E T Consultant - Water Specialist

E T Consultant - Water Specialist

Job #:
req33103

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Water/Sanitation

Grade:
EC2

Term Duration:
1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type:
Local Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:
5/28/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group 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, please visit

The Water Global Practice: Context



Unit Context:

2030 Water Resources Group (WRG) is a global multi-donor trust fund, established with the aim of addressing water security through private sector engagement. It was incubated at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and formally administered by the IFC from 2012 to 2017; thereafter the WRG has been hosted by the World Bank since 2018.

WRG's work is structured along three themes , namely: (1) Water for Planet , to address water pollution and water use for catchment protection and restoration, (2) Water for Cities, to support resilient city-regional water systems, balancing the demand and supply of water, and (3) Water for Food , in particular through climate-resilient irrigation. Each of these themes links with water security and climate action.

WRG has defined three global flagship areas across the three themes to drive forward pressing outcomes in the water sector:

1. Water Reuse (linked to 'Water for Planet' theme): This activity focuses on the development of a program of engagement on scaling water reuse, in collaboration with IFC and GWI, aimed at:

o Supporting the development of a global water reuse alliance through a clear narrative on how reuse could advance a reduction in risks to industrial operations and lower the incidence of 'Day Zero' cities by

diversifying the sources of water supply in city-regional contexts. A global reuse alliance would provide an impetus to this agenda, similar to the trajectory of the net zero carbon agenda.

o Strengthening the business case and enabling conditions for reuse through a focus on different elements:

Regulatory (e.g., standards for effluent quality, sludge management etc.)

Economic (e.g., tariffs and water pricing)

Policy (e.g., reuse requirements and targets for industrial and municipal sectors)

Institutional (e.g., roles and responsibilities, monitoring and enforcement)

Technical (e.g., cost effective, efficient, and fit-for-purpose solutions)

Financial (e.g., bankability of projects)

o Articulating roadmaps for reuse for the municipal and industrial sectors, building on various World Bank Group tools and instruments.

2. Water-Secure Cities (linked to 'Water for Cities' theme): Through this engagement, WRG is supporting engagements in specific cities across Cape Town (South Africa), Gauteng province (South Africa), Bogot (Colombia), and others, for application in other city contexts.

This engagement, together with a set of accessible and practical methodologies and tools, that can be used by the World Bank and others in their engagements with key stakeholders in city-regions (and regional/national government) to respond to water crises when they occur, and to avoid water crises occurring in the first instance. A key element of the work is to engage the private sector in urban water security.

3. Low-Methane Rice Scale Up (linked to 'Water for Food' theme): Under this flagship, WRG is identifying entry points, partnerships, and impact potential for WRG to structure and launch a Low-Methane Rice Alliance, scaling up the work of the WRG program in Uttar Pradesh, which is supporting the conversion of 250,000 hectares to Direct Seeding of Rice, along with various other interventions.

In addition, across these themes, WRG's approach to country-level impact on water security and climate action is structured along four areas:

1. Support for evidence-based decision making through analytics and a macro framing of the national or sub-national/ state-level water challenges, building on World Bank and other analytics

2. Establishment of country platforms for high-level convening of government stakeholders, private sector, civil society, and international organizations

3. Design of Accelerator programs for large-scale implementation of private sector-led solutions, including private capital, innovation, and expertise

4. Replication and scale up of successful solutions , particularly combining the World Bank's institutional strengths in lending and public sector delivery with 2030 WRG's pioneering public-private model of engagement

In 2022, WRG launched accelerators in India (Uttar Pradesh), Bangladesh, South Africa, and Kenya, along with early work in Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. These accelerators are structuring innovative partnerships and solutions for systems change in the water sector.

As a part of a Strategy Refresh process conducted in 2023-24, WRG is looking to amplify its impact through replication and scale up of innovations under the three global flagships above, while ensuring improved governance and funding for the multi-donor trust fund. Details of WRG's current governance structure can be found at:

The Water Specialist will be based at the Headquarters of the World Bank in Washington DC, USA. She/he will report to the Program Manager of WRG.

Duties and accountabilities:

2030 Water Resources Group is seeking a highly qualified and motivated individual to serve as a Water Specialist in DC. The principal duties and responsibilities would include:

1. Support to Global Flagships on 'Water Reuse' and 'Water-Secure Cities': Support the global flagships on water reuse and water-secure cities, with respect to:

o Strategy development, planning, and oversight of the two flagship areas.

o Process management for any related deliverables.

o Technical inputs for opportunities to mobilize private sector expertise, innovation, and capital under the flagships.

o Identification of opportunities for public-private engagement on reuse and water-secure cities.

o Alignment with (a) World Bank operations and WRG Accelerators at the country level, under the umbrella of the new Global Challenge Program for Water, and (b) the Water GP's Global Solutions Groups (GSG) and other Global Practices (e.g., Urban, Environment) at the global level.

o Active engagement to feed global flagship recommendations into country work (e.g., WRG support to the city of Bogota and others) and vice versa.

o Coordination of engagements with key partners at senior-most levels on the two flagships, including in particular, the public sector and the private sector, but potentially also multilateral development banks, bilateral agencies, and civil society.

For the water-secure cities engagement, this would include the engagement of city government officials, utilities, mayors, sub-national partners and others, potentially organized through a 'coalition of mayors'.

Engagement with the private sector would encompass a range of companies and foundations (e.g., technology companies, industrial/ manufacturing companies, operators, financiers, philanthropies etc.) to advance the goals of the flagships, and other partners deemed relevant (e.g., C40).

o Coordination with IFC, MIGA, and other parts of the WB on private sector solutions under the flagships.

2. Support to the Global WRG Program on New Thematic Areas: Assist the Sr Private Sector Specialist with the development of new thematic areas and analytical pieces to feed into WRG and WB operations, potentially including (1) nature-based solutions, (2) corporate water replenishment and goal setting, and (2) water and finance.

3. Communications, Knowledge Development, Events Management: Liaise with other WRG team members and Water GP colleagues, including communications colleagues, Short-Term Consultants etc. for communications support, knowledge management, and events management linked to the global program:

o Inputs on flagships for various communications materials (e.g., annual report, website, newsletter etc.).

o Knowledge management on flagships to facilitate cross-country learning and replication.

o Planning of events on water reuse and water-secure cities at key conferences and global fora (e.g., IDRA, WEF Davos Annual Meetings, IWA, GWS, WB Spring and Annual Meetings, World Water Forum, World Water Week, and others)

4. Other areas of focus, as identified by the WRG Program Manager and Sr Private Sector Specialist.

Selection Criteria

Master's Degree or higher in Engineering, Environmental Science, Water Resources Management, Public Policy, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, or a related field, from a reputed institution.

Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience. Experience in the water sector and on public-private engagements would be a distinct advantage. Familiarity with private sector strategies and sustainability approaches an added bonus.

Understanding of water sector dynamics, including the challenges and opportunities related to water security, resource efficiency, and climate change adaptation, as well as interactions of the water sector with other sectors (e.g., urban sector, environment and natural resources).

Excellent communication skills in English (oral, written, presentational).

Robust interpersonal skills and a collaborative approach, with the proven ability to build strong partnerships with clients, partners, and colleagues across institutional boundaries

Solutions-oriented mindset and the ability to think strategically.

High degree of dynamism and self-motivation, with the ability to work with minimal supervision.

This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/ temporaries). External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.