Director - Portfolio Delivery and Impact at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/19/004
Location: Cote d’Ivoire
Position N°: 50071240
Location: Cote d’Ivoire
Grade: EL5

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery ‘responsible for operational relevancy, efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s operational programs, and activities.
• The VP-RDVP will ensure that the Bank operates successfully across its RMCs and will oversee the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s Regional Directorates.

The Hiring Department/Division

• The Portfolio Delivery and Impact Director is a key member of the RDVP front office with a focus on coordinating the delivery of the Bank’s sovereign lending portfolio, strengthening its quality and impact, and reducing the share of cancellable operations and accelerating disbursements. The incumbent supports and advises the VP on matters to strengthen the quality of the Bank’s portfolio in close coordination with the regional hubs to implement the Ten Year Strategy (TYS), the High5s Agenda, and the work program of regional hubs.
• Based in RDVP’s front office, the Portfolio Delivery and Impact Director provides strategic and operational support to the DGs with a view to ensuring the effective delivery of the lending program, strengthening the quality of the portfolio and maximizing the utilization of trust funds and co-financing arrangements. In performing this role, the Director is expected to ensure the maintenance of a robust monitoring system, with a strategic focus on achieving the lending targets, while addressing start-up delays, slow procurement, slow disbursement, project supervision, project closure, and problem projects.

The Position

• The position of Director, Portfolio Delivery and Impact, which reports to the VP Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery is key to the attainment of the Bank’s transformative agenda for Africa. The Director is responsible for coordinating all aspects of planning and execution of RDVP’s activities to achieve lending targets and improve portfolio performance in constant consultation with the Director Generals.
• The Director is accountable for performing the responsibilities, modeling the behaviors and maintaining the technical and managerial competencies (listed below) in his or her capacity as Director in the RDVP Complex. Accountability means being answerable for managing quality, risks, results, institutional initiatives, maintaining excellent relationships with DGs and other vice-presidencies, and compliance with Bank policies and procedures and keeping the Department at the forefront through needed upgrades and innovation.

Duties and responsibilities
Under the general guidance and supervision of the Vice President Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, and in close consultation with the Director Generals, the Director, Portfolio Delivery and Impact will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

• Lead the coordination of RDVP’s global lending program and oversee evenly distributed approvals over the calendar year;
• Lead the review and monitoring of RDVP’s global portfolio performance in close collaboration with DGs and Sector Vice-Presidencies;
• Propose and implement solutions to strengthen the lending and portfolio performance with a view of reducing the share of cancellable operations, accelerate disbursements and maximize impact;
• Manage the dialogue with the fiduciary and procurement department, DGs and sector Vice-Presidencies to accelerate procurement, notably through the standard use of advanced procurement methods, and promote the use of country systems;
• Coordinate and oversee effective implementation of the Bank’s quality-at-entry mechanisms, strengthening supervision through Implementation Progress and Results Report (IPR), and ensuring the timely delivery of quality Project Completion Report (PCR);
• Monitor the follow-up of country portfolio performance reviews with a view to reducing the share of flagged operations;
• Liaise with the resource mobilization department, DGs and sector Vice-Presidencies to ensure effective utilization of available trust funds and co-financing arrangements;
• Lead RDVP’s work with the Bank’s communications and results-reporting departments to maximize the visibility of the Bank’s operations to external stakeholders;
• Interface as needed with Management, internal and external stakeholders on the state of the Bank’s portfolio and its contribution to the High 5s;
• Contribute proactively to issues that cut across the Bank/other H5s and actively collaborates with other Departments in the Complex and the Bank to provide for seamless integration and avoiding duplication;
• Engage staff regularly and manage the performance of direct reports to obtain maximum output;
• Champion the complex mandate and purpose – providing a direct and indirect operational support that will contribute to the regional output and mandate in the assigned country.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• At least a Master's degree in Economics, Politics, Development Management and/or other Social Sciences or related disciplines;
• A minimum of 10 (ten) years of relevant and progressive experience in in the formulation and implementation of policies, programs and projects either within the Bank, with a similar development institution or the public service, of which 5 years at managerial level;
• 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;
• 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.
• Proven leadership and team building skills; results oriented and ability to work in multi-cultural environment;
• 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 Suite applications and preferably SAP.