Manager, Transport Finance Job ITDP Nairobi, Kenya

About the position

The Manager, Transport Finance will be a new and critical addition to ITDP Africa’s programme team, providing independent technical and strategic leadership to advance the organisation’s work on sustainable transport financing and investment mobilisation across African cities. The Manager will strengthen national and subnational frameworks for sustained transport funding and work with governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs), development finance institutions, national development banks, and other financing partners to mobilise investment for public transport, electrification, walking, cycling, and other sustainable mobility solutions.

Working at the intersection of transport planning, public finance, development finance, and climate policy, the Manager will help governments identify and structure appropriate financing mechanisms, strengthen the financial and institutional readiness of priority projects, and connect well-designed transport programmes with public, concessional, climate, and private capital. This is a strategic regional role focused on translating policy and planning priorities into funded, investment-ready programmes that can move to implementation.

The Manager, Transport Finance will report to the Africa Programme Director, working closely with the Transport Systems, Public Transport & Electrification, and Transport Policy, as well as ITDP’s global finance and development teams.

Qualifications

Education

• A PhD or Master’s degree in transport economics, development finance, infrastructure finance, public finance, transport planning, urban economics, or a closely related field.

Experience

• At least ten years of relevant professional experience in transport finance, infrastructure financing, or development finance, including direct experience in financial modelling, investment structuring, or development bank project preparation.
• Demonstrated experience working on large-scale transport infrastructure projects (BRT, rail, ebus, or similar) in a financial advisory, project finance, or technical assistance capacity.
• Direct working knowledge of the regulatory, fiscal and institutional conditions that shape transport investment in Sub-Saharan Africa, normally gained through prior work in the region.

Skills required

• Expert-level financial modelling skills, including advanced experience building BRT or transit business models, PPP financial structures, and cost-benefit analysis frameworks.
• Strong understanding of development finance instruments, blended finance structures, and
• PPP frameworks as applied to transport infrastructure.
• Proficiency in Excel for transport demand and financial scenario modelling.
• Fluency in English is required.

How to Apply

nterested applicants can apply by sending the following information to africajobs@itdp.org with “Manager, Transport Finance” in the subject line:

• Resume and cover letter.
• A brief (three pages maximum) analytical note on a financing challenge facing BRT or e-bus deployment in an African city of your choice, and how you would approach solving it. We use this note only to assess your application.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. To be considered in the first round, apply by 15 October 2026. The position will remain open until filled.