Advisor to the Vice-President - AHSA at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/17/090/2
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL2
Position N°: 30/07/2018

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 priority 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 Department

• The Vice Presidency for Agriculture, Human and Social Development comprises 5 departments: (i) Agriculture and Agro-Industry; (ii) Agricultural Finance and Rural Development; (iii) Gender, Women and Civil Society; (iv) Water Development and Sanitation; and (v) Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development. 
• The Complex will drive the Bank’ bold vision and focus on “Feed Africa and Improve Life in Africa”.

The Position
The Advisor to the Vice President reports to the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development. The main objectives are to:

• Ensure the achievement of the Complex’s deliverables and Key Performance Indicators;
• Ensure quality control of various reports/documents submitted by the Departments;
• Provide critical analysis of strategies, policies, directives and advise on procedures, approaches for the implementation of the Complex mandate.

Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development, the Advisor works closely with the entire team in the front office in support of the Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development in the following areas:

• Support and advise the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development in the coordination of the Bank's Operational activities through the Operations Committee, as well as other relevant platforms. Among other things, this entails reviewing documents submitted for the Operations Committee consideration and advising the Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development as appropriate. In this capacity the Advisor works closely with the Operations Committee Secretariat, under the overall guidance of the Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development;
• Support and advise the Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development in the coordination of the Bank's corporate activities through the Senior Management Coordination Committee and other relevant platforms. In this regard, the Advisor will work closely with the Senior Management Coordination Committee Secretariat that reviews documentation submitted for Senior Management Coordination Committee consideration and organises regular Senior Management Coordination Committee meetings, under the overall guidance of the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development;
• Coordinate and review policies, strategies, directives and initiatives submitted by the Departments;
• Advise the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development on emerging matters of strategic, policy and institutional significance, including the formulation/update of Bank Group Policies, Strategies, and Guidelines;
• Coordinate and harmonize the preparation of the work program of the respective Departments, following up in their implementation and report periodically on the status of their progress to the Vice President.
• Advice and support the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development in all aspects related to performance indicators and report periodically on the status of their progress;
• Coordinate and monitor progress on the implementation of audit recommendations relating to the complex and report periodically on the status of implementation to the Vice President.
• Advise and support the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development on resource mobilisation and Donor coordination  activities   (e.g.  Trust Funds, and General Capital Increase, etc.), including participating in related Committees and Task Forces;
• Advise and support the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development on all matters pertaining to organisational units within the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex - including (I) coordinating the formulation of the Bank's Work Program and Budget Document; (2) the Bank's Results Measurement/Monitoring activities, (3) Decentralisation, and (4) staffing and budgetary resource requirements related to the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex;
• Support the Vice President’s participation in internal and external meetings/events - Board meeting, Bank annual general meeting, Workshops, Seminars, etc. - including preparing technical reports, briefing materials, speeches, etc.;
• Provide technical support and advice to the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development Front Office and the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex in their interaction with other complexes to ensure effective coordination and communication - including participation in activities aimed and improving Bank-wide communication and coordination, e.g. the front office forum, cross-complex coordination meetings, documents review, etc.
• Provide technical and analytical support/Advice to the Vice President Agriculture, Human and Social Development Front Office and represent the Office in relevant Bank­ wide committees, initiatives, task  forces, etc.
• Monitor the implementation of decisions made by the Boards, the President or the Vice President in respect to Departments under the vice presidency;
• Supervise, monitor and follow-up the qualitative and quantitative performance of front-office staff on the basis of the individual staff’s agreed work program and the general evaluation procedures of the Bank;

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Hold at least a Master's Degree or its equivalent in Agriculture, Development Economics, Water Resources Management, Engineering or other relevant discipline;
• Have a minimum of eight (8) years relevant work experience in Development Banks or similar institutions covering multi-sector operations with 3 years in a managerial capacity;
• Knowledge of the African Development Bank Group’s Vision, Strategies, Products, Internal Processes, Standards, Policies and Procedures, Services and Business Environment;
• Knowledge of emerging trends and themes and best practices in the area of agriculture, human development and water supply and sanitation, and gender issues;
• Experience of field operations, business development, lending program and portfolio management
• Knowledge of scheduling, planning and coordinating of interrelated activities within the complex.
• Ability to review documents and synthesize for Senior Management;
• Ability to coordinate multi-sector work, and analyse complex information, to think strategically and to offer timely advice on operational matters;
• Analytical and communication skills in the execution of the duties in taking forward the Bank’s mission; strong leadership,;
• Ability to work within a team, foster team spirit and a sense of commitment in staff.
• Communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.