Your Role

As a Senior Urban Development Specialist (Finance and Investment), you will identify, develop, process, implement and administer loans, technical assistance (TAs) projects, and non-lending products and services (NLPS) in the water and urban sectors in developing member countries (DMCs). You will lead in origination, development, due diligence, and support to the approval and implementation of private sector infrastructure financing projects in the water and urban sectors for all types of instruments offered by ADB and ensure key issues are considered and proper risk management is applied.

You will also contribute to the development and evaluation of policy in the urban sector, while taking the lead in the engagement including policy dialogue with governments and the private sector.

You will:

Strategy and Planning

• In consultation with relevant government agencies, ADB’s Resident Missions (RMs) in the region, state owned enterprises (SOEs) and utilities, conceptualize and develop strategies on urban development and urban environmental improvement (including, as appropriate, water supply, wastewater management, sanitation, drainage, solid waste management, housing), public-private partnerships for municipal infrastructure, urban and regional planning, urban governance /municipal management, and finance.
• Assist with marketing and business development efforts in the urban and water sectors and countries to build reputable market contacts to develop and support a broad private sector deal flow and cross selling of the ADB’s solutions and products.

• Lead and support the review of urban development policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and institutions, and assess progress towards achieving sustainable economic development and poverty reduction.
• Undertake and conduct policy dialogue with governments, private sector investors, commercial lenders, and other donor organizations on the urban development thematic area, promote efficient use of resources and encourage participatory approaches to development planning and financing.
• In close coordination with PSOD, support the design and implementation of financial mechanisms that foster innovation and increased private sector participation in ADB operations, particularly urban development projects at the subnational level.
• Provide technical inputs for country programming and contribute to the development of Country Partnership Strategies and Indicative Country Pipeline and Monitoring Report (CPS/ICPMs).

• Assist and facilitate proper coordination between ADB Headquarters and Resident Missions for consistency of approach, exchange of experiences, and continuous improvement of practices and integration of urban development policy commitments to the management of projects.

Project Processing and Management

• Lead and assist Director, WUD in the business origination, and on the critical screening of project proposal flow that is generated through business development efforts, liaising closely with ADB’s PSOD, and other teams within the Bank to identify sound and executable investments that meet the mandate of the Bank.
• Lead and/or assist the development, processing and administration of loan and TA projects in urban development and water in ADB DMCs.
• Working jointly with PSOD, leads/supports the internal approvals process including interface with credit, safeguards, integrity, legal and other teams as well as management and the Board; with the support of internal and external counsel, ensure for all deals that appropriate legal documentation is successfully concluded in line with approvals to facilitate financial close (i.e., first disbursement) is achieved in a timely fashion.

• Provide guidance, advice and comments on urban development and water issues in the initiation and development of loan and TA projects and capacity building initiatives.
• Assess and structure transactions to maximize the potential for commercial co-financing and catalyzing of additional sources of capital, including concessional capital.
• Assist Director, WUD identify new areas for scale up, development and/or innovation. Support Director, WUD in areas of innovative finance and international partnerships with other leading financial institutions and commercial banks. Act as the focal within the team for all matters related to private financing of infrastructure and non-sovereign operations.
• Administer loan and TAs in urban development and water sector in DMCs.
• Undertake project and TA completion reports to self-evaluated ADB’s performance in implementation.

Knowledge Management and Others

• Lead, develop, and maintain a suitable network in project, infrastructure and municipal finance business, urban development, water supply and sanitation sector to keep abreast of the latest developments and issues.

• Contribute to activities for advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building in urban development, project and municipal finance, water supply and sanitation issues.
• Represent ADB and participate in government, project finance industry, and development partner meetings, regional group meetings and conference, as assigned by WUD sector office.
• Participate in and actively contribute to the development and implementation of activities by the WUD sector office.
• Represent ADB in international-class events and conferences.

• Provide leadership and supervise the performance of reporting staff, providing clear direction and regular monitoring and feedback on performance.
• Mentor to develop capabilities/potential of reporting staff over multi-disciplinary teams.
• Plan and ensure the on-going learning and development of reporting staff.

Qualifications

You will need:

• Master’s degree or equivalent, in finance, urban and regional planning, economics, engineering, or other related specialized fields. University degree in urban and regional planning, economics, engineering or other related fields, and at least 5 years specialized experience relevant to the position can be considered in lieu of a Master’s degree.

• At least 10 years of relevant experience such as urban planning and development, municipal finance, municipal creditworthiness, and urban governance including sector and thematic work.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in private sector finance, including hands-on experience in processing investments for infrastructure projects, analyzing credit risks, structuring transactions, syndicating financing and other related commercial banking activities. This should include experience working in at least one developing country.
• International experience working in several countries.

• Significant deal experience of lending to state owned enterprises (SOEs) and public utilities without a sovereign guarantee, within the infrastructure sector is a key requirement.
• Ability to perform effectively as a transaction/mission leader or team lead, exercising supervision, coordination, and planning responsibilities over multi-disciplinary team/unit.