Principal Railway Infrastructure & PPP Officer - PICU1 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/17/306/2
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50093737

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization is central to the Bank’s mission of developing the private sector, improving infrastructure and accelerating industrialization.
• The complex main functions are to (i) strengthen the enabling environment for private sector [and financial sector] development conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development, (ii) support the development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure, including cities and urban development, and (iii) place renewed emphasis on industrial and trade performance in support of structural transformation across Africa.
• The Complex leverages knowledge, co-financing, and partnerships to attract private capital and work with governments on delivering the Bank’s development agenda.

The Hiring Department

• The role of the Infrastructure, and Urban Development Directorate is to foster infrastructure and urban development in Africa through appropriate policies and strategies as well as projects and programs interventions which the Bank might finance on national, regional or continent-wide basis.

The Position
The Principal Railway Officer will lead the development of policies, strategies and project and programs related to railway infrastructure development initiatives supported by the Bank in regional member countries. The purpose of the job is as follows:

• To act as the Bank's principal expert on Railway infrastructure with particular emphasis on policy, project development, Public Private Partnerships, financing and regulation.
• To strengthen and maintain the Bank's understanding of the railway sector and its role in the development of the continent.
• To advise on policy, institutional and regulatory reforms, and future investments in the sector by the Bank and its regional member countries.
• To lead the identification, preparation, appraisal, and implementation supervision of railway projects and programs.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general guidance and supervision of the Division Manager, the Principal Railway Officer will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Railway infrastructure and Services Policy, strategy, business plan:

• Devise, maintain and revise the Railway infrastructure and Services development business plan of the Bank in consultation with internal stakeholders and taking account of long-term trends in Transport and Logistics and the development of the continent;
• Ensure the appropriate implementation of the business plan through communication and advise to all relevant stakeholders in the Bank, particularly operations functions, and define a monitoring framework;
• Identify and develop any necessary policies to underpin the business plan;
• Consult as necessary with external partners and regional and non-regional member countries on the form and efficacy of the business plan.

Railway infrastructure and Services Knowledge:

• Manage a team to develop and maintain the Bank's expertise on Railway Transport infrastructure and Services to support the development goals of the Bank and the continent;
• Devise the Bank's contribution to key Railway Transport infrastructure and Services development themes and represent the Bank at global, regional and national conferences and workshops on Railway Transport infrastructure and Services;
• Coordinate and work alongside key partners, such as other Multilateral Development Banks and the World Economic Forum to design Railway Transport infrastructure and Services -based programs and solutions for the economic and social infrastructure development of Africa;
• Publish major studies and reports on Railway Transport infrastructure and Services for development, taking into account the comparative advantage that the Bank can bring to bear to any specific subject or theme. Convene associated workshops and media events to solidify the learning across Africa;|
• Develop and maintain, in collaboration with partners, a detailed database of statistics, publications, and economic models relating to Railway Transport and Services, and the state of Railway Transport  infrastructure and Services in Africa;
• Identify appropriate Railway Transport infrastructure and Services training for internal and external stakeholders.

Railway infrastructure and Public Private Partnerships Projects and Programs:

• Act as a focal point for advice to regional member countries on Railway infrastructure and Services issues and lead policy dialogue with governments in advancing policy, regulatory and institutional reforms in the railway sector;
• Lead the development of Technical Assistance programs to provide cutting edge advice on Railway infrastructure development, private sector participation, railways restructuring, concessions or privatization and foster public and private partnerships;
• Lead the origination and financial structuring of Railway infrastructure and Public Private Partnerships projects in regional member countries in collaboration and with the support of operations staff based in the regions and ensuring the optimum use of all the Bank's financing instruments;
• Advise and support operational staff based in the regions on Railway projects implementation and ensure appropriate coordination of actions in supporting clients during the project procurement, execution and monitoring phase.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Hold at least a Master's Degree or its equivalent in in Civil Engineering, Transport Engineering, Railway Engineering, Transport Planning, Public Policy, Economics, Finance or related discipline.
• Have a minimum of six (6) years of experience in railway infrastructure development in the public or private sector with proven experience in at least two key aspects including planning, design, operation, financing, regulation.
• Having private sector experience will be an added advantage.
• Develop and deliver innovative solutions to clients - Proactively addresses clients’ needs.
• Collaborate within teams and across functional boundaries, provides own perspective and willingly receives diverse perspectives.
• Ability to make sense of complexity, interpret a wide range of information and make smart decisions.
• Effective consultation and advisory skills coupled with a client orientation to ensure relevancy.
• Range of inter-personal skills and an ability to vary their use according to the audience.
• Create, apply and share knowledge across the Bank to strengthen solutions for internal and/or external clients.
• Thorough knowledge of Railway infrastructure, railway operations, Institutions and regulations.
• Foundational knowledge of railway transportation business models with ability to apply/recommend operationally relevant solutions and lessons for clients.
• Knowledge and experience in development and understanding of policy making process; project and program design, execution, monitoring and evaluation.
• Policy dialogue skills - Ability to identify and assess critical policy issues and actively dialogue with governments and/or other stakeholders to develop solutions.
• Ability to lead a team of specialists and to take forward projects, often in collaboration with other partners
• Attention to detail to create quality output and to set standards for the team.
• Mentoring to develop skills within the team and to improve the quality of output and outcomes.
• Ability to assess cost/benefits of alternative options, select optimum solution and allocate Budget and resources to achieve results.
• Ability to articulate clear objectives, set ambitious bur achievable targets and monitor execution and results.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).