Legal Operations Assistant, Private Sector Operations at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/17/145
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: GS 7
Position N°: 50078444

The Complex

• The President, plans, supervises and manages the business of the Bank Group. Under the direction of the Boards of Directors, the President conducts the business of the Bank and the African Development Fund and manages operations and activities in accordance with the Agreements establishing the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund.
• The President supervises several Departments and Units including Office of the President; Independent Development Evaluation Department; Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department; Compliance Review and Mediation Unit; Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board; Administrative Tribunal; Office of the Auditor General; Group Risk Management Directorate; General Counsel and Legal Services Department; Communication and External Relations Department; Staff Integrity and Ethics Office and Office of the Secretary General & General Secretariat.

The Hiring Department

• The General Counsel and Legal Services Department delivers legal advice and services to the statutory organs of the Bank and the Fund: Boards of the Bank and the Fund, to Senior Management, to Regional Directorates and more generally to the whole Bank.
• The department also protects the interest of the Bank from legal liability and as necessary provide legal representation in cases filed against or brought by the Bank.
• The principal objectives of the Private Sector Operations Division are to handle private sector and other non-sovereign transactions and support the work of the Bank regarding the private sector and the financial sector as well as special operations.
• These transactions comprise principally non-sovereign loans, guarantees, project finance transactions, syndicated loans, private equity and trade finance, amongst others.

The Position

• The Legal Operations Assistant - Private Sector Operations Division role will be to provide support to legal counsel Department in researching, preparation, drafting and filing (both electronic and physical) of a variety of standard and non-standard legal documents which may be in either of the Bank’s working languages.
• The incumbent will provide support services to the Department by maintaining and filing data bases and managing the archives of the Department.
• The job will also contribute to the annual budget preparation.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision and guidance of the Division Manager of the Private Sector Operations, the Legal Operations Assistant - Private Sector Operations will:

• Handle the legal portion of the Projects and Loans in the system SAP, requiring data entry on all approved loans
• Register loan agreements and other legal documents in a tracking system
• Monitor loans data in SAP-PS and keep track records on Loan agreements and other legal documents
• Draft summary of Project Brief to be registered  in the SAP and enter once approved by legal Counsel
• Perform secretarial duties in coordination with the Division team assistant (e.g. managing the agenda of the Manager, providing administrative support to the Manager and counsel of the division, preparation of missions, claims, filing of documents, organization of meetings, seminars, workshops etc.),
• Keep Track of Board agenda and follow up on Board Resolutions
• Provide data/reports on Division work program, budget  and loans to the Legal & Business Performance Officer
• Liaise with the Legal Operation Assistant in the Front Office to coordinate the records, archiving and scanning of loans and grants documents
• Keep records for approved Loans and follow up any required action with Lawyers
• Follow  up of loans cancellation for both Public and Private sectors operations
• Follow up of Loans signature and entry into force in SAP-PS
• Produce monthly and ad hoc reports using the SAP system for budget and other purposes
• Identify Department files and forward them to the central archives of the Bank
• File loan agreements and legal opinions and enter them in the Department’s registry
• Assist in legal documents research in SAP, DARMS  and others resources
• Coordinate with user departments for loan agreements and related documents
• Ensure  transmission of  loan agreements and legal opinions to user departments
• Scanning and filing of documents in hard copy and electronic forms; organizing and maintaining the filing system for speedy retrieval of documents; retrieving documents and the relevant Bank policies as required by the Division Manager and Counsel for their assignments; and,  organizing reference material for easy access
• Liaise with the office of the Secretary General and the Operations Department for timely processing and scheduling of the signing ceremonies for loans and grants agreements;
• Assist in printing and binding legal documents e.g. Technical Agreements, Co-operation agreement, and MOUs
• Assist where applicable with the programming of operational activities by using the appropriate software, entering project information and producing the Department’s various status reports i.e., Active Projects Loans, etc.
• Perform any other administrative and/or operation-related tasks to support the Manager and the legal counsels in the Division in the performance of their functions.

Selection Criteria
Including Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Holds at least a Bachelor's Degree (or its equivalent) in Business, Accounting, Law, Computer Science or related discipline
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in similar jobs, preferably with a reputable law firm, a legal department of a private or public entity, or an international financial institution
• Demonstrated communication, team spirit, inter-personal, writing and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous and shifting demands, priorities and tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a team-orientated, multi-cultural environment, and function as an effective team member in various groups.
• Client and results oriented individual.
• Resourcefulness and ability to navigate in institutional policies, procedures, and technology
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues in a multi-cultural environment and to build effective working relations with colleagues.
• Ability to be flexible, open minded with integrity.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications; knowledge of SAP is an added advantage.