Industry Specialist

World Bank Group•Washington, DC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. We are seeking an Industry Specialist, based in Washington D.C. Role Overview The Industry Specialist will operate at the intersection of technical due diligence, commercial viability, and policy/regulatory frameworks, with the objective of enhancing project bankability and enabling private capital participation.

Requirements

Master’s degree in engineering (transport, civil, or related field); advanced degree preferred.
12+ years of experience combining technical project work and exposure to private sector investment/PPP environments.
Demonstrated ability to connect technical, regulatory, and commercial dimensions of infrastructure projects.
Strong understanding of PPP/concession frameworks and policy constraints affecting private participation.
Experience engaging with both public sector stakeholders and private investors/operators.
Strong communication skills with proven ability to communicate effectively in English both orally and in writing.

Responsibilities

Define, lead and challenge technical due diligence across transport projects (design, capex, opex, implementation risks), including ToR drafting, consultant selection, appraisal trips/site visits to identify potential issues, validate assumptions, and test operational readiness.
Translate technical findings into clear implications for financial viability, risk allocation, and structuring.
Assess whether project design is aligned with demand realities and operational efficiency requirements.
Identify key technical risks and define practical mitigation measures compatible with private sector expectations.
Review contractual frameworks (EPC, O&M, concession agreements) with a focus on lender/investor requirements.
Ensure alignment between technical assumptions and financial models (capex, opex, ramp-up).
Support preparation of investment materials with a clear articulation of risks, mitigants, and value drivers.
Provide a commercial perspective on market dynamics
Support pipeline development by screening opportunities, identifying risks and solutions, engaging with governments, clients, sponsors, operators, and internal teams when required to shape commercially viable and bankable pathways to private financing.
Support portfolio supervision by monitoring technical and operational performance, identifying emerging risks, advising on corrective actions, and feeding lessons learned into new origination.
Work closely with regional teams to ensure policy and regulatory frameworks are aligned with private sector participation requirements.
Translate regulatory and institutional constraints into concrete implications for project bankability.
Advise public sector counterparts on how to design projects and frameworks that can attract private capital (tariffs, risk allocation, contractual structures).
Identify key bottlenecks (regulatory, institutional, technical) and propose targeted, practical reforms.
Contribute to ensuring consistency between upstream policy work and downstream investment execution.
Capture lessons learned across projects to inform repeatable models for private capital mobilization.
Contributes to the development of practical guidance, tools, and templates for teams across regions.
Support dissemination of best practices linking policy frameworks, technical design, and investment outcomes.