Transport Specialist- Modelling

World Bank Group•Washington, DC

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The World Bank Group (WBG) Transport and Logistics Department (KIT) is dedicated to enabling sustainable, efficient, and inclusive movement of goods and people worldwide. As a core part of the WBG’s mission, the department focuses on developing, financing, and advising on transport infrastructure and services that are vital for economic growth, regional integration, and poverty reduction. Our work encompasses all modes of transport—including road, rail, maritime, and aviation—and covers both urban and rural environments. The department collaborates with public and private sector partners to design and implement innovative solutions that address emerging challenges such as climate change, rapid urbanization, technological advancements, and the need for improved supply chain resilience. The KITPR unit is global and focused on shaping enabling policy and regulatory frameworks that support sustainable transport and logistics development. It delivers knowledge services, policy advice, and model regulatory solutions across infrastructure and urban sectors, drawing on global best practices and innovation. The unit works closely with regional teams and partners to develop scalable policy tools, support regulatory reform, and build institutional capacity. KITPR increasingly applies geospatial analytics, remote sensing, and spatial data science to inform planning, investment prioritization, and policy dialogue across transport corridors, urban mobility systems, and rural connectivity. A key priority is strengthening analytical models and tools to support evidence-based transport and logistics investments. KITPR is seeking to hire a Transport Modeling Specialist to be based at the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. to support its work program, including serving as the focal point for several of KIT’s transport models and tools. He/she will report to the Manager of Policy and Regulations (KITPR). On a day-to-day basis, he/she will work under the supervision of senior staff in the unit and the department.

Requirements

A masters-level or higher degree in civil, transport engineering, economics, geospatial science, data science or related fields.
At least five years of relevant professional experience in transport sector data modeling and analytics, development and usage of geospatial tools, with demonstrated experience architecting and leading the development of transport planning and economic analysis models and associated tools, and dissemination of their results.
Demonstrated experience in: (a) developing and applying the World Bank’s global transport models and tools such as FlowMax and EVMax, b) advanced technical expertise in transport modeling, (c) conducting transport-related geospatial analysis; (d) programming and analytical capabilities; and (e) GIS applications in the transport sector.
Demonstrated research and analytical skills, specifically with experience in economic and financial analysis of transport investments.
Advanced knowledge of statistical software, GIS tools and working with large datasets is required.
Experience in leading/co-leading/executing analytical work in the transport sector.
Experience in working either with the World Bank Group, or on programs financed by other development partners, multilateral or bilateral.
Organizational skills, ability to see the big picture as well as attention to detail and ability to prioritize work among multiple competing demands and tight deadlines.
High degree of initiative, problem-solving skills, flexibility, and ability to work independently.
Strong interpersonal skills; experience working effectively in large and multi-disciplinary teams of specialists; with the capacity to interact in a multi-cultural environment.
Excellent written and communications skills in English, especially in communicating verbally complex data analysis results.

Nice To Haves

Strong work relations and communication with WBG teams and clients, including ability to coordinate effectively between both teams, are desirable.
Co-authoring journal and research papers in transport planning and economics topic is an added advantage.

Responsibilities

Design, build, maintain, and continuously update the WBG's suite of models and analytical tools for transport sector work, spanning both goods and passenger transport, including road and rail networks and corridors, ports and maritime transport, and logistics nodes.
Work with complex, multi-layered datasets covering trade flows, population, and socio-economic and environmental variables, ensuring that the WBG's transport analytical capabilities remain current, robust, and fit for operational and advisory purposes.
Maintain and update WBG transport and logistics models, including calibrating models for specific applications and conducting advanced analyses for transport corridor diagnostics and prioritization; urban mobility and accessibility assessments; multimodal connectivity mapping; freight movement and logistics network analysis; traffic flow and catchment analysis; and network performance and connectivity evaluation.
Develop accessibility models to estimate access to jobs, services, markets, and transport infrastructure.
Support geospatial analysis for investment prioritization and strategic planning at national, regional, and urban scales.
Prepare briefs, maps, dashboards, and geospatial visualizations to communicate findings to internal teams, government counterparts, and external stakeholders.
Support climate risk mapping of transport infrastructure and networks using hazard datasets such as flooding, landslides, sea-level rise, heat stress, or other climate exposure layers.
Analyze infrastructure vulnerability and criticality to inform resilience planning and adaptation interventions.
Integrate transport network data with climate and hazard information to identify critical assets and priority investment needs.
Support the development of reproducible code for country-level estimation of road conditions using low satellite imagery and code validation using ground truth data and high-resolution imagery; process and integrate geospatial datasets, including road networks, rural population datasets, satellite imagery, land cover, elevation, and ancillary datasets.
Undertake country-level data collection as needed and regularly updating global parameters for electric vehicle modeling, ensuring data accuracy and consistency across all model applications.
Support electric vehicle modelling activities by contributing to functional enhancements, including development, testing, and refinement of modelling features.
Maintain and periodically update model user interface, ensuring functionality, usability, and overall system performance through routine maintenance.
Develop training material and deliver training as needed, for WBG models and tools.