Senior Governance and Economic Management Officer 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: Senior Governance and Economic Management Officer

Reference: ADB/19/057
Locations: Abidjan – Cote D’Ivoire, Nairobi – Kenya, Pretoria – South Africa
Grade: PL5
Position N°: 50068226/50069268/50001151/50065457

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:
- Generation of access to operationally relevant, multi-sector research on African development issues;
- 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:

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
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 Senior Governance and Economic Management Officer (PL-5) will be responsible for the origination, processing, supervision and general portfolio management of governance sector operations
These operations include budget support/program based operations and institutional support projects as well as targeted diagnostic works with a focus on building effective institutions that promote equity, transparency and accountability in the management of public resources
He/She will also participate in conducting country level policy dialogue on key governance issues
He/She is expected to provide specialist advice and inputs to the Bank Group’s operational activities through review of technical design and institutional arrangements for governance projects/programmes proposed for Bank’s funding and assessing their feasibility from the perspective of present and future impact
He/She will also contribute to building partnerships and strengthening initiatives in the area of governance. The work accomplished will contribute to realizing the Bank’s governance work programme as it relates to the implementation of the Bank’s High Fives 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 Senior Governance and Economic Management Officer will:

Strategy and Planning:

Contribute towards the development of country and sector level policy and strategies for economic governance issues in RMCs in consultation with relevant government agencies and country offices.
Support policy dialogue with Government officials and development partners on governance policy and reforms.
Contribute to the preparation of policy statements, papers, briefs and various reports on economic governance issues.
Contribute to the preparation of Regional Integration Strategy Papers, Country Strategy Papers and Country Policy and Institutional Assessments towards ensuring Governance and economic management issues are incorporated and adequately addressed.
Represent the Bank in its engagement with development partners on the macroeconomic framework for the country;

Project Management:

Provide support to Bank teams for the preparation and implementation of program-based operations and institutional support projects at the country and regional levels;
Manage an active country portfolio of projects/programs, to ensure timely implementation according to agreed objectives;
Involve all relevant stakeholders including RMCs’ governments, other development partners and concerned parties (including civil societies) or other stakeholders in project cycle activities;
Ensure key technical, economic, financial and crosscutting issues are incorporated into projects

Sector Economic Work and Knowledge Sharing:

Undertake reviews, analysis and reporting of economic management initiatives of Governments, ensuring that these are considered in the design and implementation of programs.
Contribute towards the preparation of analytical and diagnostic work in Governance and public financial management systems
Contribute to strengthening of coordination with other development partners working in this field, and act as focal person for country level engagements in these areas
Contribute to activities of advocacy, dissemination and knowledge building around sector issues, public financial management, tax policy, public expenditures.
Represent the Bank in conferences, seminars and national workshops, participate in events, meetings and sector groups related to Governance work and provide regular reports to the Country Manager and Sector Manager

Staff Supervision:

Supervise consultants

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

Hold at least a Master’s Degree or its equivalent in Economics, Public Administration, Governance/ Political Science, Law or related fields.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in governance, economic management, policy formulation, revenue management, public expenditure or related areas, Strong experience and proven track record in the design and delivery of operations (including investment projects and policy based operations), as well as project management,
Experience implementing projects with public sector institutions and / or bilateral and multilateral development finance institutions
Proven sense of initiative, results orientation, team work and ability to work effectively across a diverse team, with colleagues often based in different geographical locations
In-depth understanding of governance and economic management issues
Familiarity with operational policies and programming practices of multilateral organisations
Demonstrated networking skills, and an ability to coordinate interests of diverse stakeholders
Ability to apply innovative approaches, work independently and apply new methods to solve problems, while remaining efficient in a fast-paced, changing and challenging institutional environment;
Strong interrogative skills- Anticipate needs and requests and able to conduct independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and support strategic thinking on governance and economic management
Ability to collaborate within teams and across boundaries;
Ability to succeed in multi-cultural environment
Ability to work under pressure, prioritize work, and handle multiple tasks simultaneously
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.