Transport Specialist at World Bank Group

Duties and Responsibilities

• The Transport Specialist reports to the Practice Manager, Transport, Eastern Africa. They are expected to work on the overall transport portfolio in Kenya, with a focus on urban transport engagements both in Kenya and across the region. The transport portfolio in Kenya currently consists of two regional integration projects focused on roads, and a large urban transport and a rural roads engagement under preparation, along with a variety of analytical work across topics such as intelligent transport systems for public transport, climate-resilience, and transit-oriented development. The urban transport engagement is growing and requires an additional country-based specialist to help design urban investment projects, programmatic approaches and reform policies contributing to robust projects and policies, work with the transport team to strengthen the narrative and analysis of World Bank urban transport engagements, and contribute to country analytical work such as the Country Climate and Development Report, Country Partnership Framework, and public expenditure reviews.

The objectives of the assignment will be to:

• Co-lead and/or support task teams in the design, preparation and implementation of urban transport projects in Kenya, covering the core elements (planning, financial and economic analyses) while also incorporating key cross-cutting issues such as gender, climate change, road safety, and private sector participation.
• Support the design, preparation and implementation of new non-lending, analytical activities as part of larger regional transport programs, especially on urban mobility.
• Engage with clients in designing and advancing sector policy and institutional reforms and capacity building programs, seeking to develop capacity in the implementing entities to plan, develop, and manage urban transport projects under their jurisdiction, with gender opportunities and climate resilience embedded.
• Participate in the policy dialogue under the guidance of the Country Director, Practice Manager and Operations Manager, with external stakeholders/development partners in the country and region.
• Provide support and guidance to improve the quality of transport projects in general, through peer reviews, technical advice, quality assurance.
• Advise government counterparts on technical matters associated with urban transport projects, including assessment of investment and policy options and measures to strengthen regulatory and institutional arrangements.
• Supervise the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure quality and consistency with the World Bank standards.
• Conduct sector work such as the identification and analysis of transport sector development trends, economic analysis for regional and country-specific sector studies and analytical work.
• Participate in cross-sectoral teams responsible for preparation of policy notes, Country Partnership Frameworks, public expenditures reviews, sectoral studies, and research and policy development activities on topics/sections pertaining to transport, urban development, trade and competitiveness, and agriculture sectors.
• Support the World Bank-wide professional community of staff engaged in the transport practice by participating in a selected number of thematic technical groups (Global Solutions Groups or Communities of Practice) and drafting of technical notes, and supporting cutting-edge work in collaboration with other global practices to enhance knowledge creation and dissemination, and expanding the existing knowledge base.
• Stay 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.
• Represent the World Bank as designated by the Practice Manager, the Country Director or the Regional Director at public events relevant to the sector

Selection Criteria

Technical Competencies

• The position requires candidates with expertise and practical experience in engineering, infrastructure/transport planning, urban transport, urban planning, sector policy, combined with appreciation and awareness of the challenges/difficulties of working in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Specialist knowledge of urban mobility is required, while experience in working in developing countries is essential.

Candidates for the position will be selected based on the following considerations:

• Master’s degree or higher in civil/transport engineering, transport planning, economics, urban planning, public policy, finance or other related disciplines;
• Minimum 5 years proven experience in the transport sector or in a related infrastructure field (with a government’s transport authority, contractor(s), design or supervision consultant(s), development or academic institutions), with demonstrated ability to work on: (a) infrastructure design or planning; (b) civil works contract management and execution; (c) procurement of civil works and consultancy contracts; (d) sustainable transport infrastructure asset management; (e) planning and implementing sustainable transport plans and policies, including land use considerations, climate change, non-motorized transport, multi-modal transport system, transport demand management; and (f) economic, social, and environmental impact of infrastructure investments;
• Experience of working with programs financed by development partners;
• Work experience in developing countries, with experience in more than one of the World Bank’s regions and/or in fragile and island states as an asset;
• Proven experience in analytical work, such as on international and national transport policy, strategy, institutions and regulation as they relate to the transport sector, and transport systems and technologies (preferably related to urban and inter-urban);
• Substantive knowledge of key developments in related sectors (especially the urban development context of Kenya) and on cross-cutting issues affecting the performance of the transport sector, such as private sector engagement, e-mobility, transit-oriented development, gender, environmental and social impacts including gender-based violence, road safety, operational health and safety issues, and climate change;
• High degree of 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;
• Familiar with up-to-date trends and technological advancements in the transport sector
• Willingness to travel to and work in challenging country environments;
• Excellent written and communications skills in English; French is a desirable additional asset.