E T Consultant – Infrastructure Full-Time

Global Context

The Infrastructure Practice Group

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 (EEX), Transport, Urban, Resilience and Land (URL), Digital Development, and Infrastructure Finance, Public Private Partnerships and Guarantees (IPG).

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 URL GP covers a wide gamut: (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 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 AFR Urban, Resilience and Land Unit 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

Mozambique is urbanizing at an unprecedented speed, driven by economic transformation and conflict. Until recently, urban growth was mostly concentrated in the south around the country’s capital, along main transport corridors, and around smaller port cities. In 1975, the nationalization and redistribution of land and housing that accompanied the country’s independence sparked an increase in rural-urban migration. While Mozambique started urbanizing late, urban growth has since accelerated, with the urban population increasing from approximately 1.01 million urban dwellers (the equivalent of 10.87 percent of the total population) in 1975 to approximately 11.59 million (the equivalent of 37.08 percent of the total population in 2020).7 Economic transformation has been the main driver of urban growth. Productivity is increasing in the mostly urban industrial and services sectors, which contrasts with the agriculture sector that has remained relatively stagnant. Conflict has also been a major driver of rapid urban growth. During the 1977–92 Civil War period, most of the IDPs escaping from the violence in rural areas sought refuge in the cities, resulting in a significant spike in urban growth. This unprecedented urban growth has overwhelmed the authorities’ capacity to deliver basic infrastructure and adequate housing.

The AFR Urban, Resilience, and Land East Africa Unit (SAEU2) is seeking a qualified and motivated professional to help deliver the ongoing and pipeline program of the Africa region. In particular, she/he will support the management of analytical and advisory services, preparation and implementation support for lending investments, and policy dialogue in the areas of urban infrastructure and disaster risk management in Mozambique.

Roles & Responsibilities

The ETC – Urban Infrastructure Specialist is expected to provide technical and operational expertise to implement and develop the SAEU2 program in Africa with a focus in Mozambique. The candidate is expected to carry out specific duties which will include, but are not limited to:

• Support the implementation of the Maputo Urban Transformation Project (PTUM), the Mozambique Northern Urban Development Project (PDUMN), the Mozambique Urban Development and Decentralization Project (PDUL) and Trust Funds associated to these projects, as well as other activities in Mozambique and the Region, including working with Project Implementation Units.
• Support the preparation of new urban infrastructure programs centered on drainage, soil erosion and Solid Waste Management (SWM) in several cities of Mozambique.
• Support the Mozambique Task Teams, and the Government in executing necessary analytics to prepare new operations in direct response to the country’s natural hazards, including flood and soil erosion hazard mapping and risk assessment, the quality control and supervision of external consultants and technical specialists work as well as developing targeted Terms of Reference.
• Support and participate in task teams to deliver investment, programmatic and development policy lending operations, prepare analytical and deliver advisory activities, develop new business opportunities related to urban infrastructure and help enhance the capacity of our clients to respond to challenges driven by fast urbanization through programs and projects.
• Help adapt global good practice in urban resilience, resilient infrastructure, risk assessment and green infrastructure to local contexts within Bank-supported projects and activities, including Bank-executed technical assistance.
• Contribute to and lead the execution of lending and trust funded projects, including: (i) lead or Participate in missions and developing mission documents; (ii) Develop Project Concept Notes (PCNs), Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), and other related project preparation documentation; (iii) prepare and review terms of reference; (iii) prepare implementation status and results reports; (iv) prepare project briefs; (v) develop funding proposals; and (v) presentations.
• Support the dialogue with and coordination among government counterparts and development partners in the UrbanF sector.
• Provide support, as needed, to emergency response including contributions to various forms of post-disaster assessments, and to recovery and reconstruction planning.
• Participate in field missions in the areas of specialization, provide technical inputs and guidance to client counterparts as required by operational and analytical task team leaders.
• Provide technical leadership on projects in a dynamic environment.
• Support the reporting of Trust Funded activities and manage the activities.
• Draft technical notes, reports, Terms of Reference, and policy documents, and
• Participate and support knowledge sharing activities across countries in the region and contribute specific knowledge both within the assigned countries and in the World Bank.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s or Ph.D. degree in technical fields relevant to Urban Infrastructure such as civil engineering, architecture or equivalent, and a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in urban drainage, buildings and/or engineering with experience in municipal infrastructure management, urban flood management, and/or urban planning.
• Knowledge of urban development and local government in Africa, with hands-on experience of working with national and municipal governments.
• Experience working on complex urban programs involving multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Demonstrated skills to engage and effectively lead dialogues with both local communities affected by urban risks as well as city leaders and decision makers charged with action.
• Strong conceptual and research/analytical skills with the ability to rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from varied sources into conclusion and recommendations.
• Demonstrated effective communication skills, speaking and writing, and outstanding interpersonal skills, effective team member.
• Experience in donor-funded projects and/or project management in infrastructure delivery, land administration, sustainable landscapes, territorial development, or regional planning dimensions, especially under WB financed operations is an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to lead teams and function effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Proven track record of delivery of high-quality outputs while working under pressure, in a multi-sector environment, and within tight deadlines.
• Knowledge of World Bank operational policies, practices and procedures is an asset.
• Excellent and effective command of English and Portuguese in verbal and written forms required.

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.