Senior Rural Infrastructure / Irrigation Engineer 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 (High 5s), 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 Rural Infrastructure / Irrigation Engineer

Reference: ADB/19/047
Location: Nigeria
Grade: PL5
Position N°: 50064587

The Complex

The Vice-Presidency for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery is responsible for operational relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s operational programs, and activities. The Viceâ€‘Presidency for Regional Development will ensure that the Bank operates successfully across its Regional Member Countries and oversee the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s Regional Directorates.

The Hiring Department/Division

Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery (RDVP) Complex, the Bank has five (5) Regional Hubs, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central. Each Regional Hub is headed by a Director General (DG) and is provided with the relevant sector functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries. Regional Hubs provide country offices in their regions with strategic direction and are responsible for operations, business development, project management and the overall effective implementation of the Bank’s High 5s, namely: “Light up and Power Africa,” “Feed Africa,” “Industrialize Africa,” “Integrate Africa” and “Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.”
The Nigeria Country department of the African Development Bank have been established to strengthen policy dialogue between the Bank, Governments and other stakeholders; improve performance of the project portfolio and aid coordination with other development partners.

The Position

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Director RDNG and working closely with other Task Managers in the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department, the Agriculture Finance and Rural Development Department, the Industry and Trade Development Department, etc., and with external stakeholders, the Senior Rural Infrastructure/Irrigation Engineer will provide technical support to the development and implementation of projects including the flagship programs under the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy and High Fives vision for Africa’s economic transformation such as the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), ENABLE Youth, Postharvest Loss Reduction, Staple Crops Processing Zones etc. He/ She will also work with the Flagship Coordinators in both AHAI and AHFR.
The Senior Infrastructure /Irrigation Engineer works across technical, geographic and institutional boundaries to support the delivery of development solutions for a diverse set of clients in the rural (and urban) space and in the public and private sectors, in line with the agricultural development, agribusiness and agro-Industry agenda of the African Development Bank Group. Using a value-chain approach, the incumbent will support the implementation of this agenda in African Development Bank Regional Member Countries, with specific focus on providing technical input for the design, and supervision of projects, which promote value chain development, value addition and primary and secondary processing of crops and livestock; catalyze private sector entry and growth in African agribusiness; promotes agri-SME growth and the commercialization of agriculture, particularly addressing access to finance needs creates farm to fork market linkages; facilitates the development of agro-poles and agro-processing hubs; supports the development of an agribusiness enabling environment; and invests in hard infrastructure (including roads, markets and irrigation), soft infrastructure (human capital, i.e., trained potential employees, ICT, etc.), and enabling policies and reforms, for transformation of African agriculture into viable, profitable businesses.

Duties and responsibilities
The incumbent must:

Undertake analytical work and provide technical guidance in the area of rural infrastructure and water resources, focusing on agriculture, water and agriculture infrastructure development, and advice on how to ensure sustainability of benefits of Bank-financed agricultural projects and programs in Nigeria.
Identify opportunities for strategic collaboration with multilateral and bilateral donors in support of the agriculture and irrigation sector in Nigeria, to increase the advantage effects of ADB’s loan and grant operations.
Support RDNG in all rural infrastructure, irrigation engineering and agriculture-related activities, including project development, implementation and supervision, and co-ordination with other stakeholders within the Bank as well as other donors and development partners.
Contribute to the preparation of Country Strategy Papers, with particular reference to rural roads, water resources, agriculture and agriculture infrastructure development.
Participate in the relevant sector donor-coordination meetings, sector wide approaches, and advise on sector policy issues.
Assist where required in the development of the Bank’s policies, procedures and guidelines, and ensure their application.
Provide expert advice and guidance to officials of executing agencies on sector issues and priorities, technical and operational aspects of projects, and Bank rules and procedures, including those for the procurement of works, goods and services, and disbursement activities.
Provide active support to Government in facilitating loans/grants effectiveness.
Assist country officials and implementing agencies in carrying out procurement and disbursement activities in accordance with Bank Group rules and procedures.
Assist Government and implementation agencies in the utilization of revolving funds and preparation of quarterly reports and annual audit reports.
Provide inputs in the review of tender evaluation reports and undertake the evaluation of technical and financial proposals for contracts relating to project implementation.
Ascertain good performance of operations through regular supervision of portfolio operations, technical guidance and training of Borrowers on compliance with the Bank’s rules of procedure
Collaborate with other Banks’ Units in reviewing the operations performance, preparing completion reports, etc., so as to ensure that the lessons drawn from the implementation of past operations are taken into account in new projects.
Undertake any other duties as may be assigned by the Senior Director.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Civil Engineering combined with Irrigation Engineering, Hydrology, Water Resources Management, or related field,
Have a minimum of five (5) years relevant professional experience in program/project design and management, broad knowledge of all rural infrastructure, water/agriculture sub-sectors, with specific experience in implementation and management of donor-funded projects in the rural infrastructure and irrigation sub-sector;
Previous experience working in multilateral financial institutions or similar large organizations, and performing such roles as project preparation, appraisal, supervision or implementing donor funded projects;
Proven planning and organizational skills, with ability to think strategically and rapidly analyse and integrate diverse information from varied sources into conclusions and recommendations;
In-depth knowledge of job-related social, economic and environmental development issues in the country;
Proven ability to interact competently with Government and donor agencies on issues relating to aid coordination;
Having private sector experience will be an added advantage.
Ability to work in a team and work in a multicultural environment.
Ability to work effectively in partnership with clients and seek feedback to improve work processes.
Communicate verbally and write effectively in English or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
Competences in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.