Chief Development Economist, AHHD0 at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

African Development Bank Group (AfDB) – Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Chief Development Economist, AHHD0

Reference: ADB/20/106
Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50093775

The Complex
The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’ is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy High 5s priority of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”. The complex objectives are (i) to develop, policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pools of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) the VP acts as the spokesperson to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department / Division:

The Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department, within the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex, spearheads the achievement of the High 5s on “Improving the Quality of Life of People in Africa” and contributes to the other High 5s. The Department also leads on the implementation of the Bank-wide Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy.
The Department has two divisions (i) Education, Human Capital and Employment Division, which focuses on scaling-up of Bank’s support to higher education and skills development; and (ii) Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division, which focuses on strengthening health systems, social protection and nutrition for human wellbeing.
In the regions, Human capital, Youth and Skills Development Department has a Regional Division which covers West and Central countries. This Regional Division focuses on Pipeline development, Lending delivery, and Portfolio management for all social sector (Education, Health, Social Protection, Youth Employment) in West and Central countries. It also develops Coordination, Client Relations and Partnerships in these countries.

The Position
The Chief Development Economist reports to the Regional Sector Manager West and Central Regions with the following main responsibilities to:

Conduct sector analysis of human capital youth and skills development in the Central African region to identify opportunities for bankable operations on skills development and youth employment.
Monitor and share key insights from the work done in each country, and contribute to analytical work and policy dialogue in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
contribute to the Bank’s Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) and other strategy documents to integrate youth employment and maximize the employment impact of every investment made through Bank operations agreed with regional member countries.
Lead the country dialogue, design and manage projects in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
Support governments in reforms and dialogue on addressing the youth unemployment and migration issues.
Develop a pipeline for projects (lending and non-lending) in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
Meet the Bank’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to managing the department’s portfolio on youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Regional Sector Manager, the Chief Development Economist shall perform the following key functions:

Lead the Bank’s assessment of social and macroeconomic developments, monitoring of structural reforms and policy dialogue with regards to relevant and quality skills development and the creation of decent jobs for youth.
Carry out analyses of labour and employment issues in the central African region with regards in particular to youth unemployment, underemployment, informal economy, MSMEs and job creation.
Oversee the drafting of Bank’s economic reports, including inputs for the region and its countries for periodic country assessments, CSPs, RISPs and briefing notes for senior management.
Provide socio-economic and macroeconomic and reform advice; conduct and facilitate policy dialogue in close coordination with country economists, RRCs and other Bank departments; and interact with country authorities, the private sector, local think tanks, academia, clients and other International Finance Institutions (IFIs).
Lead the department’s input to country strategies (CSPs) and other related strategy instruments.
Develop a pipeline for projects (lending and non-lending) in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
Meet the Bank’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to managing the department’s portfolio on youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
Monitor and share key insights from the work done in each country, and contribute to analytical work and policy dialogue in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation, with emphasis on gender aspects;
Support the Bank staff and departments to identify priority areas and potential projects with high impact on creating decent jobs for youth.
Manage the portfolio of youth employment projects in the Central African Region. or lead selected top priority jobs for youth in Africa projects especially related to migration issues and policy reforms.
Carry out other technical tasks and coordination as required by the JfYA coordinator or the Director of the Department.

Selection Criteria

Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Business Administration, Finance, Social Sciences, Economics or related field;
At least seven (7) years of relevant experience in jobs for youth, social protection, safety nets, financing for jobs, in Africa, preferably in an international organization, government agency, think tank or other policy environment.
Demonstrated strong knowledge of jobs creation, migration issues, good governance reforms and economic policy issues in Africa with at least seven years focusing on Africa.
Experience with policy and policy-relevant research on jobs for youth, migration, social protection, safety nets, SMEs.
Experience in employment and migration policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation would also be an asset.
Proven experience in managing projects and demonstrated experience in managing complex projects with evidence on clear outcomes.
Demonstrated experience in dealing with gender and civil society priorities in jobs creation agenda.
The ability to build partnerships with a broad range of clients and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the Bank
Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous and shifting demands/ priorities under tight deadlines and coordinate the work of others
Results-oriented, accountable, proactive, self-motivated and able to work both with autonomy and with a team in diverse national and cultural contexts.
Flexibility and the ability to work across divisions and departments of the ‘Agriculture Human, and Social Development’ Sector Complex
Client Orientation to understand, and when appropriate, anticipate client needs, to ensure the clients receive the best possible service from the Bank.
Ability to develop strong working relationships with colleagues and contribute to the creation of a positive team environment
Excellent communication and writing skills in English or French with a working knowledge of the other.
Competences in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.