Urban Transport Specialist

At the World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd South Asia Region Context: The South Asia Region, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, is at a pivotal stage of development. Rapid economic growth, driven by urbanization and demographic trends, has reduced poverty, but significant disparities persist. The region also faces growing climate risks, environmental pollution, informality, and low female labor force participation. Sustained, private sector-led growth, anchored in investments in infrastructure, logistics, energy, and connectivity, is critical to creating jobs for South Asia’s sizeable youth population. At the same time, continued investment in human capital is needed to equip people for the jobs of the future. The South Asia Infrastructure program supports countries in building sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure systems through an integrated, cross-sectoral approach to growth, job creation, connectivity, resilience, and service delivery. Infrastructure engagements increasingly combine public and private sector solutions, including collaboration across the World Bank Group, to maximize development impact. India, the largest economy in South Asia, is undergoing a profound urban and economic transformation. Meeting the country’s growing demand for sustainable mobility, efficient logistics systems, and climate-resilient infrastructure will be important for improving access to jobs and services, enhancing competitiveness, supporting decarbonization, and attracting private investment. The World Bank Group’s engagement in India increasingly calls for integrated solutions that combine public and private financing, policy reform, institutional strengthening, and collaboration with IFC and MIGA. Transport and Logistics Practice: The Transport and Logistics Practice supports efficient, safe, resilient, and low-carbon connectivity across road, rail, urban transport, maritime transport, inland waterways, and aviation. Working with public and private sector partners, it combines investment and policy support to improve access, trade, economic integration, and the performance of transport services and supply chains. In India, the Practice’s urban transport program promotes compact, connected, inclusive, and low-carbon development through better public transport, multimodal integration, transit-oriented development, electric mobility, safer streets, stronger institutions, and sustainable financing. The program brings together lending, analytics, technical assistance, policy dialogue, and partnerships with national, state, and city governments. About the Position: ISAT1 seeks to recruit an Urban Transport Specialist (GF), based in New Delhi, to support the preparation and implementation of urban mobility operations and analytical and advisory work in India and, as needed, elsewhere in South Asia. The position requires a strong combination of urban transport expertise, operational capability, client engagement, analytical judgment, and the ability to work effectively across disciplines and institutions. The selected candidate will be expected to contribute materially to the design and delivery of complex programs, including public transport and institutional reform, urban rail and bus systems, integrated mobility, electric mobility, accessibility and inclusion, climate resilience, road safety, digitalization, infrastructure financing, and private sector participation. The Specialist will work closely with government counterparts, World Bank Group teams, development partners, consultants, and other stakeholders, and will report to the Practice Manager for Transport and Logistics in South Asia. Duties and Responsibilities: The Urban Transport Specialist will perform a full range of technical, operational, analytical, and coordination functions, including but not limited to the following: 1. Urban Transport Operations • Support and, as appropriate, lead or co-lead the identification, preparation, appraisal, and implementation of lending and non-lending activities in urban transport. • Contribute to project design, results frameworks, implementation arrangements, cost and economic analysis, risk assessment, procurement planning, and implementation support. • Help resolve implementation bottlenecks and provide practical, timely advice to clients on institutional, technical, contractual, and operational issues. • Work with environmental, social, procurement, financial management, legal, and other specialists to ensure integrated and high-quality project delivery. • Monitor progress, results, risks, disbursements, and agreed actions, and prepare concise, decision-useful reporting for task teams and management. 2. Technical and Policy Support • Provide technical advice on urban mobility planning, public transport networks and operations, urban rail and bus systems, multimodal integration, first- and last-mile connectivity, walking and cycling, transit-oriented development, and demand management. • Support reforms related to public transport institutions, governance, service contracting, fare policy, funding and financing, data systems, performance management, and service quality. • Contribute to electric mobility programs, including public transport electrification, enabling infrastructure, institutional arrangements, and coordination with energy and private sector stakeholders. • Integrate climate mitigation and resilience, road safety, gender, universal accessibility, social inclusion, and environmental considerations into transport strategies and investments. • Assess opportunities for private capital mobilization and innovative financing, including PPPs, blended finance, guarantees, land value capture, and collaboration with IFC and MIGA, where appropriate. 3. Analytics, Knowledge, and Innovation • Lead or contribute to analytical and advisory work, policy notes, investment frameworks, sector diagnostics, and city-level mobility studies. • Collect, assess, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data; use evidence to diagnose mobility constraints, compare options, and formulate implementable recommendations. • Promote the use of digital tools, geospatial analysis, transport modeling, open data, and other technologies where they improve planning, operations, monitoring, or user outcomes. • Prepare clear technical reports, briefing notes, presentations, talking points, and other knowledge products for varied technical and senior audiences. • Share lessons across projects, cities, countries, and Global Practice networks, and contribute to knowledge events and professional communities. 4. Client Engagement and Partnerships • Build and maintain effective working relationships with national ministries, state governments, urban local bodies, transport authorities, operators, development partners, private sector participants, academia, and civil society. • Participate in policy dialogue and technical discussions, providing evidence-based and practical advice that is responsive to client priorities and implementation capacity. • Plan and support missions, workshops, consultations, training activities, and high-level visits, including timely documentation and follow-up. • Coordinate effectively across World Bank Group practices and institutions to develop integrated solutions relevant to India’s urban transformation. 5. Team Contribution • Work collaboratively in diverse, multidisciplinary, and geographically dispersed teams, contributing constructively to shared outcomes. • Guide consultants and junior colleagues, review technical outputs, and contribute to quality assurance and capacity development. • Support country and regional strategy work and other Transport and Logistics Practice priorities, including assignments outside the immediate urban transport portfolio when required. • Undertake other related responsibilities assigned by the Practice Manager.