Job Vacancy : Urban Specialist ETC

Exciting opportunity at the World Bank for the Post of Urban Development Specialist (ET) don’t miss this opportunity!

Established in 1944, the World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with more than 16,000 staff located globally. The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). IBRD and IDA is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and – as of July 1, 2014 – has introduced fourteen Global Practices (GPs) as well as five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) to bring outstanding knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

The “Urban, Resilience and Land” (URL) Global Practice

Urbanization is occurring at an unprecedented pace. Cities generate 80% of global GDP and are key to job creation and the pursuit of shared prosperity. Yet one billion city residents live in slums today, and by 2030 one billion new migrants will arrive in cities. This concentration of people and assets will exacerbate risk exposure to adverse natural events and climate change, which affects the poor disproportionately. The absence of secure land tenure underpins deprivation and is a major source of conflict in the urban and rural space. One and a half billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of violence. In the absence of services, participative planning and responsive institutions, these trends will result in increased poverty, social exclusion, vulnerability and violence. Finally, avoiding a 4-degree warmer world requires drastically reducing the carbon footprint of cities.

The WBG is in a unique position to support national and sub-national clients to: harness urbanization and enable effective land management in support of both growth and poverty reduction; foster social inclusion of marginalized groups; support the responsiveness and fiscal, financial, and management capacities of local governments – cities, municipalities, and rural districts – to deliver local infrastructure and decentralized services; strengthen resilience and risk management related to natural disasters; reduce conflict and violence; scale-up access to finance for sub-national governments; and reduce the carbon footprint of cities. The WBG brings a combination of lending ($7-8 billion in annual lending to cities), analytical and advisory services (e.g., social inclusion flagship, urbanization reviews, Sendai dialogue), its growing portfolio of reimbursable advisory services, its convening power (e.g., understanding risk and the land conferences), its leveraging capacity (e.g., guarantees and risk mitigation), and its ability to work with the private sector to tackle the challenges at scale and to effect.

The GPURL covers a wide range of development areas: (i) developing green, inclusive and resilient cities; (ii) enhancing urban and rural development through supporting and managing the urban-rural transition, assisting local development through developing land tenure, management and information systems; and (iii) assisting in disaster risk management through issues of risk assessment, risk reduction (including flood management, urban drainage, coastal management, and retrofitting of infrastructure), disaster preparedness (including hydromet services, early warning systems, and civil defense), risk financing (including Cat DDO), and resilient reconstruction (including post-disaster damage and loss assessment).

Regional and Unit Context

Urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa is occurring at an unprecedented pace. The share of Africans living in urban areas is projected to grow from 38 percent in 2016 to almost 60 percent by 2040, translating to an additional 40,000 new urban citizens every day until 2040. The region’s urbanization rate, one of the highest in the world, can lead to economic growth, transformation and poverty. However, many cities in Africa still have not fully captured the benefits of urbanization and poorly managed urbanization have exacerbated existing infrastructure challenges, resulting in increased inequality, urban poverty, proliferation of informal settlements and vulnerability to hazards. Adverse natural events present a serious obstacle for achieving sustainable social and economic development, particularly in vulnerable regions as Sub-Saharan Africa. Disaster affects the poor most severely; unplanned human settlements, unsafe building practices, high population densities, economic growth, and accumulations of assets in risk prone areas has dramatically increased exposure to hazards and increased disaster loss. Climate changed has the potential to significantly worsen the situation.

To this end, the West and Central Africa (AFW) Urban, Resilience and Land Units brings together a wide range of important and interrelated development and financing instruments to support national and sub-national clients to: harness urbanization and enable effective land management in support of both growth and poverty reduction; foster social inclusion of marginalized groups; support the responsiveness and fiscal, financial, and management capacities of local governments – cities, municipalities, and rural districts – to deliver local infrastructure and decentralized services; strengthen resilience and disaster risk management related to natural disasters; reduce conflict and violence; scale-up access to finance for sub-national governments; and reduce the carbon footprint of cities.

Position context

The West Africa sub-region harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile. This creates a huge development challenge which compounded with other natural shocks like floods and droughts, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of people. But it also creates an opportunity to work closely with country leaders, civil society, development partners, and young people to chart a brighter course for the future. The WBG’s experience in Africa offers important source of insight, drawing on an array of lessons learned from multi-sector operations in FCV or disaster-conflict nexus situations.

The AFW Urban, Resilience and Land Units brings together a wide range of important and interrelated development and financing instruments to support national and sub-national clients to: harness urbanization and enable effective land management in support of both growth and poverty reduction; foster social inclusion of marginalized groups; support the responsiveness and fiscal, financial, and management capacities of local governments – cities, municipalities, and rural districts – to deliver local infrastructure and decentralized services; strengthen resilience and disaster risk management related to natural hazards; reduce conflict and violence; scale-up access to finance for sub-national governments; and reduce the carbon footprint of cities.

SAWU4 Unit is seeking a highly qualified and motivated Urban Development Specialist (ETC) with strong civil engineering expertise and demonstrated operational experience in managing urban development and infrastructure operations. The Urban Development Specialist (ETC) will be based in Yaounde, Cameroon and will report to the SAWU4 Practice Manager based in Accra. He/She will work across the Urban and DRM program in the area of urban development and infrastructure; with a particular focus on the Central Africa CMU (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of Congo). He/She will be expected to provide technical leadership in operational and analytical tasks, including but not limited to the preparation and implementation of lending operations, operational and analytical projects, contribute to teams within the unit and beyond, co-lead cross sectoral and multi-sectoral urban development and infrastructure engagements across various global practices, and support the further development and implementation of the urban and resilience building programs through a range of Bank instruments and engagement modalities. Given the multi-GP nature of the urban agenda, the Urban Development Specialist (ETC) is expected to demonstrate the highest collaborative competencies, working with colleagues across the range of technical areas within the unit and, equally importantly, from other GPs.

The assignment will primarily focus on operational projects in Cameroon and Gabon, with flexibility based on business demand. The term of this ETC position is for one (1) year, with a possibility of extension based on business demand and the selected candidate’s performance.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Urban Development Specialist (ETC)’s responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to the following:
Provide substantive contributions to engagement in urban development, urban infrastructure, and resilience through existing country programs and provide technical support towards the promotion and implementation of the urban and resilience agenda, including through participation in the Bank’s dialogue with clients and CMUs.Provide technical and thought leadership on urban development and infrastructure topics, including in maintaining engagement with a range of stakeholders within the Bank, and with government clients and development partners across the region.Lead or co-lead technical review, technical assistance, global knowledge sharing, and capacity building related to civil engineering for urban development, infrastructure and resilience with the client and development partners, and within the World Bank Group in the AFW region.Provide technical and substantive inputs task operational and analytical activities as part of the Urban and DRM program in AFW, including preparation and implementation support and documents towards lending operations and implementation of cutting-edge analytical instruments and knowledge products.Contribute to regional and country level policy dialogue and just-in-time advisory work in urban development, infrastructure, and resilience.Work closely with national and sub-national clients to respond to urban development and infrastructure challenges through lending operations and analytical work particularly towards the mainstreaming of the urban agenda and addressing infrastructure gaps in national and subnational policy development, planning, and budgeting.Contribute to business development in the urban development, infrastructure, and resilience areas by identifying key opportunities and priority areas for engagement and by conceptualizing, preparing and implementing urban solutions both in the operational and analytical realms.Participate in professional development and knowledge sharing activities related to green, resilient and inclusive infrastructure development, particularly on urban development and urban infrastructure topics, and contribute specific knowledge both within the assigned countries and across the various World Bank unitsContribute to and support cross-sectoral dialogues in AFW countries from an urban perspective and provide inputs towards just-in-time advisory work.Provide substantive inputs to dialogue and technical tasks from an urban development, infrastructure and resilience perspective for the preparation of country strategy documents and the SAWU4 unit’s operational and strategic documents.Work with colleagues at various levels and positions in support of various urban operations, analytical undertakings, national and sector policy reviews and recommendations, including identifying suitable consultants and firms, and managing and supervising consultants’ reports and outputs as applicable.Selection Criteria
Advanced degree from a reputable institution related to urban development such as civil engineering, water resources management, urban planning, economics, climate, or similar field with at least 5 years’ professional experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.Strong civil engineering experience and expertise in urban infrastructure, preferably in urban transport and/or hydraulic engineering.Operational experience with the World Bank and/or other international financial institutions, ideally including with substantive experience in designing/implementing World Bank lending operations.Track record of delivery of client-oriented solutions, hand-holding support to low-capacity clients, and technical reviews related to urban infrastructure.Strong professional experience in West and Central Africa is preferred.Familiarity with the Bank’s engagement in fragile, conflict, and violence (FCV) countries and regions.Demonstrated teamwork skills including working with complex, cross-sectoral teams for emergency or crises response, and urgent deliverables.Strong communication skills, including the ability to write quickly and concisely on a variety of topics in a well-structured manner and deliver complex concepts and messages orally in an understandable and compelling manner with a range of stakeholders.Ability to think innovatively and strategically during problem solving for the Bank in a range of context of political economies, while maintaining a strong client focus.Demonstrated capacity to effectively engage in policy dialogue with World Bank clients.High energy and demonstrated interest and experience in achieving impact through operational and analytical work.Demonstrated experience to work with teams in a collaborative manner.A proven ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments, adjust to changes in schedule and priorities, and juggle concurrent tasks effectively and efficiently.Demonstrated ability to work with multi-disciplinary teams.Strong written and oral communication skills in French and English, with demonstrated ability of making effective presentations to diverse audiences.WBG Core Competencies:
Drive for Results: Takes personal responsibility for producing high quality work, identifying and informing of risks, and delivering results for clientsLead and Innovate: Brings new and different insight; applies critical thinking to current approaches, identifies areas for improvement and tries new solutions that drive resultsCollaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Keeps others fully informed to ensure integration and work consistency and displays a sense of mutuality and respect.Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Actively contributes to and readily applies WBG’s body of knowledge for internal and/or external client solutionsMake Smart Decisions – Leverages available data and makes timely decision; seeks and analyzes facts, data and lessons of past experience to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others’ work.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.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group Staff Member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, they will retain their Regular or Open-Ended appointment. If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group Staff Member with a Term appointment that expires later than the end date of this appointment, they will retain the duration of their current Term appointment.

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.

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