Job Description

Senior Transport Specialist

Job #: req38281 Organization: World Bank Group Sector: Transportation Grade: GG Term Duration: 4 years 0 months Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 9/24/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

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 Washington DC.

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 Washington DC will primarily cover road sector initiatives across the region. The IECTR unit is looking to recruit a seasoned senior road sector specialist with a solid track record in policy dialogue, business development, and implementation of operations in the road sector, demonstrated through strong track record in the areas among road sector institutional reform, investments (experience with guarantee instruments would be a big plus) and experience with implementing rated criteria in transport sector investments. First hand experience working directly in road agencies at provincial/national levels would be particularly valued for this position.

Role & Responsibilities:

The chosen candidate will be part of a team responsible for: (i) implementation of the road sector program in the region, which includes RAS’s on sector reform, investment projects increasing with a focus on sector reform and bringing commercial financing into the sector; (ii) leading the technical dialogue (advisory and analytics) in the road sector with the authorities in ECA countries; (iii) identifying new opportunities and preparing new projects in the region; (iv) leading policy/institutional reforms and mainstreaming key initiatives on incorporation of the private sector; logistics, transport sector reform and resilience (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:

• Expertise with the use of rated criteria in investments and their application in WB transport investment projects. The ideal candidate would have in depth and practical experience with rated criteria design and implementation in settings that have experience with quality based contracting.
• Leading the development of road sector strategies with a focus on road sector institutions, and governance and public-private partnerships.
• Funding and financing innovations in the road sector and bringing commercial financing into the road sector.
• 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 ECA countries 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.
• 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.
• Delivering high quality transport projects in general, through high quality project documents, state of the art technical advice, and strong focus on quality assurance.

Selection Criteria

• At least 8 years of professional experience in the transport sector.
• At least master’s degree in relevant discipline such as transport engineering or related fields with strong relevant experience.
• In-depth experience in analytical/operational work to design and implement policy, strategy, institutions, and regulations, as they relate to the road sector.
• Demonstrated experience in the development of policy recommendations and implementation of capacity building in areas such as road sector institutions, , PPPs, and road sector resilience.
• Demonstrated capacity of large size project management and team management.
• Demonstrated experience in civil works contract management and understanding of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) fiduciary and environment and social safeguards policies and requirements in practice.
• 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 with senior clients for road sector 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 some knowledge of Russian;
• Previous experience working for a road sector agency at national/provincial level;
• Experience working with International Financial Institutions
• Experience with development and application of rated criteria
• Experience with the use of guarantee instruments to bring commercial financing to the road sector

Transport GP Technical Competency Requirements:

• 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.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

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.

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