Transport Specialist

Transport Specialist

Job #: req38814

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Transportation

Grade: GF

Term Duration: Open-Ended Staff (OPEN-OP)

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Thimphu,Bhutan

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date: 11/9/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

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.

Bhutan’s mountainous terrain and dispersed settlements make safe, reliable, and climate-resilient transport connectivity central to access to markets, jobs, public services, and regional opportunities. The transport agenda therefore spans road corridor development, asset management, road safety, trade and transit facilitation, regional connectivity, rural and urban accessibility, and institutional capacity.

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 Bhutan, the Practice’s program focuses on road corridors, regional connectivity and trade facilitation, while also including urban mobility and e-mobility engagements in the pipeline. The program brings together lending, analytics, technical assistance, policy dialogue, and close engagement with the Royal Government of Bhutan and development partners, with attention to climate resilience, road safety, institutional strengthening, and sustainable financing.

About the Position:

ISAT1 seeks to recruit a Transport Specialist (GF), based in Thimphu, to support the preparation and implementation of transport operations and analytical and advisory work in Bhutan and, as needed, elsewhere in South Asia. While the position will contribute across the transport sector, its primary focus will be on road corridors, regional connectivity, trade and transport facilitation, resilient infrastructure, road safety, and institutional strengthening.

The selected candidate will serve as the principal in-country Transport and Logistics Practice representative in Bhutan and a key interface between government counterparts and task teams based elsewhere. Working closely with the Bhutan Country Office, the Country Management Unit, other sector colleagues, World Bank Group teams, development partners, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders, the Specialist will represent transport in day-to-day country dialogue, maintain close awareness of implementation developments, and ensure timely coordination and follow-up. The position requires technical breadth, operational capability, strong local knowledge, sound judgment, and the ability to move effectively between field-level implementation issues and broader policy and program dialogue.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Transport Specialist will perform a full range of technical, operational, analytical, and coordination functions, including but not limited to the following:

1. Operations and Portfolio Delivery

• Support and, as appropriate, lead or co-lead the identification, preparation, appraisal, and implementation of transport lending and non-lending activities in Bhutan.
• Contribute to project design, results frameworks, implementation arrangements, cost and economic analysis, risk assessment, procurement planning, and implementation support.
• Monitor implementation progress, results, risks, disbursements, contracts, and agreed actions, and prepare concise and decision-useful reporting for task teams, the Country Management Unit, and management.
• Help resolve implementation bottlenecks and provide practical advice on technical, contractual, procurement, institutional, environmental, social, and operational issues.
• Participate in missions and site visits, maintain regular follow-up with counterparts, and support timely completion and documentation of agreed actions.
• Coordinate with environmental, social, procurement, financial management, legal, and other specialists to ensure integrated and high-quality project delivery.

2. Sector Technical and Policy Support

• Provide technical and operational support across Bhutan’s transport program, including road corridors, regional connectivity, trade and transport facilitation, road asset management, road safety, urban mobility, public transport, pedestrian accessibility, and e-mobility.
• Contribute to the planning, design, construction, upgrading, operation, and maintenance of transport infrastructure and services, taking account of Bhutan’s mountainous terrain and implementation capacity.
• Support climate-resilient design, slope and drainage management, disaster-risk reduction, lifecycle asset management, construction quality, contract management, and maintenance performance.
• Assess corridor performance, accessibility, mobility, logistics, and service-delivery constraints using appropriate engineering evidence, economic analysis, data, geospatial tools, and stakeholder engagement.
• Assess opportunities for private sector participation, innovative and sustainable financing, digital solutions, and World Bank Group collaboration where these can improve transport outcomes.
• Integrate climate mitigation and resilience, gender, universal accessibility, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, road safety, and jobs considerations into transport strategies and investments.

3. Country Engagement and In-Country Representation

• Serve as the principal day-to-day in-country interface for the Transport and Logistics Practice, maintaining effective relationships with relevant ministries, agencies, local authorities, the Country Management Unit, and other sector colleagues.
• Represent the transport program in routine country-office coordination and cross-sector discussions, and ensure that relevant transport developments, risks, and opportunities are communicated promptly to task teams and management.
• Maintain close awareness of institutional, policy, portfolio, and implementation developments affecting the transport program, and provide timely context and advice to teams based outside Bhutan.
• Coordinate missions, high-level visits, consultations, workshops, training activities, and stakeholder engagements, including preparation, logistics, documentation, and follow-up.
• Support alignment and coordination across transport task teams and help maintain a coherent program-level dialogue with the Royal Government of Bhutan and development partners.

4. Analytics, Knowledge, and Program Development

• Contribute to analytical and advisory work, sector diagnostics, policy notes, investment frameworks, corridor and mobility studies, and technical assistance.
• Collect, validate, and interpret quantitative and qualitative information and translate evidence into practical and implementable recommendations.
• Prepare clear technical reports, briefing notes, presentations, mission documents, talking points, and other products for technical and senior audiences.
• Share lessons across projects and countries and contribute to regional and global Transport and Logistics Practice knowledge activities.

5. Team Contribution and Quality

• Work collaboratively in diverse, multidisciplinary, and geographically dispersed teams, including teams operating across multiple time zones.
• Guide consultants, review technical deliverables, and contribute to quality assurance, knowledge management, and capacity development.
• Maintain orderly project records and ensure timely communication and documentation of material implementation developments and agreed actions.
• Undertake other related responsibilities assigned by the Practice Manager.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree or higher in transport planning, transport or civil engineering, economics, public policy, infrastructure, or a closely related field.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in transport, with demonstrated experience in project preparation, implementation, and/or advisory work.
• Substantial experience in at least three of the following areas: road corridor development; regional connectivity and trade facilitation; road asset management and maintenance; climate-resilient transport; road safety; rural or urban accessibility; transport institutions and policy; infrastructure financing or private sector participation.
• Experience working with government counterparts on complex infrastructure or transport programs. Experience in Bhutan or comparable mountainous, landlocked, and institutionally capacity-constrained settings is highly desirable.

Technical and Operational Capabilities

• Strong understanding of road and corridor planning, engineering, construction, maintenance, asset management, resilience, safety, and service-delivery considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical analysis into practical project design, policy advice, and implementable actions.
• Experience managing or supporting infrastructure projects across technical, fiduciary, environmental, social, contractual, and institutional dimensions.
• Familiarity with economic and financial analysis, procurement and contract management, results monitoring, and risk management in infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of Bhutanese institutions, laws, regulations, and implementation arrangements relevant to transport and public investment is highly desirable.
• Experience with World Bank or other MDB operations is desirable. Familiarity with IPF, regional programs, or other development finance instruments would be an advantage.

Client, Communication, and Team Skills

• Excellent client orientation and the ability to build trust, work through differing perspectives, and provide candid, evidence-based advice in complex institutional settings.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English and the ability to work effectively in Dzongkha with Bhutanese counterparts. Knowledge of additional local languages would be an advantage.
• Proven ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, manage multiple priorities, and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines.
• Strong judgment, initiative, attention to detail, resourcefulness, integrity, and results orientation.
• Ability to mentor colleagues, manage consultants, and contribute to an inclusive and collaborative working environment.

Critical Success Factors

• Sound understanding of Bhutan’s transport institutions, physical context, implementation constraints, and development priorities.
• Ability to connect sound engineering and technical analysis with implementation realities, institutional capacity, financing constraints, and user outcomes.
• Capacity to serve as the principal in-country representative of the Transport and Logistics Practice, connecting counterparts, the Country Management Unit, other sector colleagues, and geographically dispersed task teams while maintaining clear accountability and timely communication.
• Ability to move comfortably between field-level problem solving and higher-level sector and policy dialogue.
• Commitment to safe, resilient, inclusive, low-carbon, and economically efficient transport connectivity.

WBG and Transport GP Competencies

The position requires strong alignment with World Bank Group Core Competencies, including Deliver Results for Clients, Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries, Lead and Innovate, Create, Apply and Share Knowledge, and Make Smart Decisions. Relevant Transport GP competencies include transport policy and institutions, general transport planning, transport systems and technologies, operational project management, project design for impact and sustainability, client orientation, and knowledge and communication.

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.