Chief Natural Resources Officer, ECNR.3 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/19/150
Location: Abidjan, Cote D'ivoire
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50066219

The Complex

• The Chief Economist and Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management (ECVP) is the Bank’s spokesperson on economic matters and the VP for the ‘Economics Governance and Knowledge Management Complex’.
• The ECVP is responsible for:
  • Providing leadership and visibility for the Bank on economic, finance, financial governance and socio economic development issues; and coordinate the generation of analytical works to inform operational policy;
  • Systematically emphasize the critical role of knowledge, experience, lessons learnt and their tangible impact on sustainable, inclusive transformation of African economies.
• The ECVP will inspire, generate and provide direct support to the President and Senior Management of the Bank on a broad range of technical and management issues within the broad remit of economic, finance, public financial governance, management and social economics.

The Hiring Department/Division

• The external role of the African Natural Resources Centre is to support the Bank’s Regional Member Countries (RMCs) improve development outcomes through effective management of natural resources wealth by delivering practical solutions on policy, legislative and investment decisions in the sector.
• Internally, it brings cohesion to the Bank’s strategies in natural resources sectors by providing a single lens through which the institution tackles natural resources governance.
• The Centre’s Policy Analysis Division provides a systemic, integrated lens on the management of renewable and non-renewable natural resources for sustainable development.
• This is achieved through high-quality research and policy analysis, policy advocacy and knowledge dissemination, and, technical assistance and capacity building for the Bank’s RMCs in the following thematic areas: natural resource conservation, natural resource planning, natural resource economics, and natural resource governance.

The Position
The Chief Natural Resources Officer plays a leading role in the delivery of the Centre’s analysis and policy advisory on integrated natural resource management for sustainable development. This will be done through:

• Leading the Centre’s work on natural resource conservation, long-term resource planning and integrated development of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. The scope also covers resource counter-depletion, cross-border resource mapping and resource audits.
• Leading the Centre’s work on climate change and the natural resource sectors, biodiversity and natural capital management for green growth and sustainable development.
• Advocacy and dissemination of knowledge and best practices on strategic natural resource policy areas for the Centre and the Bank, including integrated natural resource management, resource conservation, environmental safeguards, biodiversity, natural capital and green growth.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Division Manager, Policy Analysis and working in collaboration with other colleagues, the Chief Natural Resources Officer is responsible for:

• Leading the Centre’s knowledge and analytical work on natural resource conservation, long-term resource planning and integrated development of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. This will involve rigorous analysis of national, regional and global natural resource policy issues, and the production of high-quality reports and other advisory tools.
• Coordinating capacity building programmes and technical advisory services to assist RMCs on integrated natural resource management and natural resource planning, by designing and overseeing ECNR country support programmes, contributing to internal and cross-Complex country support activities in the areas of responsibility, and providing on-demand technical advice for RMCs on cross-cutting policies related to the natural resource sectors.
• Designing policy tools for investment decision-making in the natural resource sector, in support of integrated natural resources management, natural resource conservation and green growth.
• Overseeing the work of consultants engaged to advise RMCs on integrated natural resource development, natural resource conservation, biodiversity and green growth.
• Leading advocacy programmes to build internal and external knowledge on integrated natural resource management for sustainable development,
• Providing technical advice to renewable and non-renewable resource experts in the Centre to ensure an integrated, holistic approach in the Centre’s interventions on natural resource management.
• Providing technical inputs on integrated natural resource management for the implementation of the Bank’s green growth and climate change agenda.
• Participating in the Centre’s knowledge dissemination activities, in particular by organising seminars and workshops on issues related to integrated natural resource management, biodiversity and natural capital, resource conservation, climate change and environmental safeguards;
• Providing internal advice to the Division and Centre to ensure mainstreaming of global best practices on green growth, climate change and environmental safeguards in the Centre’s activities on renewable and non-renewable natural resource management.
• Coordinating the Centre’s relationships with regional and global institutions operating in the space of integrated natural resource management, biodiversity, natural capital, climate change and green growth across the renewable and non-renewable resource sectors.
• Supporting the Centre’s resource mobilisation efforts by developing and proposing to external funders new programmes and initiatives in the areas of natural resource planning and conservation, biodiversity and natural capital management; sustainable financing for natural resource projects and overall, integrated natural resource management;
• Collaborating with other departments in the ECVP Complex and other Bank Departments for research, policy analysis and advocacy on integrated natural resource management and green growth;
• Supporting the Centre’s role in the Bank’s operations, providing necessary inputs into natural resources-related projects, including contributing to the preparation of Country Strategy Papers, project appraisals, and relevant Economic and Sector Work (ESWs).
• Carrying out a range of assignments, such as; assisting in the preparation and coordination of the Division and Centre’s work programmes; drafting statements, briefing notes, talking points and responses to questions by the press, on behalf of Management;
• Contributing to major ECVP and Bank Group reports such as African Economic Outlook, Annual Report, as designated.
• Managing resources specific to own areas of responsibility.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master's degree or its equivalent in Economics, International Development, Law or Public Policy. Specialisation in natural resource management is highly desirable. A relevant doctorate degree is an advantage.
• Have a minimum of (7) seven years relevant experience with a specific focus in any of the following areas: integrated natural resource management, natural resource planning and conservation, biodiversity, natural capital and ecosystem services management, environmental management, climate change.
• Private sector experience is an added advantage
• Strong analytical skills, particularly in the use of mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) techniques, and experience of doing empirical research in Africa.
• A track record in providing policy analysis and advice in the area of natural resource management; experience in the assessment and appraisal of natural resource projects (whether public or private) is an advantage.
• Knowledge of influencers of natural resource public policy.
• Proven ability to build and lead a team of motivated staff, and utilise the talents and expertise of team members in a productive way.
• Experience of working with multilateral and bilateral donors and other development organisations is desirable
• Applied knowledge of at least one of the following areas:
  • Integrated natural resource management principles and practice,
  • Resource conservation and counter depletion policy guidelines and implementation
  • Resource mapping and resource master planning policy
  • Resource capital theory and practice
  • Renewable resource estimation and evaluation methods
  • Long term resource development planning techniques
  • Non-renewables resource modelling and evaluation
  • International conventions, treaties and standards on climate change and green growth.
• Project Management skills
• Innovation & Creativity
• Communication
• Strategic planning
• Client orientation,
• Team work and relations
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
• Experience in the use of SAP is advantageous.