Grade: PL-2
Reference:ADB/10/017
Closing date:19/03/2010
Objectives
The Regional Department is responsible for the Bank Group’s activities in specific regions and the countries within those regions.
These responsibilities include country dialogue, programming of the Bank’s activities in these countries: allocation of resources to implement the agreed country and regional strategies and assuring the quality of Bank’s portfolio (both lending and non-lending).
The main deliverables for the Regional Department are Country Strategies, Annual Work Programs and Budgets, Country Portfolio Reviews, Country Economic Reviews, contributions to economic and sector analytical work, support to regional entities and representation of the Bank in donor meetings.
The Country/Regional Office oversees the portfolio of Bank projects in the country including its management, takes the lead in country level dialogue with government, civil society, the private sector and development partners.
It has a decentralized team including a country economist, country programme officer and sector experts whose number and specializations may vary according to the size and nature of the portfolio. Each field office also has a fiduciary team including procurement, financial management and disbursement officers.
Duties and responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Director of the Regional Department in the Vice Presidency of Operations I, the Resident Representative (RR) is responsible for leading Country Policy Dialogue, the development, implementation and monitoring of the Bank’s country operations and regional strategies, and ensuring that these strategies are aligned to the national strategies and priorities of the countries covered by the field office.
With the guidance of the Regional Director (RD) the RR will enhance donor coordination in line with the Paris Declaration, Accra Agenda for Action and related commitments. The RR will complement the RD’s role by consolidating and energizing country dialogue, programming the Bank’s country operations, and advise the RD on resource allocation between different sectorial activities for the country programme.
Under the guidance of the Regional Director, the main deliverables of the RR are: the Country Strategy Paper(s) (CSPs), Annual Work Programs and Budgets, Country Portfolio Reviews and Improvement Plans, Country Economic Reviews, sector and other analytical work, support for regional entities and ensuring the Bank’s active and constructive participation in Donor meetings.
Specific Duties:
Overall Country Program
- Monitor closely political and economic developments in the country; ensure the strongest relevance and value for Regional Member Countries (RMCs) of studies and reports undertaken by the Bank; evaluate and endeavour to contribute to the country’s development strategy, public expenditure management and planning; assist in the preparation and implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs);
- Drive the management and implementation of the Bank’s program at country and regional (RECs) levels, under the overall guidance of the Regional Director ;
- Play a key role in the Country Team and advise it on economic, political and other developments relevant to the Bank’s operations in the country;
- Under the Regional Director’s supervision, lead the preparation of Country Strategy Papers, seeking to work jointly with other donors, if possible, and prepare Country Portfolio Reviews in liaison with sector colleagues;
- Play an active role in the design and management of economic and sector work in the country;
- Play a key role in aid co-ordination meetings and ensure that the Bank takes leadership in relevant thematic working groups, based on comparative advantage.
Management of the Country Portfolio
- In collaboration with the Regional Director, oversee all aspects of portfolio management to ensure quality at entry, during implementation and at completion, including performance monitoring, in line with Bank policies, strategies, and directives;
- Lead the dialogue with Government on all systemic issues relating to portfolio management, in order to improve the performance and quality of Bank operations, based on an agreed results-based framework which will include key performance indicators;
- Identify and address cross-cutting and country specific portfolio issues and advise the Country Team in the design, implementation and supervision arrangements for the portfolio as well as new business development;
- Ensure effective implementation of operations and activities in the portfolio.
Representation of Bank and Country Office Management
- Be an effective Representative of the Bank to government, civil society and the private sector, and articulate the Bank’s position, at different forums, on various critical issues and strategies;
- Supervise staff in the country/regional office and undertake staff development and performance evaluation. In the case of sector and procurement experts, staff will be evaluated by the relevant technical department in consultation with the RR.
- Prepare and supervise implementation of the country/regional office’s budget and submit periodic reports in accordance with the Bank’s budget management regulations;
- Liaise and work closely with other department staff on issues such as audits of the country/regional office, human resources and asset management, SAP and IT issues.
Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience
- Minimum a Master’s degree or its university equivalent in business administration, economics or another relevant development field;
- Preferably a minimum of eight (8) years of extensive and progressive experience in country program operations in an international organization, including preferably 3 years at a managerial level. A solid knowledge and good grasp of political economy as well as the socio-economic and development issues in Africa;
- A strategic mindset and the capacity to steer the Bank’s agenda while empowering staff during a phase of institutional transition towards greater country focus of the Bank’s activities; portfolio management experience would be an asset;
- Team skills required to lead complex programs, with experience in the development of new projects and their financial supervision;
- Proven ability to motivate, mentor and lead staff;
- Excellent analytical skills, strong capacity to analyze actions from the perspectives of stakeholders and translate strategic thinking into a compelling plan of action;
- Demonstrated ability to take business risks and make effective, timely and well-judged decisions;
- Excellent communication skills including clear and concise drafting and ability to explain complex issues to a wide range of audiences. Outstanding networking skills and ability to develop partnerships with a broad range of clients, inside and outside the Bank.
- First-rate diplomatic and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas; a good listener with cultural sensitivity, commitment to diversity and capacity to initiate and manage innovations and change;
- Ability to operate effectively in a matrix environment, both as team leader and team member;
- Excellent written and verbal communications in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
- Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).
Only applicants who fully meet the Bank's requirements and are being considered for interview will be contacted.
Applicants will only be considered if they submit (preferably electronically, to: recruit @ afdb.org) a fully completed Personal History Form (PHF), available from the Bank’s web site, and attach a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) indicating date of birth and nationality.
The President, ADB, reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level. The African Development Bank is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
