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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 change has the potential to significantly worsen the situation.

To this end, 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 disasters; reduce conflict and violence; scale-up access to finance for sub-national governments; and reduce the carbon footprint of cities.

Position context

The AFW Urban, Resilience and Land Units (IAWU4) 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.

IAWU4 Unit is seeking a highly qualified and motivated Urban Specialist (GF). The Urban Resilience Specialist will be based in Accra, Ghana and will report to the IAWU4 Practice Manager based in Accra. He/She will work across the Urban and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) program in the area of urban development and infrastructure, with a particular focus on Ghana and Liberia. He/She will be expected to provide technical support 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, support cross sectoral and multi-sectoral urban development, DRM and infrastructure engagements across various global practices, and support the further development and implementation of the urban, DRM and resilience programs through a range of Bank instruments and engagement modalities. Given the multi-GP nature of the urban agenda, the Urban Resilience Specialist 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 Global Practices.

Roles And Responsibilities

The Urban Resilience Specialist’s responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to the following:

• Provide substantive contributions to engagement in Urban Development and Disaster Risk Management 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.
• Support project supervision for Urban/DRM investment operations, including reviewing Terms of Reference (TORs), specifications and bidding documents, and lead supervision missions and the preparation of internal report documentation.
• Supporting/providing leadership on stakeholder engagement.
• Provide operational support to government counterparts and implementing agencies by, identifying potential problems and advising on required actions as well as overall project/program implementation.
• Provide technical and substantive inputs to analytical activities as part of the Urban and DRM program in AFW, including implementation of cutting-edge analytical instruments and knowledge products. Conduct spatial/economic/statistical analysis, desk reviews, and data interpretations on urban related issues, including urban management, flood resilience, climate change, slum upgrading, solid waste management, Transit Oriented Development, sub-national finance and services delivery, and urban planning among others.
• Support task team leaders on coordination of stakeholders in the URL activities, including development partners, government institutions, and civil society for better implementation of the Government’s urban sector and land reform program.
• Support the task team leaders in the management of Trust Fund (TF) activities including preparation and review of grant proposals, consultation on technical issues, preparation of progress reports, project briefings, disbursements and quality control of deliverables.
• Contribute to business development in the urban development, DRM, 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.
• Support the urban and DRM team members on sector dialogue and provide inputs to technical notes, synthesize comments, and help prepare review meeting packages; assist with dissemination of findings, including drafting briefing notes, talking points, power point presentations as well as coordinating workshops.
• Participate in missions and provide technical inputs, project briefs, aide memoirs, and other materials as part of The World Bank internal documentation.

This requisition is open to WBG staff as well as External candidates.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced university degree (Master or PhD) in a field relevant to urban development such as urban planning, public policy, economics, civil engineering, hydrology or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of proven experience in the urban, urban drainage/drainage sectors or in a related infrastructure field (either with a government’s authority, contractor(s), design or supervision consultant(s), or development institutions) with demonstrated ability to work on: (a) infrastructure design or planning; (b) civil works contract management and execution; (c) urban resilience policies; and (c) economic, social, and environmental impact of infrastructure investments.
• Experience in working either with the World Bank, or on programs financed by other development partners, multilateral or bilateral organizations.
• Effective verbal, analytical and written communication skills in English and a demonstrated ability to produce quality documents and analytical reports.
• Work experience in Ghana and Liberia and familiarity with the issues and problems of the Urban and Disaster Risk Management sectors in these countries are desirable.
• Expertise in geo-spatial analysis and knowledge of urban management issues including flood resilience, climate risk modeling, slum upgrading, solid waste management, Transit Oriented Development, sub-national finance, and service delivery are desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to work effectively in multi-cultural teams (with virtual teams located in different countries), and with clients, different stakeholders and colleagues across units and departmental boundaries.
• Good project management skills, an ability to work effectively on multiple activities simultaneously, strong problem-solving skills and demonstrated ability to self-navigate, with minimal support, through complex bureaucratic environments; and
• Knowledge of key developments in related sectors and on cross-cutting issues affecting the performance of the sectors, such as: environmental and social impacts, gender equality, climate change, or poverty reduction.

WBG Core Competencies

• Drive for Results: Takes personal responsibility for producing high quality work, identifying and informing of risks, and delivering results for clients
• Lead and Innovate: Brings new and different insight; applies critical thinking to current approaches, identifies areas for improvement and tries new solutions that drive results
• Collaborate 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 solutions
• Make 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.

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

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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