Introductory text: World Bank
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.
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:
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 Infrastructure Practice Group
Globally, 840 million people live more than 2 kilometers from all-weather roads, 1 billion people lack electricity, and 4 billion people lack Internet access. Access to basic infrastructure services is critical for creating economic opportunities for the poor. The Infrastructure Practice Group is charged with developing sustainable solutions to help close infrastructure gaps in developing and emerging economies.
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
Overview
The IAET2 unit of the World Bank serves 14 client countries. Clients range from middle-income countries such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius, Seychelles to low-income IDA countries such as Lesotho, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros. Areas of particular interest for the transport sector in these countries include rural transport for agricultural productivity; urban transport for enhancing functioning of urban areas and improving accessibility to jobs and social services by the poorer segments of the population; regional integration corridors for facilitating trade and reducing logistics costs; investments in ports, railway, and air transport, for improving connectivity within and across countries; PPPs to bring in efficiencies in the provision of infrastructure and services; road safety interventions to reduce the high number of traffic fatalities in the client countries and addressing mobility constrains of women.
The IAET2 unit is seeking to hire a highly motivated Senior Transport Specialist (GG) to be located in Gaborone, Botswana. and reporting to the Transport Practice Manager of IAET2.
The selected specialist will be working with a broader team of specialists managing and further developing the transport program in Botswana and contributing to the regional integration work and dialogue. The role of the GG based in Gaborone is to support the day-to-day dialogue with the different stakeholders and government counterparts and lead or co-lead the activities in the program. The current program includes: (i) road sector engagement supporting investments in feeder and national roads, road asset management (including OPRC contracts and routine maintenance microenterprises), resilience and adaptation policies to address the impacts of climate change and disaster risks, road safety; (ii) urban mobility to improve access to jobs and economic opportunities to the population in urban; and (iii) regional integration initiatives encompassing the maritime sector and waterways.
The Senior Transport Specialist will be expected to lead or co-lead several complex transport lending operations and must demonstrate a solid track record as a team leader/member with key infrastructure and transport sector knowledge. In this regard, the candidate should have:
(i) Solid operational experience to provide close implementation support to clients in the region and managing an active and diverse transport sector portfolio
(ii) Strong entrepreneurial skills and energy to develop business opportunities and a pipeline of projects in line with the Africa Transport Strategy and the RI Strategy for the southern Africa sub-region
(iii) Experience in regional integration (infrastructure, transport services, logistics, etc);
(iv) Strong analytical skills
(v) Strong communication and people skills with an ability to work in a diverse and multidisciplinary team
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
The Senior Transport Specialist will be based in the World Bank’s Gaborone office. She/He will report to the IAET2 Practice Manager. Her/His activities will be identified with the Practice Manager and adjusted based on business needs. She/He will actively participate in the relevant Country Management Unit (CMU) discussions, particularly on the preparation of Systematic Country Diagnostics (SCD) and Comprehensive Partnership Frameworks (CPFs), as well as on portfolio reviews. She/He will also liaise and work with other global practices and cross-cutting solutions areas, as relevant, and ensure appropriate collaboration and partnership between Government, the World Bank Group, and other international and bilateral organizations involved in the transport sector in Botswana and the southern Africa sub-region.
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