prior experience in human/user-centered innovation is desirable.
Fast learner, curious to explore and learn new content and topics in carbon markets, and able to quickly adopt new technology and/or solutions.
Proven track-record in project management with strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
Empathic, collaborative, high EQ and people skills. High-level of integrity and discretion, sound business judgment, and inter-personal skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
Advanced knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).
World Bank Group Core Competencies
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.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.
Job #:
req32805
Organization:
World Bank
Sector:
Other
Grade:
GF
Term Duration:
3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment
Location:
Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date:
4/30/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.
Office of the Senior Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships
The Senior Managing Director's (SMD) key mandate includes overseeing the Bank's knowledge and partnership programs and ensuring that the Bank's analytical work continues to address the pressing development challenges facing client countries and global partners. The office is responsible for the Evolution Roadmap, G20 and G7 engagements, the implementation of the Knowledge Compact, as well as the replenishment of IDA, the Bank's concessional lending arm for the poorest countries. It provides strategic guidance on the WB's global knowledge and IDA corporate commitments; oversees key partnerships with shareholders, development agencies, other multilateral development banks (MDBs) and academia; helps shape and drive the Bank's strategic directions; and through the Trust Fund portfolio in Global Practices, mobilizes support and financial resources across the international community to bring concessionally to our work.
Building on the progress of past efforts, the WBG Knowledge Compact for Action aims to empower clients, public and private, by systematically making the latest knowledge available to respond more effectively to increasingly complex development challenges. This includes knowledge embedded in policy advice, expertise and know-how, including from financing operations, as well as the latest research, data and tools to formulate robust development policies and programs. The Compact will deliver this knowledge to clients under the four pillars of enhanced products, partnerships, learning and systems. To advance the knowledge agenda, the practice groups will be organized into five vertical vice presidencies aligned with the new mission (People, Prosperity, Planet, Infrastructure and Digital). In addition, three new departments are being created to enhance coordination, integration and outcome orientation across the WBG.
Department for Innovation
The Department for Innovation was established to drive forward-thinking approaches to address complex development challenges facing the world today. It has three pillars to its work program: i) lead innovation initiatives -in collaboration with the verticals, regions, corporate units, IFC and MIGA-, that help strengthen the implementation of the evolution agenda and find new solutions for development challenges; (ii) build a collaborative and experimental innovation ecosystem within the institution; and, (iii) evaluate innovation initiatives to measure their effectiveness, efficiency, and impact for potential scaling in the Bank's interventions.
Under the first pillar of the work program, with input from across the WBG, and senior management guidance, the Department has selected three initial priority innovation initiatives on which it will collaborate with relevant business and corporate units.
The Carbon Markets Initiative
Catalyzing carbon markets, with focus on the energy sector. Carbon markets have the potential to generate material volumes of private finance to respond to the climate emergency and to finance green and equitable growth in middle- and low- income countries. However, they are facing significant challenges in taking off, primarily due to lack of trust in the integrity of credits. This initiative will design and implement a comprehensive wrap-around support for WB client countries interested in selling high impact, high integrity, emissions reductions credits generated through WBG operations to high-integrity buyers. The goal will be to generate interest from both supply and demand side for investing in high integrity carbon credit generation and purchase. The initiative is expected to focus on emissions reductions credits with digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems as a key element to generate trust and include operations in the energy sector where there is large potential for scaling. The initiative will start with focus on the ASCENT program/Mission 300 projects that are anticipated to generate digital credits. There may be additional regions interested in participating in the pilot and this will be assessed as part of the initiative.
The Director for Innovation is seeking an Innovation Officer with working knowledge of the topic and who is highly motivated, a self-starter to serve as a core member of the cross-unit initiative team. The Innovation Officer will work directly with the PL, Infrastructure, in the Ethiopia CMU, who is co-TTL of ASCENT and collaborate with leaders and staff from Department for Innovation and relevant business units, as well as internal and external experts.
This position is an HQ appointment. The selected candidate will spend first 6-month in HQ and then have the unique opportunity to be on STA (Short Term Assignment) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for up to two years to be embedded in the operations. Following this period, the staff member will return to HQ to continue contributing to our innovative efforts.
Please note that only candidates who are able and willing to take on this STA will be considered for the position.
Duties and accountabilities:
Support the PL, Infrastructure to define and refine the strategy and implementation plan for the innovation initiative in collaboration with initiative co-leaders. Execute the strategy and implementation plan for the innovation initiative under the guidance of the PL, Infrastructure.
Participate in the cross-unit team as a core member to move the initiative through the innovation process with rigor. Actively engage in key activities including initiative work planning, key problem brainstorming and regular stand-ups.
Conduct critical work in each phase of the process and ensure timely execution. This may include conducting primary research with target users, identifying challenges, root causes and opportunities, mapping landscape of carbon markets, translating user needs into technical specs and create workplans drafts, collaborate with internal and external experts and partners to deliver agreed results.
Provide quantitative and qualitative analytical support for a wide range of carbon markets related topics to inform leadership team discussions.
Serve as a key member in the implementation phase, support planning and coordinating with counterparts across relevant WBG teams, including country teams, to prepare for potential acceleration, scaling, and integration.
Prepare reporting for the initiative. This may include drafting updates and briefs on progress and plans for the Director for Innovation, relevant business units, senior management of the WBG and broader WBG staff.
Collaborate with storytelling colleagues to translate initiative progress into tangible pieces to serve dual purposes of raising awareness of the initiative impact and cultivating an institution-wide innovation culture.
Provide project management support including progress tracking, metrics KPI monitoring, following up with relevant groups for help, drafting emails and capturing meeting notes as needed.
Selection Criteria
Master's degree in a relevant field/discipline (Finance, Environmental Policy, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics, Energy).
At least 5+ years of relevant experience in leading carbon markets related innovations and transformative projects, with strong skills in delivering strategic initiatives.
Technical expertise in climate/carbon markets, ideally in the energy sector, but environment sector may also work.
Proven ability in cross-functional collaborations with internal and external partners, under guidance from senior colleagues and achieving challenging goals. You should be a "connector"!
High-level of strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
Passionate about driving innovation and solving complex global challenges. Prior experience in human/user-centered innovation is desirable.
Fast learner, curious to explore and learn new content and topics in carbon markets, and able to quickly adopt new technology and/or solutions.
Proven track-record in project management with strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills.
Empathic, collaborative, high EQ and people skills. High-level of integrity and discretion, sound business judgment, and inter-personal skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
Advanced knowledge and experience of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, SharePoint, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, etc.).
World Bank Group Core Competencies
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.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.