NTU International A/S — a leading international consulting company providing project management and technical advisory services worldwide — is building a global Urban Development Experts Talent Pool for the EU-funded Global Gateway Transport and Urban Facility 2 project (EC-INTPA/2026/EA-RP/0006). This programme, expected to start in January 2027 for 48 months, will deploy experts on short-term technical assistance assignments globally — with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific. Seeking experienced professionals with minimum 5 years in urban development, urban planning, sustainable mobility, smart cities, climate resilience, or municipal infrastructure, this is a prestigious EU technical assistance opportunity open to UAE-based professionals in 2026.
About NTU International A/S — Leading EU Technical Assistance Consultancy
Identity: Leading international consulting company — project management and technical advisory services worldwide
Clients: European Union institutions, international financial institutions (IFIs), development agencies, public sector clients
Sectors: Transport, infrastructure, urban development, climate resilience, governance, and sustainable investment
Programme: EU Global Gateway Transport and Urban Facility 2 — 48-month implementation, January 2027 start
Objective: Support the global transition towards inclusive, smart, clean, safe, secure, resilient and sustainable transport and cities
Global Deployment Focus & Urban Expertise Areas
Geography: Sub-Saharan Africa · Latin America and the Caribbean · Asia and the Pacific
Alignment: EU Global Gateway strategy · European Green Deal · G20 Quality Infrastructure Principles
Engagement: Short-term technical assistance assignments — experts mobilised based on project requirements and availability
Language: Excellent English required; French and/or Spanish a strong asset
Note: Inclusion in the expert pool does not guarantee immediate assignment — experts contacted based on specific project needs
Programme Overview
The Global Gateway Transport and Urban Facility 2 is a major European Union-funded international technical assistance programme managed by NTU International A/S. Its overall objective is to support partner countries worldwide in their transition toward inclusive, smart, clean, safe, secure, resilient, and sustainable transport and cities — in alignment with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and the geopolitical offer of the European Green Deal. The programme will deploy urban development experts across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific on short-term technical assistance missions beginning January 2027 across a 48-month implementation horizon.
NTU International is now building its Urban Development Experts Talent Pool — identifying, pre-qualifying, and registering experienced urban development professionals across the full spectrum of sustainable urban development disciplines. For UAE-based urban planning, infrastructure, governance, smart city, climate resilience, and sustainable mobility professionals with international development project experience, registration in this EU expert pool is a direct pathway to high-impact short-term technical assistance assignments in developing and emerging economies worldwide — contributing to the EU’s most ambitious urban sustainability programme in 2026 and beyond.
Why This Urban Development Expert Talent Pool Opportunity Is Significant: The EU Global Gateway Transport and Urban Facility 2 is one of the largest and most strategically significant EU technical assistance programmes for urban development and sustainable transport globally — aligned directly with the European Green Deal, the Global Gateway strategy, and international frameworks for quality infrastructure investment. For experienced urban development professionals based in the UAE, registration in NTU International’s expert pool provides access to EU-funded short-term assignments across some of the world’s most dynamic developing country cities — where the urban planning, smart city, climate resilience, and sustainable mobility expertise that UAE-based professionals have developed is precisely what these programmes need to deliver transformational impact.
Key Responsibilities — Urban Development Expert Assignments
Urban Planning, Development Strategy & Master Plans
- Support the identification, preparation, appraisal, and implementation of sustainable urban development projects and programmes — contributing technical advisory expertise to the full project cycle from initial identification through feasibility, design, and implementation support across partner country urban development programmes aligned with EU Global Gateway objectives
- Conduct urban diagnostics, prefeasibility and feasibility studies, technical assessments, economic and financial analyses, and urban development studies — applying urban planning, economics, and engineering expertise to produce the evidence base that informs investment decisions by EU Delegations, IFIs, municipal authorities, and development partners in partner countries
- Support integrated urban planning, land-use planning, and the preparation of urban development strategies and master plans — advising municipal and national authorities in partner countries on the development of comprehensive, evidence-based, and implementation-oriented urban planning frameworks that guide sustainable urban growth and investment prioritisation
- Advise public authorities on urban policies, regulatory frameworks, institutional arrangements, and urban governance reforms — providing technical assistance that strengthens the institutional and regulatory capacity of partner country cities to manage urban growth, deliver services, and implement sustainable urban development investment programmes effectively
Smart Cities, Green Infrastructure & Climate Resilience
- Support the development of smart, green, inclusive, safe, and climate-resilient cities — advising partner country authorities on the integration of digital technology, green infrastructure, social inclusion, and climate adaptation principles into urban development investment programmes and spatial planning frameworks
- Integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk reduction, environmental sustainability, and resilience into urban investments — ensuring that EU Global Gateway-supported urban infrastructure and development programmes embed climate and environmental considerations from the earliest planning stages, building the long-term sustainability of partner country urban systems
- Support urban regeneration, public space development, nature-based solutions, and green infrastructure — advising on approaches to urban transformation that combine physical regeneration with ecological, social, and economic sustainability objectives, creating more liveable, resilient, and inclusive urban environments in partner country cities
- Support urban environmental management and decarbonisation — contributing to the development of low-carbon urban development strategies, clean energy integration frameworks, and environmental management systems that accelerate partner countries’ transition toward more sustainable and climate-compatible urban development models
Sustainable Urban Mobility, Municipal Infrastructure & Finance
- Integrate sustainable urban mobility and accessibility considerations into urban development planning — advising on public transport, non-motorised transport, transit-oriented development, and accessibility frameworks that reduce car dependency, improve urban connectivity, and support more sustainable and equitable patterns of urban movement in partner country cities
- Conduct economic and financial assessments and support the identification of appropriate financing mechanisms — including private sector participation, public-private partnerships, blended finance, and IFI co-financing — that mobilise the investment required for sustainable urban development programmes at a scale beyond the fiscal capacity of partner country municipal budgets
- Support urban investment pipeline preparation aligned with Global Gateway and European Green Deal priorities — developing the bankable project pipelines that connect partner country urban development needs with EU and IFI financing opportunities, applying project preparation expertise to bridge the gap between urban development ambition and implementation-ready investment proposals
- Support infrastructure maintenance, asset management, and life-cycle approaches to urban infrastructure — advising partner country authorities on the institutionalisation of systematic infrastructure maintenance frameworks that protect the long-term value and functionality of urban infrastructure assets across their full service life
Institutional Strengthening, Stakeholder Coordination & Knowledge Sharing
- Contribute to institutional strengthening, knowledge creation, training, and capacity-building activities — designing and delivering technical assistance, training programmes, and knowledge exchange activities that build the long-term urban development capacity of partner country municipalities, urban agencies, and national authorities
- Facilitate coordination between municipal and national authorities, EU Delegations, IFIs, private sector stakeholders, civil society, and development partners — serving as a skilled technical convener and facilitator in complex multi-stakeholder urban development processes, ensuring effective alignment of different actors’ interests and contributions toward shared sustainable urbanisation objectives
- Support socially inclusive urban development including gender equality, accessibility, and human rights considerations — ensuring that EU Global Gateway-supported urban programmes embed social inclusion, gender-responsive planning, and human rights principles from the earliest design stages through to implementation and monitoring
Requirements — Urban Development Expert Profile
Essential Requirements
- Minimum 5 years of professional experience in urban development, urban planning, municipal infrastructure, or related sectors — with demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: integrated urban planning, urban regeneration, sustainable mobility, smart cities, green infrastructure, climate resilience, urban environmental management, disaster risk reduction, municipal infrastructure, urban governance, urban economics, urban finance, PPPs, asset management, or M&E of urban programmes
- Excellent command of English — required for all assignments; French and/or Spanish is a strong asset and will be particularly advantageous for assignments in Sub-Saharan Africa (French) and Latin America and the Caribbean (Spanish)
- Strong analytical, coordination, stakeholder engagement, and reporting skills — the core professional competencies required for effective delivery of EU technical assistance assignments in complex, multi-stakeholder international development contexts
Strongly Preferred
- Experience in international technical assistance, donor-funded, and/or IFI-financed projects — demonstrating familiarity with EU, World Bank, ADB, AfDB, or other IFI project cycles, procurement frameworks, and reporting standards
- Professional experience in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and/or Asia and the Pacific — directly relevant regional expertise that matches the programme’s geographic deployment focus
- Familiarity with Global Gateway, the European Green Deal, G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment, and international sustainable urban development frameworks
Why UAE-Based Urban Development Professionals Should Register for This EU Expert Pool in 2026
The UAE — and Abu Dhabi in particular — has developed one of the world’s most concentrated communities of urban development, smart city, sustainable infrastructure, and climate resilience professionals over the past two decades, drawn by the scale and ambition of the region’s urban development programmes. Many of these professionals have accumulated expertise in urban planning, transit-oriented development, master planning, green infrastructure, smart city implementation, and climate-resilient urban design that is directly relevant and highly valued in the EU’s international urban development technical assistance programmes.
For UAE-based urban development professionals who want to apply their expertise internationally — contributing to sustainable urbanisation in developing countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific while maintaining their UAE professional base — NTU International’s EU Global Gateway expert pool is a high-impact, credible, and globally recognised avenue for that professional contribution. Registration now positions you for deployment from January 2027 across one of the EU’s most strategically significant urban development programmes. Register your interest and expertise with NTU International today.
Who Should Register?
- Urban Planners and Urban Development Consultants Based in UAE: With 5+ years of professional experience in urban planning, land-use planning, integrated urban development, or urban regeneration — and interest in contributing their expertise to EU-funded technical assistance assignments in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, or Asia-Pacific partner countries
- Smart City and Digital Urban Development Experts: With expertise in smart city strategies, urban digitalisation, technology-enabled urban services, and data-driven urban management — contributing to EU Global Gateway’s objective of supporting smart, connected, and digitally enabled urban development in partner countries
- Sustainable Mobility and Transport Planning Specialists: With experience in sustainable urban mobility planning, public transport systems, transit-oriented development, non-motorised transport, and accessibility planning — contributing to the programme’s focus on integrating sustainable mobility into urban development frameworks
- Climate Resilience and Urban Environmental Experts: With expertise in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, urban resilience, nature-based solutions, or urban decarbonisation — well-positioned for assignments supporting partner country cities’ climate transition and urban environmental sustainability programmes
- Municipal Finance and Urban Economics Specialists: With experience in urban investment programming, PPPs, blended finance, IFI project preparation, or municipal finance systems — contributing to the programme’s focus on developing bankable urban investment pipelines and mobilising financing for sustainable urban development at scale
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