Sector Specialist

KfW Development Bank
KfW Development Bank (the German Development Bank) is part of KfW Banking Group, one of the largest bilateral development banks of the world. KfW Development Bank supports activities to fight climate change and to improve economic and social conditions of people in developing countries and emerging economies on behalf of the German Government. Projects and programs of Indo-German Development Cooperation in India are supported by KfW’s New Delhi Office, which works closely with the Head Quarter (HQ) in Frankfurt, Germany. Germany commits around EUR 1 bn (approx. INR 8000 crore) annually to finance innovative large-scale investment projects and policy loans via KfW Development Bank in the sectors energy, sustainable urban development (including urban mobility), and natural resources management. The financing products range from loans with various levels of concessionality to grants for project preparatory activities and accompanying technical assistance.
The KfW New Delhi Office functions as project entry point for KfW, it develops and validates bankable project ideas and supports the respective portfolio managers during the entire life cycle of the funded projects. KfW maintains a cross-sectoral working atmosphere, in which colleagues in India and Germany work hand in hand as a team. The KfW New Delhi Office is embedded in the German Development Cooperation structure in India, composed of the German Embassy, GIZ (Technical Assistance) and DEG (a subsidiary company of KfW Banking Group). KfW Office New Delhi is well connected to other Development Finance Institutions in India, like ADB, AFD, JICA, World Bank and others.
Position of Sector Specialist Sustainable Urban Development
KfW is seeking to fill a position in its New Delhi office. Together with six sector experts in the Office (“Urban and Mobility Team”) and the Urban Development Team at KfW HQ in Frankfurt, the Sector Specialist will support KfW’s sustainable urban development portfolio. The Specialist will mainly work in the classical urban development sector consisting of sub-sector such as water, sanitation, solid waste management, storm water drainage, climate resilience. In addition, to a lesser extent, there are also plans for the specialist to be deployed in the urban mobility sector consisting of rail-based infrastructure like metros, bus sector, e-mobility, and non-motorized transport amongst others; special emphasis is given to multi-modal integration and last-mile connectivity, as well as gender and inclusiveness.
The portfolio is related to directly financed projects as well as indirect finance approaches (funds, line of credit, other). The Specialist will focus on project implementation (administration, monitoring of projects, including troubleshooting and maintaining regular contacts with partners). With a growing share over time, the Specialist will be responsible for supporting the preparation of new projects up to the level of loan signing in close coordination with the Head of the Urban and Mobility Team, other team members as well as HQ in Frankfurt.
The Specialist may also take on responsibility for other thematic areas, in line with his/ her qualification and the cross-sectoral working of the Office. Additionally to the developing of the investment pipeline, there are further other activities, including, but not limited to supporting the political dialogues, as well as joint efforts to enhance the visibility of German Cooperation.
Responsibilities will include:
- Support the portfolio managers in HQ in administering and monitoring ongoing projects;
- Establish and/or maintain close relations with all cooperation partners on the working and on the management level in the urban development space;
- Accompany and support KfW appraisal and review missions for future and ongoing projects;
- Identify and prepare new project ideas in the area of environment friendly urban development (potentially also mobility) in consultation with KfW HQ and under the guidance of the Head of the Office´s Urban and Mobility team;
- Observe and analyze sector developments, identify project opportunities and report on the same;
- Advise KfW’s partners on KfW’s procedures, rules and regulations;
- Represent KfW at Conferences / Seminars, etc.;
- Support the German Embassy New Delhi upon their request in the area of expertise;
- Liaise and cooperate with the German Technical Assistance partner GIZ in the area of expertise, as well as with other bi- und multilateral Development Finance Institutions.
Requirements and Skills
The ideal candidate should have the following professional qualification/ experience:
- A post graduate degree in urban planning, engineering, economics, MBA or equivalent; or a Bachelors degree in Engineering with MBA (Finance/Project Management) or equivalent;
- At least 8 years of working experience in project management, project finance and/ or implementation of urban development projects (including ideally urban mobility);
- Experience in appraisal/due diligence of urban development and preferably mobility projects;
- Experience in effectively liaising and collaborating with different clients and partners, including government liaison;
- An established professional network with relevant institutions in urban development sector is an important asset;
- Strong understanding of Ministry of Housing and Urban Development schemes / missions, such as AMRUT 2.0, Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0, but ideally also mobility-related schemes
- Very good understanding and professional knowledge of the Urban Development Sector in India, the reform process, its institutional set-up, its structure and its most important players;
- Related technical know-how on water, sanitation, solid waste management, storm water drainage solutions for urban areas, as well as if possible the corresponding technical know-how on mobility-related topics such as metros, bus sector, e-mobility, and non-motorized transport, multi-modal integration and last-mile connectivity among others. Experience in Air Quality Management would be an asset.
Additional skill requirements:
- Fluency in English (spoken & written). Very good verbal and written communication skills;
- Proficiency in business software applications, including MS-Word, Excel, and PowerPoint;
- Strong analytical, comprehension and communication skills.
The ideal candidate will:
- Be pro-active, self-motivated, ambitious and able to work both independently and in teams.
- Reach out to and share information with the other experts in the KfW Office and HQ across sectors with ease and openness (team-player);
- Blend successfully creativity/ innovation with feasibility in order to support ongoing and to generate new projects for KfW financing;
- Possess good acquisition capability, combining know-how with communication and social skills.
It is desirable that the candidate can also demonstrate:
- Technical knowledge of relevant engineering;
- Working experience in the banking / financial sector;
- Work experience with international development organizations, a German company or in Germany;
- Knowledge of German language.
Terms & Conditions
The position is a full-time position as Sector Specialist offered initially for a period of two years with a possibility for extension. The main Workspace is the KfW New Delhi Office. The position is expected to integrate closely with the KfW New Delhi Team. The position reports to the Head of the office urban team (“Head of Urban and Mobility Team”) and the Country Director, KfW Office New Delhi. The remuneration shall be commensurate with relevant experience and qualifications. It includes health benefits, Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and insurance policies.
Contact
Selected candidates should provide the following in English language via email to:
- CV (no more than 2 pages);
- Motivational cover letter (no more than 2 pages, clearly outlining the reason for applying, justifying the fit, and including a brief interpretation/ critical review of the role and responsibilities based on the ToR; incl. salary expectations);
- Relevant certificates (undergraduate, postgraduate, and other professional certificates);
- Two professional references;
Deadline for application is 23rd November, 2024
Kindly note:
- Applications must be submitted to the headhunter. Applications sent directly to KfW will not be considered;
- The candidates not meeting the mandatory conditions and not submitting the required information and documents in the formats outlined will not be considered;
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for a first round of interviews (virtually or in-person). Successful candidates will be invited for a second round of interviews (in situ);
- Candidates will be evaluated based on the relevance of their CVs, the quality of their cover letter and their critical review of the ToR, their performance during the interviews as well as their financial proposal.

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