Urban Specialist – GF  

Description
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. Visit www.worldbank.org.
 

Regional Context

The WBG serves 30 client countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large, rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state. Despite immense resources, dynamic societies, and an average annual per capita income of about $4,000, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region’s people living in poverty. The last Bank’s strategy for LCR focused on three pillars: (a) supporting the foundations for inclusive growth; (b) investing in human capital and protecting the poor; and (c) building resilience. In the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic, this strategy will need to be adjusted to better support the countries to deal with a health crisis without precedents and an economic crisis. Yet, the basic elements of the strategy: accelerating growth, investing in human capital, and building resilience appear fully relevant.
The Sustainable Development (SD) Department supports the WBG’s twin goals by focusing on green, resilient, and inclusive growth. It consists of five global practices (GPs): Agriculture and Food; Environment, Natural Resources, and the Blue Economy; Urban, Resilience and Land; Social Sustainability and Inclusion; and Water. 

Within the SD Department, SLCUR serves client countries in the Latin-American and the Caribbean (LCR) region in the areas of urban development, disaster risk management, land, and regional development. Clients range from middle-income countries (MICs) such as Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, with demand for cutting-edge knowledge services and technical assistance in addition to lending, to IDA countries like Haiti, Honduras, and small island countries in the Caribbean, with an emphasis on poverty reduction and programs that support equitable and enhanced access to social and economic opportunities.

The Latin America and Caribbean Region contains 17 of the top 50 countries identified in the World Bank-sponsored Hotspot study with highest GDP exposure to natural hazards. With an increasing concentration of assets in urban or semi-urban areas, human and physical losses from floods, landslides, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural events are on the rise and important development gains are being erased overnight.  Population growth and the ever-increasing concentration of infrastructure in urban or semi-urban areas have been clear drivers of the growth in human and physical losses from adverse natural events.  This trend is now being exacerbated by increasing climate variability, bringing disaster risk management and climate change adaptation to the forefront of the Region’s development agenda.

In the area of Urban Development, the SLCUR team provides technical, analytical and financial support to regional clients in a broad range of technical areas including urban poverty reduction, service delivery, municipal finance, urban regeneration and infrastructure urban resilience, and the urban growth, jobs, and competitiveness agendas. The team is active across the spectrum of Bank instruments including the provision of reimbursable advisory services, financing city-level interventions, financial intermediary engagements, and deep policy and analytical work to support the urban development challenges of the region. SLCUR provides support to client countries with IBRD and IDA financing, as well as through significant partnerships with a range of grant financing windows. In Peru, the program focuses largely on the urban development and land administration sector but has engagements more broadly including on housing and resilience.

About the Position

The Urban Specialist will be a LRS position in Lima, Peru and report to the Practice Manager, SLCUR. The Urban Specialist will co-lead or participate in task teams, contribute to lending operations, policy dialog and technical assistance programs and help enhance institutional capacity of our clients to respond to urban development challenges; co-lead and/or contribute to the sector dialogue and provide just-in-time advisory work, business development and policy reform. She/he will work closely with Urban and DRM-focused colleagues working in the country. A specialized focus in housing, urban planning, and land management, and/or regional development would be expected. He/She will be expected to lead and participate in tasks, operational and analytical work, contribute to teams within the unit and beyond, and support the program across the range of Bank instruments. Given the multi-GP nature of the urban agenda, the Urban 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 GPs with whom SLCUR regularly collaborates. 

Duties and Accountabilities
 

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

– Contribute to our engagement in urban development in Peru and support, technically, the urban and land program in our dialogue with clients and the country management unit.
– Provide technical contributions on urban issues, including in engaging with stakeholders in other GPs.
– Contribute to the SCLUR agenda by participating in operational and analytical activities and providing just-in-time advisory work in the region.
– Work closely with national and sub-national clients to respond to urban development challenges through analytical work and lending operations.
– Participate in professional development and knowledge sharing activities in the urban sector and contribute specific knowledge both within the assigned countries and in the Bank.
– Contribute to dialogue and provide technical inputs for the preparation of country strategy documents and unit operational and strategic documents.
– Work with consultants and technical specialists in support of policy reviews and recommendations and supervises consultants’ reports and outputs.
– Contribute to knowledge sharing, dissemination and awareness raising activities with key clients.
– Contribute to the urban and DRM team in LAC, facilitating team building, learning and knowledge sharing, and collaboration.

Selection Criteria

* Advanced degree in economics, urban planning, finance, policy or equivalent, and at least 5 years professional experience.
 

* Knowledge of urban development issues, broadly, and a specialized focus in urban finance, housing, infrastructure, urban regeneration, service delivery, urban governance and land management, and/or urban planning. 
 

* Knowledge of Peru’s urban development policy and institutional framework and urban challenges.
 

* Operational experience, ideally including both policy-based and investment operations. Track record of delivery of client-oriented solutions.
 

* Strong analytical track record in the core areas of urban development and management.
 

* Strong communication skills, including the ability to write quickly and concisely on a variety of topics in a well-structured manner and deliver complex concepts and messages orally in an understandable and compelling manner.
 

* High energy and demonstrated interest and experience in achieving impact through operational and analytical work.
 

* Demonstrated experience to work with teams in a collaborative manner.
 

* A proven ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments, adjust to changes in schedule and priorities, and juggle concurrent tasks effectively and efficiently.
 

* Proficient in English and Spanish.

WBG Core Competencies:
 

In addition to the above, the successful candidate is expected to demonstrate the following competencies:      
 

* Adds value by constantly looking for a better way to get more impactful results; sets challenging stretch goals for oneself.
* Immerses oneself in client experiences and perspective by asking probing questions to understand unmet needs
* Demonstrates accountability for achieving results that have a development impact and financial, environmental and social sustainability.
* Appropriately involves others in decision making and communicates with key stakeholders.
* Approaches conflicts as common problems to be solved.
* Actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches displaying a sense of mutuality and respect.
* Integrates WBG perspective into work.
* Contributes new insights to understand situations and develops solutions to resolve complex problems.
* Adapts as circumstances require and manages impact of own behavior on others in context of WBG’s values and mission.
* Identifies and pursues innovative approaches to resolve issues.
* Leverages department’s expertise and body of knowledge across WBG to strengthen internal and/or external client solutions.
* Seeks to learn from more experienced staff to deepen or strengthen their professional knowledge and helps others to learn.
* Builds personal and professional networks inside and outside the department unit.
* Commits to a decision and takes action once a decision has been reached.
* Seeks diversity of information and inputs, researches possible solutions, and generates recommended options.
* Identifies and understands risks and proposes recommendations.
* Based on risk analysis makes decisions in a timely manner within own area of responsibility, considering the interests and concerns of stakeholders.

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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