Chief Governance and Economic Management Specialist 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. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten Year Strategy (2013 – 2022) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas, all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for scaling up, namely; energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Chief Governance and Economic Management Specialist

Reference: ADB/19/055
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50001090

The Complex

The Economic Governance and Knowledge Management (ECVP Complex) core objective is to give greater visibility and prominence to knowledge, its dissemination and management.
This is done through the (i) generation of access to operationally relevant, multi-sector research on African development issues; (ii) the narrowing of the data statistics gap in Africa by improving the availability, quality and coverage of statistics, for policy formulation, implementation, evaluation and effective monitoring of progress and contributing to the development of cooperation statistics in Africa. ECVP is also the focal point for capacity development and provision of training with a clear focus on those areas most relevant to ensuring economic growth and efficient implementation of Bank-financed projects and enhancing their impact.

The Hiring Department

The Governance and Public Financial Management Coordination Office (ECGF) is in the complex of the Chief Economist / Vice Presidency for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management (ECVP), based at the Headquarters in Abidjan, and is responsible for coordination and operationalization of the Bank’s Governance policy, strategy and programs, including lending and non-lending work.
ECGF works in collaboration with the other complex’s and departments of the Bank towards ensuring (i) that the Bank’s substantive technical engagement with key policy and strategy processes in the area of governance and public financial management are properly coordinated; and (ii) that the Bank’s interventions in Regional Member Countries, through program-based operations/ budget support and institutional strengthening projects promote effective and accountable governance and public financial management

The Position

The Chief Governance and Economic Management Officer, with a clear leadership role, will ensure technical soundness of the Bank’s lending and non-lending activities in the Governance sector.
He/ She will provide in-depth technical and sectoral expertise towards ensuring that the Bank effectively supports Regional Member Countries (RMCs) of the Bank in their efforts to promote good governance, transparency and accountability, effective economic management and the improvement of the business environment.
He/she will contribute to the definition of the required policy reforms, and the provision of knowledge and institutional support required for successful reform implementation.
The work accomplished will contribute to the realization of the Bank’s governance work program as it relates to the implementation of the Bank’s High Five priorities: Feed Africa; Light-up Africa; Industrialize Africa; Integrate Africa; and Improve the lives of the people of Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision and guidance of the Director of Governance and PFM Coordination Office the Chief Governance and Economic Management Officer Will:

Provide technical and advisory support to Regional Member Countries and project teams in the preparation and implementation of programs aimed at promoting good governance, transparency and accountability, effective economic management and the improvement of the business environment
Coordinate/lead the identification, development and implementation of complex and high risk operations, including budget support/program-based operations and institutional support projects at country and regional levels. Provide expertise and guidance towards ensuring improved management of projects facing implementation issues.
Ensure quality at entry of Governance operations, including ensuring key technical, financial and crosscutting issues are incorporated into projects to ensure expected impact and Results
Coordinate and/or collaborate with other Bank entities, often in a leadership role, in the preparation and review of policy statements, briefs, strategies and various reports on governance issues
Collaborate with the regional departments, and other relevant departments and units of the
Bank, to undertake/drive economic sector works that underpin the Bank’s involvement in governance
operations, including diagnostic assessments on governance matters, and mainstreaming
governance aspects in Bank Country Strategy Papers and Bank financed operations;
Participate in the formulation and recommendation of appropriate instruments and strategies, and related guidelines for governance;
Liaise on a regular basis with counterparts at other institutions, particularly MDB’s, to exchange ideas on governance approaches and methodologies;
Contribute, coordinate and/or participate in the Bank’s engagement on special initiatives, trust funds and other partnerships relevant to Governance and public financial management issues.
Identify themes, and undertake analytical work, to inform governance programming, in particular on political economy analysis, policy dialogue and sector governance;
Ensure that governance aspects are mainstreamed in Bank-financed operations, in particular addressing cross-sectoral issues and the Governance various dimensions of implementation of the High Fives, in collaboration with other Bank organizational units;
Contribute to activities of advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building around governance issues.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

Hold at least a Master degree or its equivalent in Economics, Public administration, Governance/ Political Science, Law or related fields.
Minimum of 7 years of experience in governance, public sector management, policy formulation, policy dialogue, revenue management, public expenditure or related areas,
Strong experience in the design and delivery of operations (including investment projects and policy based operations), as well as project management,
In-depth understanding of governance and public financial management issues, including strong background in Africa and/or countries in transition.
Familiarity with operational policies and programming practices of multilateral organisations, with familiarity with the work of the African Development Bank being a distinct advantage
International experience working on development issues in several countries, particularly in Africa.
Ability to apply innovative approaches, to lead but also to work independently, and to apply new methods to solve problems, while remaining efficient in a fast-paced, changing and challenging institutional environment;
Ability to succeed in multi-cultural environment
Sound understanding of macroeconomics, fiscal policy and public budgeting issues in developing countries and demonstrable experience of the operational policies, procedures and practices of major bilateral or multilateral organisations in Africa;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications and Knowledge of SAP highly desirable.