Disbursement Assistant - FFCO3 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Under the direct supervising of a Disbursement Officer the Incumbent is responsible for the first level approval of disbursement requests from borrowers for payments and plays a key role in ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of processing:

Disbursement Transaction Processing:

• Analyse and determine the appropriateness of disbursement requests and the supporting documentation for compliance with African Development Bank policies and procedures, provisions of legal agreement and other related documents.
• Process disbursement applications and update data as necessary in the Disbursement Management System.
• Respond to questions regarding payments and disbursement procedures.
• Draft clear and concise correspondence on disbursement-related issues.

Project Management:

• Liaise with concerned Bank’s departments and external stakeholders to resolve disbursement issues promptly.
• Monitor borrowers’ utilization of special account funds, ensuring that the funds are properly accounted for and used in accordance with Bank rules and procedures.
• Participate in disbursement supervision missions with particular emphasis on application preparation and use of special accounts and statements of expenditures. 
• Contribute to improving efficiency of disbursement operations by ensuring that records and reports are properly maintained and updated at all times.
• Participate in technical discussions and loan negotiations to ensure that disbursement arrangements are compliant with Bank Group disbursement policies.
• Participate in the review of project documents such as Project Concept Notes, Appraisal Reports, Country Strategy Papers, Project Completion Reports and provide input to supervisors.

Capacity Building/Client Support

• Participate in training of operational Bank staff and borrowers.
• Participate in the design of materials for disbursement seminars.
• Respond to questions regarding disbursement procedures.
• Coach and mentor new Disbursement Assistants on disbursement procedures.
• Perform client support activities associated with the payment process.

Departmental/Divisional Tasks

• Participate in departmental/divisional task forces.
• Identify issues relating to disbursement policies, procedures and guidelines and recommend appropriate actions or enhancements.
• Identify and recommend changes to disbursement systems, policies and procedures to promote timeliness, accuracy and efficiency in processing while maintaining appropriate internal controls.
• Participate in new systems development and user testing.
• Undertake ad-hoc assignments at the discretion of the Disbursement Officer and/or Division Manager.

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
• At least six (6)years of direct relevant experience in accounting.
• Good understanding of basic general accounting concepts and principles, and their application.
• Analytical skills, with strong numerical ability, and attention to detail.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Fluency in English (essential) and/or French (essential). A working knowledge of Portuguese would be an advantage.
• Fully proficient in MS office applications (Word, Excel, Access, and Power Point). Working knowledge of SAP will be an advantage.