Principal Social Economist, AHHD1 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: Principal Social Economist, AHHD1

Reference: ADB/20/116
Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Grade: LP4
Position N°: 50069980

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 priorities 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 Vice President will act 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 Departement / Division:

The Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department, within the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex will spearhead the achievement of the High 5s on “Improving the Quality of Life of People in Africa” and contribute to the other High 5s. The Department also leads on implementation of the Bank-wide jobs for youth strategy in Africa. The Department has two divisions (i) Education, Human Capital and Employment Division, which focuses on scaling-up of Bank’s support to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Higher Education for Skills development; and (ii) Public Health and Social Security Division which focuses on strengthening health systems and social protection.
The Education, Human Capital and Employment Division focuses on human capital development, skills training, employment creation and empowerment, poverty reduction for improved and sustainable wellbeing and livelihoods. The Division:
Leads the development and promotion of Bank’s policy and strategy work so that operations which are identified, developed and executed by the regional hubs, effectively implement the Bank’s relevant sector policies and strategies;
Provides technical guidance/advisory services and expertise to regional hubs by generating relevant knowledge and gathering a pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide technical advice on complex transactions (Communities of Practice);
Fosters strategic partnerships with regional and global partners to leverage resources into the human and social development sectors. It also directly contributes to the work of the various initiatives and trust funds hosted under the Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department; and provides expertise to support Vice President’s role as the Bank’s spokesperson to external audiences, and;
Ensures coherence of the Bank’s action in human and social development across regions.

The Position
The Social Economist reports to the Manager – Education, Human Capital and Employment Division (AHHD1). The Social Economist will support the Bank’s agenda on Social Sector Portfolio and policy dialogue, TVET, Higher Education and Skills Development for employability with the following main responsibilities:

Assume responsibility of mainstreaming human development aspects in sectoral projects emphasizing skills development, youth and women employment and social inclusion and gender mainstreaming aspects at all phases of the projects’ cycle (from identification to completion;
Provide technical strategic guidance/advice to the Country Office on integration of skills, jobs and human development in general across Bank Operations;
Act as the focal point for the Bank on operations and activities pertaining to Social Sector portfolio, social protection, education, employment and human development in general.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Division Manager – Education, Human Capital and Employment the Social Economist will perform the following:

Task manage selected social-economic /education/skills development projects and other related human development projects; monitoring implementation and performance of approved projects and ensure their execution in accordance with the terms of the financing agreement and Bank rules and procedures;
Initiate and participate in the formulation, preparation, appraisal, negotiations, follow-up, launching, supervision and post-evaluation missions
Ensure inclusion of all socio-economic aspects in projects, assessing their socio-economic impact and monitoring their implementation;æ
Lead social and/ or human development sector identification and development of the pipeline and lending program for the country in respect to social protection, skills, jobs and human capital in general
Review project and technical documents from the Department and other operational departments and provide technical guidance and advice regarding gender mainstreaming, inclusion of skills, jobs and human development in general.
Conduct technical, sectorial studies and analysis in preparation of Bank group lending for social protection, education and skills for human capital development in the productive sectors;
Contribute to the preparation of Country Strategy Papers and Portfolio Review reports,
with emphasis on education and skills development for employability and gender equality;
Lead in the development of strategic partnerships (including public-private partnerships with the productive sectors) in education around the core areas of TVET, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), STI and the leveraging of digital technology.
Build and maintain strong relationships with private sector institutions, multilateral/bilateral partners, and government institutions to develop strong pipeline of social/education and skills investment opportunities.
Providing technical leadership, support to knowledge and lesson sharing approaches and events with internal and external stakeholders.
Lead skills development, jobs and human development dialogue in aid coordination meetings and with the relevant government institutions.
Represent the Bank in meetings and participate in dialogue on the development of strategies relating to social sector portfolio, education, jobs and human capital.
Develop and manage partnerships with other multilateral; bilateral development and private sector institutions on education, skills, employment and human capital aspects and collaborating with experts from these institutions.
Recruit and supervise the work of consultants on various Bank related operation missions and assignments;
Periodically disseminating key information on gender, education and skills training to sensitize Bank staff.
Carry out any other technical tasks and coordination as required by the Manager or the Director of the Department.

Selection Criteria

Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Education, Development Economics, Sociology, Labor Economics, Social Sciences or related fields
Have a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in the areas, education, development economics, development finance and implementation of human capital development sector policies;
Strong research/analytical skills in one of the following areas: social development policy
formulation, project management, or donors’ coordination, with the ability to strategically and rapidly
analyse and integrate diverse information from varied sources into conclusions and recommendation
Solid experience in project cycle management (identification, preparation, appraisal, supervision and completion);
Ability to understand complex problems in education, gender and human development, social development, to identify key issues and recommend pragmatic solutions;
Good knowledge of the social development, education and skills development system, and human development issues in the country;
Strong understanding of multi-sector approaches and gaps in technical vocational education and training; higher education and skills development,
Demonstrable knowledge of analysis and formulation of policies in sectors.
Knowledge of the practices of major bilateral and multilateral agencies, development partners in the country will be an asset.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language
Ability to work independently and demonstrate a spirit of creativity and initiative
Integrity and ability to work in a team and a proven capacity to lead a team;
Ability to deliver high-quality work within very tight deadlines;
Competence in the use of Bank standard software applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).