Urban specialist

Background

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region is characterized by a rapidly changing business environment with countries in different stages of development. The ECA Region comprises 30 member countries including Kosovo and four recently graduated countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people.

Sector and Country Context

The mission of ECSSD is to help the Bank’s clients in Europe and Central Asia to achieve equitable, environmentally and socially sustainable growth and prosperity. In a region experiencing rapid growth and transition, a particular challenge is to develop innovative products that add value to middle income partners like Turkey, and to work with other financing partners, especially with European institutions.

The particular mission of the Urban, Water and Sanitation and Disaster Management Group is to work with national and local governments and with communities to improve the quality of urban and municipal services – including water, wastewater, solid waste management, land cadastre, and disaster risk reduction. In addition, the unit provides assistance to the client countries on matters related to urban planning, housing, land management, urban re-generation and brown-field remediation, and improving the quality of urban life. The group pursues the above tasks by:

(1) financing infrastructure development that would lead to improvement of services and the environment; and
(2) providing technical assistance and advice to client countries to ensure the quality and sustainability of urban and municipal services.

In Turkey, the Urban, Water and Sanitation and Disaster Management group has a strong program of support to local and national government in the provision of water supply, wastewater, drainage and solid waste services, working directly with larger municipalities such as Istanbul, and through partnership with Iller Bank in support of medium and small municipalities. The group is also supporting Turkey’s national program of disaster risk reduction through a series of projects on seismic risk reduction in Istanbul and elsewhere.

The successful candidate would be a core member of the team working on lending and AAA programs in the urban, water and sanitation and disaster management sectors and related areas in Turkey. He/she will report to the Urban Sector Manager and be expected to operate effectively in a decentralized matrix environment comprising the Washington and field based urban team, the Country Sector Coordinator for Sustainable Development, based in Ankara, and the Country Director for Turkey. Note: A potential candidate has been identified and intends to apply for this position. However, this remains a competitive process and interested candidates are encouraged to apply.

Duties and Accountabilities

(i) Support or lead the preparation and supervision of investment operations in the urban/municipal, water and sanitation and disaster management sectors, and in related work program of the sustainable development department, as it may develop;
(ii) Participate or lead analytic and advisory work in the urban/municipal, water and sanitation and/or disaster management sectors and related areas;
(iii) Participate in urban/municipal sector strategy development and policy dialogue;
(iv) Provide inputs to operational products/outputs for sector and country briefings, analytical and advisory reports and studies, portfolio performance and monitoring reviews, etc, including working with the Country Sector Coordinator for Sustainable Development and liaison between the urban and water sector unit and the country unit on urban and municipal aspects;
(v) Co-lead or contribute to the coordination with stakeholders in Turkey, partners, donors and regional institutions in the urban, water and sanitation and disaster management, and related sectors to achieve alignment in the country and regional-level sector support strategies, as well as in preparing joint investment projects to leverage World Bank IBRD resources.

Selection Criteria

(i) At least a master’s degree in engineering, business and/or economics.
(ii) At least seven (7) years of high caliber work experience in the urban, water and sanitation or disaster management sectors, with demonstrated ability to engage credibly on the range of municipal related policy issues.
(iii) A track record of team work and ability to produce high-quality project and policy related written outputs with minimal supervision.
(iv) Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with virtual teams located in different countries.
(v) High level of energy, initiative and flexibility to work simultaneously and effectively on a variety of tasks, independently adjusting to priorities and quickly adjust to changing work requirements.
(vi) Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive situations with target audiences and to cultivate effective, productive client relationships/partnerships.
(vii) Good knowledge of Bank operational procedures and guidelines.
(vii) Proficiency in English and Turkish is essential.