Job #: 130435
Job Title: Urban Specialist
Job Family: Urban Development
Job Type: Professional &
Technical
Grade: GF
Location: Islamabad, Pakistan
Recruitment Type: Local Hire
Language Requirement: English
[Essential]; Urdu [Essential]
Closing Date: 11-Mar-2013
This is a country office position in Pakistan based in the Islamabad Country Office and subject to local recruitment under the Pakistan Compensation Plan. The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.
The South Asia Urban, Water Supply & Sanitation Unit (SASDU) is seeking to recruit a qualified and motivated individual for the position of Urban Specialist, who will report to the Sector Manager, South Asia Urban and Water Team in Washington DC. S/he will work closely with the unit’s Task Team Leaders, as well as with other thematic units within the South Asia Sustainable Development Department (SASSD).
Regional Context:
The South Asia Region includes 8 countries with a total population of about 1.5 billion people (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). Within the region's matrix structure, SASSD is responsible for six business lines: Urban & Water Supply, Energy, Agriculture & Rural Development, Transport, Social Development, and Environment, and is supported by a Carbon Finance Transactions Unit and the Director's office.
The mission of SASDU is to work with national and local governments and communities to reduce urban poverty, expand access to services for all, especially the poor, and make cities more economically productive, environmentally sound, and livable. The unit pursues these objectives by: (i) financing investments, (ii) providing technical assistance, and (iii) undertaking non-lending analytical and policy advisory work, in response to client demands. The SASDU works collaboratively toward this aim with other sector units within SASSD, in addition to working across the Bank networks and with other institutions of the Bank group. The SASSD is increasingly decentralized, with over 50% of staff based in country offices, where Country Directors (who lead the Bank’s engagement across sectors in each country) are also based.
Sector Context:
Pakistan is the most urbanized country in the South Asia region. Of Pakistan’s current population of 177 million, over 65 million (or 37%) live in cities compared to 43 million (32%) in 1998. Urban centers account for more than one-third of Pakistan’s population and much of its economic power. In the coming years urbanization will continue to accelerate, increasing the economic and demographic concentration of Pakistan around its hierarchy of urban settlements – cities and towns. In this context, managing urban densities will be critical to achieving the overall development goals in Pakistan. However, the challenges confronting the urban sector include: governance structures for cities are ill-defined, accountability to urban residents is weak, resources are limited, and access to services is poor and inequitable. Improving cities livability and strengthening their growth potential will also be a critical aspect of the development challenge confronting Pakistan. The Bank’s strategy is to meet theses challenges by supporting the Government’s urban agenda with a focus on the improvements in: (i) city management, governance, and finance; (ii) urban municipal services; and (iii) city planning, land use, and housing.
Pakistan has been undertaking an ambitious decentralization initiative over the last decade, which has created opportunities for deeper engagement at the local government level by the Bank. As a result, the Urban & Water sector assistance program in Pakistan, currently focused on Punjab, has grown and is expected to continue growing substantially. The program includes urban water and sanitation investment projects, urban development policy loans, and analytical work in these areas as well as cultural heritage and housing. In particular, the USD 50 million Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP) to be concluded this year focused on establishing a culture of accountability, through local government capacity building, performance benchmarking, and providing investment grants to improve service delivery in the smaller municipalities of the Punjab. The Bank’s engagement in the urban sector in Punjab is expected to continue with the USD 150 million Punjab Urban Governance Improvement Project (PCGIP) currently in the pipeline, with the objective to support the Punjab’s cities in strengthening systems for improved planning, resource management, and accountability. The Bank also has an active policy dialogue, and is commencing economic and sector work, across the country, to help shape its future involvement in these sectors.
Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.
The South Asia Urban, Water Supply & Sanitation Unit (SASDU) is seeking to recruit a qualified and motivated individual for the position of Urban Specialist, who will report to the Sector Manager, South Asia Urban and Water Team in Washington DC. S/he will work closely with the unit’s Task Team Leaders, as well as with other thematic units within the South Asia Sustainable Development Department (SASSD).
Regional Context:
The South Asia Region includes 8 countries with a total population of about 1.5 billion people (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). Within the region's matrix structure, SASSD is responsible for six business lines: Urban & Water Supply, Energy, Agriculture & Rural Development, Transport, Social Development, and Environment, and is supported by a Carbon Finance Transactions Unit and the Director's office.
The mission of SASDU is to work with national and local governments and communities to reduce urban poverty, expand access to services for all, especially the poor, and make cities more economically productive, environmentally sound, and livable. The unit pursues these objectives by: (i) financing investments, (ii) providing technical assistance, and (iii) undertaking non-lending analytical and policy advisory work, in response to client demands. The SASDU works collaboratively toward this aim with other sector units within SASSD, in addition to working across the Bank networks and with other institutions of the Bank group. The SASSD is increasingly decentralized, with over 50% of staff based in country offices, where Country Directors (who lead the Bank’s engagement across sectors in each country) are also based.
Sector Context:
Pakistan is the most urbanized country in the South Asia region. Of Pakistan’s current population of 177 million, over 65 million (or 37%) live in cities compared to 43 million (32%) in 1998. Urban centers account for more than one-third of Pakistan’s population and much of its economic power. In the coming years urbanization will continue to accelerate, increasing the economic and demographic concentration of Pakistan around its hierarchy of urban settlements – cities and towns. In this context, managing urban densities will be critical to achieving the overall development goals in Pakistan. However, the challenges confronting the urban sector include: governance structures for cities are ill-defined, accountability to urban residents is weak, resources are limited, and access to services is poor and inequitable. Improving cities livability and strengthening their growth potential will also be a critical aspect of the development challenge confronting Pakistan. The Bank’s strategy is to meet theses challenges by supporting the Government’s urban agenda with a focus on the improvements in: (i) city management, governance, and finance; (ii) urban municipal services; and (iii) city planning, land use, and housing.
Pakistan has been undertaking an ambitious decentralization initiative over the last decade, which has created opportunities for deeper engagement at the local government level by the Bank. As a result, the Urban & Water sector assistance program in Pakistan, currently focused on Punjab, has grown and is expected to continue growing substantially. The program includes urban water and sanitation investment projects, urban development policy loans, and analytical work in these areas as well as cultural heritage and housing. In particular, the USD 50 million Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP) to be concluded this year focused on establishing a culture of accountability, through local government capacity building, performance benchmarking, and providing investment grants to improve service delivery in the smaller municipalities of the Punjab. The Bank’s engagement in the urban sector in Punjab is expected to continue with the USD 150 million Punjab Urban Governance Improvement Project (PCGIP) currently in the pipeline, with the objective to support the Punjab’s cities in strengthening systems for improved planning, resource management, and accountability. The Bank also has an active policy dialogue, and is commencing economic and sector work, across the country, to help shape its future involvement in these sectors.
Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.
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