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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Urban Transport Project Officer

💰 $40,000 - $80,000

Urban TransportTransport PlanningProject ManagementMobilityInfrastructure

🎯 Role Definition

The Urban Transport Project Officer oversees planning, implementation and monitoring of urban mobility initiatives — including bus rapid transit (BRT), bus network redesign, non-motorized transport (NMT), intelligent transport systems (ITS) and transit-oriented development (TOD). This role combines technical transport planning, stakeholder engagement, procurement and donor-compliant project management to deliver safe, affordable, and sustainable urban transport solutions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Transport Planner / Urban Planner
  • Civil Engineer (with transport focus)
  • Mobility Analyst / Data Analyst (transport)

Advancement To:

  • Senior Urban Transport Project Officer
  • Transport Project Manager / Program Manager
  • Technical Lead — Public Transport / Sustainable Mobility

Lateral Moves:

  • Transport Policy Advisor
  • Operations or Procurement Officer (transport projects)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead design and implementation of urban transport interventions (BRT, bus priority corridors, bus network redesign, last-mile cycling and walking improvements), developing technical scope, workplans and cost estimates that align with municipal priorities and donor requirements.

  • Manage the full project lifecycle — prepare detailed project schedules, manage budgets, monitor expenditures, track milestones and deliverables, and report progress to internal management and external donors (World Bank, ADB, EU, bilateral agencies).

  • Prepare high-quality technical documentation including feasibility studies, concept notes, detailed design briefs, terms of reference (TORs) for consultants, tender documents, technical specifications for works and equipment procurement.

  • Oversee procurement processes and contract management: draft RFPs, evaluate technical and financial proposals, coordinate bid evaluations, manage consultant and contractor performance, and ensure contractual compliance and timely deliverables.

  • Conduct transport analysis and modeling: perform trip generation and distribution analysis, demand forecasting, route and timetable optimization, mode share estimation and cost–benefit analysis using tools such as PTV Visum, TransCAD, EMME, or QGIS-based workflows.

  • Lead data collection and management activities: design and supervise household travel surveys, on-board passenger counts, origin–destination studies, manual and automatic traffic counts, GPS fleet data collection and smartcard transaction analysis.

  • Implement GIS mapping and spatial analysis for corridor selection, catchment analysis, demographic overlays and network planning using ArcGIS, QGIS and spatial datasets.

  • Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for public transport operations including ridership, average travel time, on-time performance, service frequency, occupancy rates and farebox recovery ratios.

  • Design pilot projects and phased rollouts for innovation (e.g., on-demand shuttle pilots, low-emission bus pilots, bicycle-share), including pilot scopes, M&E frameworks, stakeholder engagement and scale-up strategies.

  • Ensure transport projects integrate gender equity, accessibility and social inclusion considerations — prepare gender action plans, disability access audits and socially inclusive stakeholder engagement strategies.

  • Coordinate across municipal agencies (transport, traffic management, public works, urban planning), private operators and civil society to align operational responsibilities, permit processes, depot allocation and integrated ticketing strategies.

  • Manage ITS and digital mobility deployments: specify and supervise installation of real-time passenger information systems, fleet telematics, automated fare collection (AFC) and traffic signal priority systems; coordinate testing and system integration.

  • Lead stakeholder engagement and public consultation processes: organize workshops, multi-stakeholder meetings, community consultations and media briefings to build consensus, resolve conflicts and ensure transparent communications.

  • Prepare and submit donor reporting, disbursement requests, financial reconciliations and safeguarding documentation; ensure compliance with environmental, social and procurement safeguards under donor-funded projects.

  • Supervise technical assistance and capacity building programs for municipal staff and operators — develop training curricula, conduct hands-on workshops on network planning, operations management, customer service and M&E.

  • Conduct transport safety assessments and coordinate road safety interventions (speed management, pedestrian crossings, traffic calming) in partnership with traffic engineering and law enforcement agencies.

  • Develop fare policy recommendations and financial models to evaluate subsidy options, fare integration schemes and revenue management strategies supporting sustainable operations.

  • Monitor environmental and social safeguards: coordinate preparation of ESIA/ESMP inputs, implement mitigation measures during construction and operations, and manage grievance redress mechanisms.

  • Lead the development of monitoring and evaluation frameworks for impact evaluation, baseline and endline studies, and performance audits to measure outcomes (e.g., reduced travel time, emissions, improved access to jobs and services).

  • Provide technical inputs to urban planning integration and transit-oriented development (TOD) initiatives, coordinating land-use policies, station-area planning and pedestrianization strategies to maximize public transport demand.

  • Support change management and institutional strengthening activities: facilitate organizational restructuring, role definitions, SOPs and performance-based contracts for operators to improve service quality.

  • Prepare strategic briefs, policy notes and funding proposals to secure investment, including economic appraisal, risk assessments and sustainability plans for long-term operations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Provide input for grant applications, donor liaison and coordination meetings.
  • Assist in drafting communications, case studies and knowledge products for dissemination.
  • Support monitoring of contractor health & safety compliance and site supervision during construction phases.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Transport planning and public transport operations expertise (BRT, bus network design, service planning).
  • Project management skills with demonstrated ability to manage budgets, schedules and procurement for infrastructure projects (MS Project or equivalent).
  • Experience with transport modelling and demand forecasting tools (PTV Visum, TransCAD, EMME) and scenario analysis.
  • Strong GIS capabilities (ArcGIS, QGIS) for spatial analysis, corridor selection and catchment mapping.
  • Data analysis and visualization skills using Excel (advanced), SQL, Python or R for processing smartcard, GPS and survey data.
  • Knowledge of ITS technologies and integration (APIs, telematics, AFC systems, real-time passenger information).
  • Experience with donor-funded project procedures, safeguards (ESIA/ESMP), financial reporting and disbursement processes (World Bank, ADB experience preferred).
  • Tender preparation, procurement management and contract administration experience under public-sector rules.
  • Monitoring & evaluation design and measurement expertise (baseline/endline, KPI setting, impact evaluation).
  • Road safety and non-motorized transport (NMT) design principles and practical interventions.
  • Technical report writing, proposal development and policy analysis for mobility projects.
  • Familiarity with urban design, TOD principles and land-use integration for public transport development.

Soft Skills

  • Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills; ability to convene and influence government agencies, operators and private partners.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication, including clear report writing and presentation skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Problem-solving and analytical mindset with attention to detail and results orientation.
  • Project leadership and team coordination; experience supervising consultants and cross-functional teams.
  • Cultural sensitivity and experience working in multi-stakeholder, multi-lingual urban contexts.
  • Facilitation skills for workshops, public consultations and capacity-building sessions.
  • Adaptability and resilience in dynamic urban project environments and during field deployments.
  • Strategic thinking and the ability to translate policy objectives into operational plans.
  • Time management and ability to prioritize multiple concurrent tasks and deliverables.
  • Collaborative mindset and commitment to inclusive, gender-responsive project outcomes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Transport Planning, Urban Planning, Geography, Economics or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Transport Planning, Urban Planning, Infrastructure Finance, Public Policy or related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Civil/Transportation Engineering
  • Urban and Regional Planning
  • Transport Economics
  • Geography / GIS
  • Environmental Science / Sustainable Development

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressively responsible experience in urban transport projects.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years’ experience designing, implementing or managing urban mobility projects (BRT, bus network redesign, NMT, ITS).
  • Demonstrated experience with donor-funded projects and compliance with World Bank/ADB/DFI procedures.
  • Proven track record in stakeholder engagement, procurement, M&E and technical reporting for municipal transport programs.
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