Regional Program Officer (RPO), RDNG 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: Regional Program Officer (RPO), RDNG

Reference: ADB/19/218
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50066410

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 Vice‑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

• Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex (RDVP), the Bank has five (5) Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Directorates, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central. Each Regional Directorate is headed by a Director General (DG) and is staffed with the relevant sectoral functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries. The Regional Directorates provide overall strategic direction to country offices within the regions and are responsible for the Bank’s operations, business development, project management and overall effective delivery of the Bank’s High 5s of 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 has been established as a special Country Office with a mandate similar to the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Directorates, to oversee the Bank’s operations in Nigeria.

The Position

• The Regional Program Officer (RPO) for Nigeria is a key member of the Senior Director’s Management Team with a focus on business development, portfolio management, and program support responsibilities. The incumbent provides support and advice to the Senior Director in designing the country work program, and in coordinating the delivery, portfolio performance management and results management in the implementation of the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy (TYS), the High5’s Agenda, and the Country Strategy Paper (CSP).
• The Regional Program Officer (RPO) provides advice on strategic options for revenue generation and cost efficiencies of Bank’s operations and strategies. In performing this role, the RPO is expected to ensure the maintenance of a robust performance management system, with a strategic focus on performance for results. Ultimately, the incumbent provides the Senior Director and Country Operations Manager with a standardized channel of information in respect to the implementation of the programmes of the Nigeria Country Office. The incumbent provides a direct and indirect operational input that contributes to the delivery of the key performance targets of the department and facilitate detailed high frequency reporting (dashboard) on the progress of work programs and relevant Bank initiatives.
• The Regional Program Officer (RPO) also provides support in quality assurance, for quality at entry of Bank operations, and contribute towards strategy formulation and the day-to-day administration of the Office.

Duties and Responsibilities
The  Regional Program Officer is based in Nigeria, and the incumbent reports to the Senior Director. It is key to providing support and follow-up of business development and delivery and portfolio performance for results. Under the overall guidance of the Senior Director, the Regional Program Officer has the following main duties :

Coordination of Portfolio Management and Country Programming:

• Monitor and advise the Senior Directoron the management of key performance indicators on portfolio performance, country program, Bank priorities and result indicators;
• Continuously review country operations and work programs to ensure that they are aligned to the implementation of the Bank’s Development Business and Delivery Model (DBDM) as well as the Ten Year Strategy (TYS) and its High Five priorities;
• Provide advice to the Bank and to the Country with a special focus on addressing Fragility situation as appropriate and supporting climate resilient development in the country.
• Support all aspects of portfolio management, sovereign and non-sovereign, to ensure quality at entry and during implementation, including performance monitoring, in line with Bank corporate policies, strategies, guidelines and directives;
• Coordinate the work of sector staff to ensure sound analysis and monitoring of portfolio developments including through regular reviews of country and regional portfolios with a view to identifying issues and proposing options for their resolution;
• Lead the preparation of the annual Country Portfolio Performance Reviews (CPPR); in collaboration with the Lead Economist, Country Economist and Sector Staff, work more closely with the regional economic communities to coordinate and monitor multinational programs with a focus on delivery on regional integration;
• Provide effective oversight to project task teams on quality and compliance with Bank operational processes and procedures (including referring them to the relevant responsible staff in fiduciary, legal, safeguards, or other specialized areas);
• Ensure that activity reports and audit reports comply with Bank requirements and are submitted on time Initiate the necessary corrective actions to address all audit findings successfully and prevent any repeat thereof;

Coordination of Non-Lending Activities:

• Advise the Senior Director and on strategic options as may be deemed necessary to improve revenue generation and/or cost efficiencies. Play a lead role in the yearly business planning and budgeting process, liaising with other departments/units as needed and advising on the exercise to ensure that work programmes are well constructed and aligned with Bank’s priorities that include but is not limited to income generation & operational priorities.
• In collaboration with the Lead Economist and Country Economist, coordinate the preparation and exercise quality control for the briefing documents, such as for the Annual Meetings or for ad hoc events such as high-level management visits to the countries;
• Provide inputs to country and regional strategies and monitor the implementation of these strategies and, in coordination with the Lead Economist, Regional Integration Coordinator , and Country Teams, and report on progress as needed to the Senior Director. The role also advises task teams on context and lending operations.

Stakeholders Management:

• Provide support to the Country Operations Manager and Senior Director to perform high level engagement and dialogue with Diplomatic, Senior Government Officials at both Federal and State levels, Ministry and Presidential representative to further the interest and mandate of AfDB.
• Actively supports the Senior Director and Country Operations Manager to manage relationships with government and other Development Partners (DPs).
• Advise clients on issues that may impact the achievement of project outcomes (including issues of sustainability and post project requirements such as maintenance).
• Initiate and support resource mobilization in the country and follow up on related works, including counterpart contributions, co-financing opportunities, as well as Country Policy and Institutional Assessments.

Knowledge Management:

• Actively interact with task managers/relevant Bank units and the PIUs/government agencies to share case studies, lessons learned and best practice on the portfolio management;
• Provide feedback to the Senior Director, Country Operations Manager and other staff on Bank policies, strategies and operational procedures, with an aim towards continuous improvement of Bank policies implementation;
• Coordinate capacity building, to enable the country to engage with key actors involved in the country’s sustainable, inclusive and green development;

AfDB Visibility:

• Support the Senior Director’s efforts to improve the Bank’s visibility in the country;
• Represent and provide visibility for and including through organizing/participating in high profile events such as senior level visits, interviews, seminars, business events and conferences;

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master's degree or its equivalent in Economics, Social Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture/Forestry, Business Administration, Public Administration and knowledge of development issues.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant professional experience in the formulation and implementation of policies, programs and projects either within the Bank, with a similar development institution or in the Public service.
• Demonstrated experience in project development and implementation, in a multilateral financial institution with special focus on at least one of the sectors in the assigned Division.
• Experience with working in a team oriented, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, international and professional environment.
• Experience in leading and developing teams and managing projects and programmes;
• Experience in the practice of procurement of goods/works, and the acquisition of consultancy services under donor funding conditions;
• Relevant and required experience gained on the African continent;
• Experience gained within multilateral development finance institutions.
• Demonstrated experience in the preparation and/or review of operations in a multilateral financial institution;
• Innovative & Creative: searches for and produces innovative and creative approaches to activities in order to enhance performance and create added benefits to the Bank and its clients.
• The commitment to ensure that full use is made of the systems, procedures and culture within the organization in order to deliver the required results.
• Ability to work under pressure in a multicultural and distributed organization.
• Ability to apply knowledge for the resolution of problems and solutions and manage multiple competing priorities to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization.
• Client Orientation: Demonstrated commitment in ensuring that the client (internal or external) is considered of primary importance in all transactions and interactions. Strives to be understanding, and when appropriate, anticipates client needs, and ensures that the client receives the best possible service from the Bank.
• First-rate interpersonal skills with ability to present and win support for ideas; a good listener with cultural sensitivity, commitment to diversity and capacity to initiate and manage innovations, creativity, and change.
• Communication - Ability to provide clear and concise oral and written communication; presents oral information with clarity and appropriate style and adapts language and style to suit the requirements of the audience. Ability to communicate and defend orally and in writing difficult issues and positions (in hostile environment as necessary) to Senior Bank management & government officials.
• Negotiation - Highly developed negotiation skills proven to yield positive outcomes with senior counterparts, both internal and external, and understands when and how to apply diplomacy, influence, maintain a hard line, make or break contacts, understand unwritten lines of influence and conduct oneself accordingly.
• Professional Expertise: Continuously expands understanding of relevant business products, practices and systems/technology. Shares knowledge and expertise with others.
• Relationship management - Ability to build successful teams, relationships and partnerships with a broad range of clients, internal and external, for effective delivery of results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution. Ability to develop strong working relationships with colleagues and contribute to the creation of a positive working and team environment in areas of responsibility. Influential: Applies the competency when engaging with internal stakeholders within in the Bank and external stakeholders, understanding what motivates them and when beneficial and practical, how to navigate through resistance.
• Decisive: Good judgement about when to intervene, knowing when to get counsel from whom and how to apply it, and being clear about what needs to happen, how, when and by whom, and coordinating as needed.
• Take Initiative/Spotting Opportunity/Pushing Strategy: Applying a proactive rather than a passive mind-set, looking in and also outside the box and beyond what is immediately apparent, identifying opportunities that are clear and may be hidden, formulating approach strategy and turning it into an action plan.
• Highly organized & structured – Structure all work activities to be able to provide updates or reports on short notice. Capacity to coordinate (Tasks, Missions, Projects, Programs): Routinely delivers, highly complex/sensitive tasks.
• 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.

Business Acumen:

• Comprehensively understands projects structures, including project planning, risk management strategy, issue management strategy, communication management strategy, lessons learned and handover, and other critical success factors, strategies, policies, procedures and practices of other similar institutions.
• Acute knowledge and understanding of the elements essential for the effective delivery and measurement of development impacts through projects and programs in Africa.
• Ability to identify and create meaningful linkages across sectors to drive development impact at a country and regional level.
• Operational Effectiveness: Ensures full use of the systems, procedures and culture within the organization in order to deliver the required results.

Implementing Strategy:

• Ability to make use of the Bank’s Highly developed strategic thinking skills allied to an ability to translate strategic concepts and direction into the implementation of workable and sustainable projects and programs.
• Ability to define and effectively drive portfolio management activities under uncertain and challenging circumstances.
• systems and procedures for operational effectiveness and achievement of the Bank’s strategic imperatives in the assigned sectors.

Executing for Results:

• High level of expertise in managing portfolio performance
• High level of expertise in leading dialogue for finding solutions to remove constraints to effective implementation of projects.
• Demonstrated ability to take prudent intervention risks.
• Make effective, timely and well-determined interventions for results delivery.
• Ability to work under pressure in a multicultural and distributed organization.
• Client and results orientation, with strong analytical and communication (both verbally and in writing) skills, responsiveness, sense of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to build successful teams, relationships and partnerships with a broad range of clients, internal and external, for effective delivery of results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution.

Application Closing Date
27th November, 2019.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Important Information/Notice

• This position is classified international status and attracts international terms and conditions of employment.
• Should you encounter technical difficulties in submitting your application, please send an email with a precise description of the issue and/or a screenshot showing the problem to: HR Direct [email protected]
• To apply for this position, you need to be national of one of AfDB member countries.
• Applicants who fully meet the Bank's requirements and are considered for interview will be contacted. Only online applications submitted with a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) and copies of the required degrees will be considered. The President, AfDB, reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level. The African Development Bank is an equal opportunities employer. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) does not ask for payments of any kind from applicants throughout the recruitment process (job application, CV review, interview meeting, and final processing of applications). In addition, the Bank does not request information on applicants’ bank accounts. The African Development Bank Group declines all responsibility for the fraudulent publications of job offers in its name or, in general, for the fraudulent use of its name in any way whatsoever.