Senior Urban Development Specialist

Job Purpose:

Formulate policies and strategies on urban development, urban and regional planning, urban environmental improvement, and urban/municipal management, with specific focus on municipal utilities (defined to include: water supply; wastewater management; sanitation; drainage; and solid waste management; in some countries, utilities would also include district heating)

Engage Developing Member Countries (DMCs) under the Central and West Asian Regional Department (CWRD) in policy dialogue

Champion service delivery orientation and financial and operational sustainability dimensions in all of CWRD’s urban sector operations

Steer private sector participation and public-private partnerships (PPPs) in urban sector and water supply across the region

Lead teams to design, implement and oversee ADB’s lending and non-lending activities in the urban sector, with specific focus on municipal utilities

Steer the Urban Infrastructure and Water Division as well as CWRD towards clear results in urban/water operations. in turn to achieve Strategy 2020 objectives

Expected Outcomes

a. Strategy and Planning 
- Formulate and/or coordinate development of strategies in CWRD DMCs to strengthen municipal utilities, enabling them to run efficiently as businesses and deliver services effectively
- Guide periodic strategic urban assessments and develop corporate/development plans with focus on municipal utilities
- Undertake and oversee policy dialogue with governments and other donor organizations on all aspects of urban development
- Initiate fresh thinking aimed at promoting financial sustainability of municipalities and cities
- Lead innovations and shaping of ideas in designing and establishing urban growth clusters, and in effectively linking CWRD’s urban sector/water operations with its transport, energy, natural resources and finance operations
- Lead in identifying, designing and processing loan and non-lending projects in municipal utilities; and for improving overall municipal management
- Ensure quality and compliance of all CWRD urban/municipal utilities operations with respect to ADB’s urban development policies and strategies.
- Facilitate effective coordination with development partners on lending and non-lending products and strategic initiatives.
- Ensure key technical, economic financial and cross-cutting issues are incorporated into projects
- Nurture, strengthen and ensure full fledged implementation of the joint venture arrangement in CWRD between sector teams and Resident Missions and achieve consistency of approach, exchange of experiences, and continuous improvement of practices and integration of urban development policy commitments to the management of projects.

b. Project management
- Administer loans and non-lending products related to municipal utilities
- Continuously strive to improve project readiness prior to effectiveness of loans, by focusing on upfront design work
- Develop and execute, in coordination with and advice from the relevant procurement teams in ADB, innovative contractual arrangements to deliver the best possible municipal services to DMCs
- Establish networks with top-tier project management firms in the region and elsewhere in the world, and strive to introduce best practices in project management
- Stand ready to lead or support Portfolio Administration Unit in the Central and West Asia Urban Development and Water Supply Division (CWUW)

c. Policy and Project Evaluation
- Continuously assess urban development policies, strategies and programs with a view of ensuring comparability to best practices and responsiveness to development needs of DMCs.
- Ensure the development impact of the urban development portfolio through monitoring and evaluation.
- Undertake analytical and advisory work, including policy and institutional analysis, developing strategy options, inquiries into emerging urban themes, and capacity building programs to meet the urbanization challenges and increase the volume and development of urban development program and projects in DMCs.
- Ensure that new urban development policy and strategies are reflected in the urban development portfolio.

d. Knowledge Management
- Serve as a contributor to knowledge management, responsible for the planning through the preparation of knowledge management activities (e.g., workshops, publications) on issues that are relevant to the Developing Member Countries of Central West Asia region.
- Represent ADB and participate in government and development partners meetings and working groups on urban development, as assigned, for knowledge sharing and coordinating and promoting ADB’s urban development initiatives.

e. Staff Supervision 
- Mentor, guide and supervise new staff in CWUW in the area of project processing and administration.
- Take the role of team leader and supervise the work of team members
- Supervise the performance of reporting staff, providing clear direction and regular monitoring and feedback on performance
- Ensure the ongoing learning and development of reporting staff

Educational Requirements:

Master’s Degree, or equivalent in Sanitation/Civil/Environmental Engineering, or Municipal and Regional Planning or other relevant fields. University degree in Sanitation/Civil/Environmental Engineering, or Municipal and Regional Planning or other relevant fields, combined with specialized experience in similar organization/s, may be considered in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Relevant Experience And Other Requirements:

- Suitability to undertake the responsibilities mentioned above at the required level.
- At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in urban development and urban environmental improvement or related area, in the preparation of urban sector roadmaps, project preparation as well as in project administration.
- Solid and proven engineering/technical skills related to municipal utilities
- International experience working in several countries.
- Extensive experience and successful record of demonstrated performance and capacity as team leader/manager in processing complex loan and advisory projects and leading multidisciplinary teams.
- Demonstrated capacity to effectively conduct policy dialogue and interact and liaise with a broad range of stakeholders, including government officials, other development partners, civil society, and ADB Management and staff.
- Excellent oral and written communications skills in English.

Core Competencies:

Application of Technical Knowledge and Skills

• Provides supervision to others in completing their technical tasks
• Called upon for advice and guidance based on expertise gained by working in different countries and organizations
• Contributes advanced knowledge and expertise to different parts of the Department

Client Orientation

• Proposes effective services and solutions to staff beyond presenting issues and past challenges
• Assists colleagues adapt to the cultural and business norms of diverse clients and country situations
• Gains respect for the breadth and depth of expertise demonstrated in effectively managing diverse clients and country situations
• Called upon to resolve client situations that may impact their long-term ADB relationship

Achieving Results and Problem Solving

• Resolves situations where client needs are not being met
• Shares past experiences from different projects, organizations, and countries to help achieve quality results
• Ensures that thorough analysis includes current and relevant factors from different countries and contexts
• Sought out for guidance and experience in overcoming the most challenging situations
• Draws on long-term relationships with stakeholders to help plan for and achieve results

Working Together

• Addresses team members not contributing to required standards
• Commits to delivering timely and high quality work to assist in the team’s success
• Develops and maintains good internal and external peer and senior level relationships
• Helps teams understand common features to build rapport and overcome challenges

Communication and Knowledge Sharing

• Provides stakeholders with the level and quality of information required to achieve outcomes
• Encourages others to seek long-term solutions to address feedback opposed to focusing on immediate concerns or reactions
• Uses breath of multi-country and multi-client knowledge to equip clients and staff for more effective outcomes
• Designs and implements project and program knowledge and services

Innovation and Change

• Consistently seeks more effective and practical ways for the Departmental delivery of services, products, and processes
• Proposes new ways to improve the quality and relevance of products and services
• Includes the core benefits and reasons for change when developing comprehensive change roll out plans
• Influences and persuades decision makers by presenting business cases supporting the proposed changes

Immediate Reporting Relationships / Other Information:

• Supervisor: Director, Urban Development and Water Supply Division, CWRD
• The following staff positions may be supervised by the incumbent:
  • Administrative Staff
  • National Staff
• Women are encouraged to apply