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, visit www.worldbank.org.


The Infrastructure Practice Group is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies. It comprises Energy and Extractives, Transport, Digital Development, and Infrastructure Finance, Public Private Partnerships and Guarantees (IPG). The World Bank’s active portfolio in Infrastructure consists of 400 operations, implemented by a workforce of over 700 staff in headquarters and 82 country offices. The core values guiding our work include our passion for sustainable poverty reduction, our willingness to put the needs of the client at the center of all our activities, and our honesty and integrity as a common currency.

Infrastructure Finance, PPPs and Guarantees (IPG) Global Practice (GP) Overview

As part of the Infrastructure VPU, the Infrastructure Finance, PPPs & Guarantees (IPG) GP brings together the World Bank’s cross-sector infrastructure finance, PPP structuring, and analytics skills, as well as the Trust Funds and Financial Intermediary Funds that support those areas of development across the WBG. With these human and financial resources, IPG helps WBG teams and client countries improve the quality and affordability of service delivery through sound infrastructure policies and investment programs; strong enabling environments; and bankable projects. We build our support around knowledge, tools, and experience that support informed choices on the role and value of the private sector in financing and delivering infrastructure, while deploying financial structures and instruments that sustainably manage, mitigate and reduce risk.

IPG GP provides programmatic interventions and cross-support, in collaboration with the other World Bank Global Practices, IFC and MIGA, across the infrastructure investment cycle: (i) upstream through advice on strategic prioritization and planning for infrastructure investment programs, support for policy and regulatory strengthening, and institutional capacity building; (ii) midstream through project identification, preparation and structuring, including analysis of the most appropriate contracting and financing modes; and (iii) downstream by structuring alternative options to public finance and by deploying financial instruments of the World Bank, including World Bank Guarantees to that end, while ensuring financial and technical sustainability of appropriate financial solutions.

IPG has staff based in Washington DC, in Singapore at the World Bank’s Infrastructure and Urban Development Hub, in Japan, and in World Bank country offices in Senegal, Kenya, Tanzania, and Indonesia.

Currently, IPG consists of two units and two Global programs: i) the Infrastructure Finance and Guarantees (IFG) unit, which offers investment support and designs innovative financial structure, including in support of the World Bank’s guarantees program; ii) the PPP Group, which leads the global PPP agenda and supports the development of cutting-edge analytical as well as innovative and sustainable solutions in cross-cutting infrastructure areas; iii) the Global Infrastructure Facility (GIF), a partnership designed to provide a new way to collaborate on preparing, structuring, and implementing complex projects; and iv) the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF), a facility which helps developing-country governments strengthen policies, regulations, and institutions that enable sustainable infrastructure with private-sector participation.

PPP Group Overview

The PPP Group leads the World Bank’s global PPP agenda to support the institution as the center of expertise for PPPs. Staff in the PPP Group work closely with the Regions, Global Practices, Global Departments to: (i) support planning, identification and prioritization of project pipelines to support innovation and better decision making; ; (ii) define operational standards for the creation of a sustainable ecosystem for PPPs in client countries and analyses for use by governments in managing infrastructure and PPP programs; (iii) provide technical expertise and thought leadership in developing infrastructure strategies, implementing projects, managing the associated risks such as fiscal risks; and (iv) offer support to building enabling frameworks and institutional capacity.

The PPP Group also houses the Analytics team which produce several PPP flagship knowledge initiatives, including the PPI Database, the PPP Procurement Benchmarking, the PPP Fiscal Risk Assessment Model (PFRAM) for valuing and managing contingent liabilities and fiscal exposure from PPPs, alongside a range of other tools, operational standards. The PPP Group also houses the Quality Infrastructure Investment Partnership (QII).

In collaboration with INF’s Chief Economist’s office, the PPP Group supports the development of cutting-edge knowledge and analytics, innovative and sustainable solutions in cross-cutting infrastructure areas (such as connectivity and regional integration, infrastructure governance, and quality infrastructure). In that context the PPP Group supports the deployment of the Infrastructure Assessment Program (InfraSAP) [1]- an extended-core diagnostic. In addition, the PPP Group supports a number of corporate initiatives aimed at strengthening policies, regulations and institutions to enable PPI and support the enabling environment for private capital mobilization.

In defining and implementing strategic approaches to delivering infrastructure, the PPP Group leverages resources from the GP’s Global programs and works closely with IFC and MIGA.

Duties and accountabilities:

The PPP group is recruiting a Senior PPP Specialist, based in Dakar, to play a leading role in the group’s thought leadership, global engagement, and client support with respect to the delivery of high-quality, sustainable PPP policies, programs, and projects, with a particular focus on West and Central Africa. Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Lead and contribute to client engagements to help create conducive enabling environments for sustainable PPPs and other forms of private participation in infrastructure (—including developing robust country policy, legal, and institutional frameworks that are embedded in sound public investment planning and fiscal risk management, and developing governments’ capacity to procure and implement well-structured, bankable and affordable projects that offer value for money). These may include technical assistance and support to operational engagements by deploying policy (DPOs), program (PforRs) and/ or investment project (IPFs) Bank instruments.
• Lead and contribute to the delivery of hands-on support to governments in developing PPP programs—including for example creating and supporting country/ regional strategies to increase private sector participation in infrastructure; prioritization and planning of infrastructure investments; and advising on the approach to developing priority projects.
• Lead engagement with World Bank Group Country Management teams in the West and Central Africa region to define strategic approaches to supporting clients in the use of PPPs and other forms of private participation in infrastructure to achieve development goals, including through the origination and delivery of infrastructure sector assessments (InfraSAPs) which in turn lead to Bank operations such as those described above. 
• Lead and contribute to the development of innovative PPP related knowledge products, cutting-edge practical tools and diagnostics.
• Support monitoring and evaluation of Bank’s PPP activities and operations and extract strategic lessons for effective support to PPPs and private participation in infrastructure.
• Contribute to the World Bank’s engagement on PPPs at international and regional forums, and with other multilateral and bilateral development institutions.

[1] An InfraSAP is geared to better understand the specific deficiencies in various infrastructure sectors, the underlying constraints and priorities to develop sustainable infrastructure as cross-cutting enablers for human capital, economic and social inclusion (via the service delivery channel including physical access as well as through integration and connectivity for households and businesses), and for bringing long-term stability. InfraSAP undertakes an inventory of existing binding constraints and identifies the necessary reforms and transformations required to prepare the conditions on the ground and open the country for more investment possibilities. It provides recommendations and a roadmap on how these challenges can be overcome along the pillars of connectivity, financing and funding as well as governance of infrastructure.

Selection Criteria

• Candidates should have at least a Master’s degree in a relevant subject (such as economics, finance, public policy, law, business administration, engineering, or related fields) and 10-12 years of professional experience as a practitioner in in the infrastructure finance, PPP, and/or infrastructure policy-making fields, or an equivalent combination of post-graduate education and experience. 
• Practical experience in developing and implementing PPP strategies, policies, and/or projects—preferably including working from a public sector perspective—obtained from within a government or public sector entity, development finance institution, management consultancy firm, or similar entity
• Solid understanding of international experience and good practice with respect to PPP project preparation, structuring, and transaction management, as well as legal, policy, and institutional frameworks for PPPs and other forms of private participation in infrastructure, and of relevant aspects of broader public investment and fiscal risk management.
• Experience in translating technical knowledge into practical application in developing country contexts, including experience in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
• Strong written and oral communication and client engagement skills. 
• Written and oral fluency in English and French is required.

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.

This vacancy is archived.

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