Back Senior Transport Specialist - Other

 Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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. Europe and Central Asia Region
The Europe and Central Asia Region (ECA) is seeking a Senior Transport Specialist for the Transport unit (IECT1) within the INFRA Practice Group, who will report to the Practice Manager and be based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people. Three of our client countries are IDA only and another two are IDA blend countries.  The remaining 25 are IBRD eligible. Although ten of our clients have joined the European Union and seven of these have graduated from IBRD, most continue to remain active recipients of knowledge and/or financing through the WBG’s lending services.  ECA has a strong lending pipeline as well as a large and growing portfolio of Reimbursable Advisory Services.  Knowledge is critical to the World Bank’s value proposition to client countries in the ECA region in both lending and advisory services.
A predominantly middle- and high-income region, ECA continues to be at the forefront in confronting the numerous development challenges that countries face in the evolving global economy. The region is at the vanguard of building regional connectivity while having to manage the changing structure of the labor market. At the same time, digital technologies are changing the nature of work, populations are aging, and large migration flows have generated social tensions that have contributed to increased political polarization. More recently, the invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath threaten to reverse the region’s achievements in regional integration, poverty reduction and shared prosperity. 
Transport Global Practice
Better transport has the potential to improve the lives and livelihoods of billions of people by facilitating access to jobs, markets, and essential services such as healthcare or education. The World Bank provides financial and technical assistance to help countries implement sustainable mobility solutions that create real, lasting development benefits. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/transport 
The ECA Transport Unit (IECT1)
The ECA Transport Unit (IECT1) has an active portfolio of 21 lending operations with total commitments of about USD5 billion, 10 ongoing ASA and reimbursable advisory services (RAS) and approximately 2-4 new lending deliveries per FY.
The current portfolio is diversified which reflects different client needs, with the following development objectives: (i) improving regional connectivity to enhance trade opportunities through regional integration and efficient freight logistics, enhancing national connectivity and urban mobility to support more inclusive urban development; (ii) strengthening the capacity of clients to plan and implement transport interventions across transport modes through policy and institutional reforms, improving the knowledge-base and feedback loops, strengthening planning processes, managing environmental and social safeguards and mainstreaming social accountability; (iii) leveraging resources through strong partnerships (donor coordination and PPPs), including increasing commercial and domestic financing for connectivity, mobility and logistics projects in the countries, and (iv) ensuring sustainability by improving governance and efficiency in the sector, bringing transformative technologies on transport planning and service delivery, and increasing resilience of transport infrastructure and supporting a low carbon path. 
The position in Tbilisi will primarily cover IECT1 initiatives in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. 
The IECT1 unit is looking to recruit a seasoned senior transport specialist with a solid track record in policy dialogue and operations in transport, demonstrated through strong track record in the areas of rail logistics,  urban mobility, transport decarbonization, planning, climate, and governance.
Role and Responsibilities
The Specialist will be part of a team responsible for: (i) implementation of the transport program in the region, which includes projects on rural, interurban, urban and global connectivity; (ii) leading the technical dialogue (advisory and analytics) in the transport sector with the authorities in the South Caucuses; (iii) identifying new opportunities and preparing new projects in the region; (iv)  leading policy/institutional reforms and mainstreaming key initiatives on road safety, gender, green transport infrastructure, decarbonization and services and the incorporation of the private sector; (v) developing analytical and advisory work and knowledge activities in close collaboration with other Global Practices, leveraging on best practices, international experiences and innovative tools and data analytics; and (vi) in all above activities, contribute to maximizing private sector financing by partnering with IFC/MIGA/WB World Bank Infrastructure Finance and Guarantees Units. 
The specific duties will include leadership of and support to project preparation, supervision, analytical studies consistent with the World Bank’s sector strategies, with a particular focus on: • Delivering high quality transport projects in general, through high quality project documents, state of the art technical advice, and strong focus on quality assurance.• Contributing and leading the development of sector strategies and new business areas, with a focus in areas related to transport decarbonization, governance and public-private partnerships.  • Developing communications and training materials, delivering training, seminars, workshops and conferences at the regional and global level.• Leading the day-to-day implementation of active projects in countries in the regions, including lending and non-lending operations.• Identifying and developing a pipeline of project and programs in the South Caucuses in accordance with the country strategies, especially where private capital mobilization is envisioned.• Advising government counterparts on technical matters associated with transport projects, including on institutional strengthening activities, technical designs and specifications, compliance with environmental and social policies, procurement, operational health and safety, etc.• Participating in cross-sectoral teams responsible for preparation of policy notes, Systematic Country Diagnostics, Country Partnership Strategies, CCDRs, public expenditures reviews, sectoral studies, and research and policy development activities on the topics/sections pertaining to the transport sector.• Identifying and leading the implementation of trust funded activities and seeking other funding to support carry out non-lending activities. • Leading the procurement and management of consultants and firms to support analytical and operational work. Supervising the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure quality and consistency with Bank standards. • Supporting the World Bank-wide professional community of staff engaged in the transport practice by participating in a selected number of Solution Areas under the Transport Global Solutions Groups, delivering technical notes to enhance the creation and dissemination of new knowledge, and expanding the existing knowledge base.• Staying abreast of recent developments in the transport sector world-wide, and on cross-cutting issues, in relation to the topics of specialization for this position; identifying knowledge gaps and disseminating relevant knowledge to clients.

Selection Criteria

• At least 8 years of professional experience in the transport sector. 
• At least Master degree in relevant discipline such as transport, engineering, finance, law or economics.  
• In-depth experience in analytical/operational work to design and implement policy, strategy, institutions, and regulations, as they relate to the transport sector. 
• Demonstrated experience in the development of policy recommendations and implementation of capacity building in areas such as transport planning, transport decarbonization, climate financing, transport governance, economic models for transport projects, PPPs, and mitigation and adaptation related to transport.
• Ability to integrate technical, institutional, and financial elements in formulating or assessing a realistic reform strategy and conducting policy dialogue.
• Demonstrated experience on strategic policy dialogue for transport projects, including urban and interurban projects.
• High degree of dynamism and self-motivation, as well as the ability to work with minimal supervision. 
• Ability to identify and develop potential areas for future World Bank transport sector initiatives based on client consultation and analysis. 
• Ability to communicate concisely and with high technical content to different levels of counterparts, from technical to managerial levels.
• Outstanding written and communications skills in English.
  In addition, it would be desirable for the candidate to have: 
  -Familiarity with the region and knowledge of language(s) spoken in the South Caucuses;- Knowledge of the transport sector and network of relevant contacts in the South Caucuses; - previous experience working for an International Financial Institution or infrastructure sector investor or consulting firm.
  Transport GP Technical Competency Requirement 
  
  • Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Understands policy making process; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients.
  • Policy Dialogue Skills - Identifies and assesses policy issues and plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders. 
  • Transport Policy, Strategy, and Institutions – Deep experience with transport policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations. 
  • Client Orientation - Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success. 
  • Drive for Results - Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results and has the personal organization to do so. 
  • Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view. 
  • Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner. 
  • Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.

    World Bank Group Core Competencies

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