Job Opportunity | STC Lighting Global Off-grid Expert

 

TERMS OF REFERENCE

STC contract

Lighting Global Off-Grid Expert Product Affordability and Availability at the Last Mile

 

1.   Background Information

Introduction to ESMAP

The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) is a global knowledge and technical assistance program administered by the World Bank and supported by 18 bilateral donors. Its mission is to assist low- and middle-income countries to develop the policies, strategies and institutions necessary for sustainable solutions to energy challenges. Since its inception in 1983, ESMAP has supported more than 800 energy sector activities that promote poverty reduction, economic growth and low carbon development in over 100 countries.

Project Background

Lighting Global is the World Bank’s initiative to rapidly increase access to off-grid solar energy for the 789 million people living without electricity world-wide. Lighting Global – managed by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) – works with manufacturers, distributors, governments, and other development partners to build and grow the modern off-grid solar market. Our programs are funded with support from ​​Austria, Canada, the Climate Works Foundation, Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, the Rockefeller Foundation, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the World Bank.

The Lighting Global program supports the delivery of modern energy services via off‐grid solar solutions, including (i) development of quality standards & testing of products, (ii) support private sector to deliver off‐grid lighting services, (iii) support government to develop an enabling environment, (iv) development & implementation of consumer awareness campaigns. ESMAP is renewing and continuing its support to Lighting Africa and aims at expanding the World Bank support for off-grid energy activities in other regions and for global public goods, leveraging synergies across different geographies and between the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Key principles of the renewed support include:

  • Promoting sustainable markets with scale-up potential, avoiding and/or minimizing market distortions
  • Leveraging the private sector where feasible
  • Leveraging synergies with IFC and other key stakeholders and development partners
  • Promote innovation and support knowledge sharing across stakeholders and geographies

2.   Assignment Objectives

ESMAP seeks to recruit a senior off-grid expert, able to support the ongoing work of the Lighting Global program in the geographic and technological scaling up of the program, mainly through integrating the program into World Bank-financed projects. The senior off-Grid expert will support the new End User Subsidy Lab programmatic work, in particular assisting with the development of end user subsidy design prototypes in pilot countries.

3.   Scope of the Work

A major area of focus of the consultant would be to help client governments mainstream modern off-grid solar technology into their energy access programs. The consultant is expected to work in close collaboration with World Bank operations teams, client government officials and industry stakeholders to support the design and roll out of operational solutions to major market barriers of access to finance, market spoilage, consumer awareness, and policy and regulatory considerations. A major area of focus of the program is in designing financing facilities that can provide debt, grant, or blended financing to various levels of the market, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retail levels.

Specifically, the Consultant will help World Bank task team with engaging and building capacity of Governments for development of off-grid programs, building their understanding of private sector-driven business model, helping the Government to build consultation and coordination mechanism with the private sector, including local and international industry associations, and sharing best practices across countries. A focus of the consultant will be the development of least market distortive end user subsidies, allowing low-income households to access off-grid solar solutions. This will be done through individual World Bank project engagements, as well as through ESMAP/Lighting Global participation in the End User Subsidy Lab, which brings together various stakeholders seeking to promote the uptake of carefully designed and well-informed end user subsidies

The Consultant will provide key expertise for developing suitable approaches to reach the “last mile” consumers, providing thought leadership on policy and financing innovations for developing appropriate policy and regulatory environments and business and financing models, including sustainable subsidies for electrifying the “last mile” consumers – the poorest, the most remote and those living in fragile/insecure regions, while minimizing potential negative impacts of such targeted interventions on broader, often still nascent,  off-grid solar markets.

The assignment will entail significant outreach to the off-grid solar industry in Africa and other regions of interest (in particular South and East Asia, but also Latin America and Caribbean (e.g. Haiti) and Middle East, particularly with companies focused on the sale of solar home systems.

The main tasks and responsibilities of the consultant include:

  1. support and technical expertise to Task Team Leaders who are currently designing or implementing energy access operations with a significant off-grid solar component. The consultant will actively support the Task Team Leads in the project preparation cycle as well as during the initial stages of implementation, ensuring a smart design of the component as well as a smooth trajectory towards project effectiveness.
  2. support the implementation of the End User Subsidy Lab by designing smart subsidies, ranging from end-user subsidy pilots to the review of ongoing practices, as well as exploration of new innovations.
  3. support research relevant to putting last mile and low-income households on an energy access trajectory.

Tasks of the consultant are not limited to the above. He/ She will provide support to other Lighting Global/ ESMAP activities and the implementation of the broader ESMAP business plan when and where needed.

4.   Key Qualifications & Selection Criteria

  • Master’s degree in finance, economics, engineering, policy or other energy related field
  • At least 6 years of experience working on off-grid energy and other relevant market-oriented development solutions in developing countries
  • Prior experience in the off-grid solar markets, with a particular focus on the policy aspects, private sector actors (manufacturers, distributors, investors, service providers, etc.), as well as financial and business models (consumers finance, PAYG business models, etc.)
  • Good understanding of development partner and/ or DFI operations and experience in conceptualizing pro-poor interventions in the off-grid solar space
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English (please note the French skills will be a key selection criteria). Additional language skills desirable.
  • A track record of team work and ability to produce high-quality results and outputs with minimal supervision
  • High level of energy, initiative and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements

5.   Working arrangements

Location & Travel

The preferred working location shall be Washington D.C. or Sub Saharan Africa. Travel is expected in relation to this assignment.

Level of effort and Daily rate

The total level of effort is expected to be 90 days between February 1, 2022, and June 30, 2022. A contract renewal is anticipated for FY 23 (July 2022-June 2023). The consultant will be remunerated on a time only basis as per the normal procedures of the World Bank, under B.3 category.

Reporting

The consultant will report to Dana Rysankova (Global Lead for Energy Access and Lighting Global Team Leader).

Application Requirements

Interested candidates that meet the aforementioned criteria should send their CV and a short statement of interest to Johanna Galan (jgalan1@worldbank.org) by 31 January, 2022. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.