Transport Economist

 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

Eastern and Southern Africa 

Home to about half a billion of Africa’s people, Eastern and Southern Africa is a geographically, culturally, and economically diverse region of 26 countries stretching from the Red Sea in the North to the Cape of Good Hope in the South. Children under 18 make up almost half of the total population. The subregion boasts of some of the world’s richest human and natural resources and, apart from South Africa, the countries are predominantly raw material exporters.

The subregion harbors some of Africa’s protracted conflicts, rendering many of its countries fragile, while significant gaps in education, health, and skills development continues to keep people from reaching their full potential. This creates a huge development challenge, impacts heavily on the lives and livelihoods of people, and hinders regional integration and trade. 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 World Bank’s Eastern and Southern Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,207 staff, mostly based in 26 country offices, has been helping countries realize their considerable development potential by focusing on the following priorities:

• Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies: We are working with countries across Africa to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by leveraging all sources of finance, expertise, and solutions to promote investment.
• Building up the Digital Economy: We are supporting Africa’s vision to ensure that every African individual, business, and government is connected by 2030 – a vision that, if realized, can boost growth by up to 2 percentage points per year, and reduce poverty by 1 percentage point per year in Sub-Saharan Africa alone.
• Institutions more Efficient and Accountable: Our support is helping governments strengthen public policy processes, manage resources effectively, and reinforce fair and reliable delivery of public services.
• Investing in People: We are at the forefront of helping African countries accelerate human capital gains and empower women by improving their access to education and skills acquisition, sexual and reproductive health services, and employment opportunities. With the influx COVID-19, we are mobilizing financial support and timely analysis and advice to countries across the subregion to deal with the pandemic.
• Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption:  In the face of increasing climate-related risks, we are working with African countries to advance efforts to adopt renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green infrastructure. A number of East African countries are currently facing a debilitating Desert Locust infestation, threatening the already precarious food security situation. The Bank has put together a program to help affected countries deal with the scourge.
• Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict, and Violence: Given the cross-border nature of conflicts in Africa, we are employing an approach that simultaneously focuses on the drivers of fragility while also supporting well-targeted regional initiatives to create opportunities for peace and shared prosperity.
• Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent: We are scaling up our work on regional integration, taking a holistic view of the continent that covers both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The World Bank is a dedicated partner for Eastern and Southern African countries, helping them deliver strong development outcomes for their people. A brighter future for Africa is a better future for the world.

The Transport Global Practice 

The Transport Global Practice (GP) is made up of more than 300 professionals who are dedicated to respond to the needs of developing countries for faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient transport solutions while addressing traffic fatalities, congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and local air pollution. The Africa transport sector grouping consists of four units across two regions each led by a Regional Vice President (East and Southern Africa, and West and Central Africa). The transport units are led by Practice Managers who report to Regional Directors, as well as the Global Infrastructure Practice Group led by a Vice President covering transport, energy, digital development, as well as infrastructure finance, public-private partnerships and guarantees.

The Transport Unit in Eastern Africa is now seeking a locally recruited Transport Economist based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to support the design, preparation, and supervision of lending operations and technical assistance activities and new business development in the sector. The work will require operational and analytical skills across transport modes, along with experience in addressing cross-cutting transport issues such as road safety, gender, climate change, logistics, procurement and institutions/governance.
If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment and current term. All others will be offered a four-year term appointment. The position is subject to local recruitment. Tanzanian citizens and permanent residents will be considered on a priority basis.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Transport Economist reports to the Practice Manager, Transport, Eastern Africa. They are expected to work on the overall Tanzania transport portfolio which includes projects on land transport, maritime, rail transport and aviation as well as regional connectivity, climate resilience, and urban mobility. The transport portfolio in Tanzania currently consists of four ongoing projects and two under preparation, and a variety of analytical work across topics such as regional freight flows and connectivity, intelligent transport systems for public transport, railway performance and sustainability, road safety, climate changes impacts and the use of cargo drones. The team now requires a country-based economist to conduct and/or help with economic analyses of investment projects and reform policies contributing to more robust projects and policies, work with the transport team to strengthen the economic narrative and analysis of World Bank transport engagements, and contribute to country analytical work such as the Systematic Country Diagnostic, Country Climate and Development Report, Country Partnership Framework, and public expenditure reviews. With a focus on, but not limited to, the financial and economic dimensions, the objectives of the assignment will be to:

• Co-lead and/or support task teams in the preparation and implementation of transport projects in Tanzania, 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 lending and non-lending activities that can also be part of larger regional transport or trade facilitation programs and ensure quality of economic analysis and incorporation of key issues;
• 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 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 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;
• Provide information and analyses for the development of policies, strategies and innovative approaches to further development in the transport sector including issues of transport network development, road asset management, maritime and aviation transport systems, and multimodal logistics, in the context of sustainable economic development and poverty reduction.
• Conduct economic and sector work such as the identification and analysis of transport sector development trends, economic analysis for regional and country specific sector studies and ASAs, and project-specific economic analyses.
• Participate in cross-sectoral teams responsible for preparation of policy notes, Systematic Country Diagnostics and Country Partnership Frameworks, public expenditures reviews, sectoral studies, and research and policy development activities on the 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; and
• 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 economics, infrastructure planning, sector policy, combined with appreciation and awareness of the challenges/difficulties of working in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. Specialist knowledge of a particular infrastructure or transport thematic focus (such as urban mobility or climate resilience) would be an additional asset, 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 transport/infrastructure economics, planning, public policy, finance or other related disciplines;
• Minimum 5 years proven experience in the transport sector or in a related infrastructure field (either with a government’s transport authority, contractor(s), design or supervision consultant(s), or development institutions), with demonstrated ability to work on: (a) infrastructure economics or planning; (b) civil works contract management and execution; (c) procurement of civil works and consultancy contracts; (d) sustainable transport infrastructure asset management; and (e) economic, social, and environmental impact of infrastructure investments;
• Experience of working with programs financed by other 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;
• Experience in analytical work, such as on international and national transport policy, strategy, institutions and regulation as they relate to the transport sector;
• Knowledge of key developments in related sectors and on cross-cutting issues affecting the performance of the transport sector, such as private sector engagement, 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;
• Willingness to travel to and work in challenging country environments;
• Excellent written and communications skills in English; French would be a desirable additional asset.

WBG Competencies

• Lead and Innovate – Develops innovative solutions.
• Deliver Results for Clients – Proactively addresses clients’ stated and unstated needs.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Collaborates across boundaries, gives own perspective and willingly receives diverse perspectives.
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Applies knowledge across WBG to strengthen solutions for internal and/or external clients.
• Make Smart Decisions – Interprets a wide range of information and pushes to move forward.

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.

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