Chief Quality and Methods Advisor at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/17/191/2
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50093596

The Complex

• The Board of Directors provides oversight and strategic direction to the African Development Bank Group. It is composed of Executive Directors who are representatives of the African Development Bank member countries.
• Specifically the Board is responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the Bank, and carries out the following functions: (1) determine the general structure of the Bank’s services; (2) approve the financing policy and take decisions concerning loans, guarantees, equity investments and fund loans by the Bank; (3) determine the interest rates of loans and guarantee commissions; (4) approve the Bank’s operations programme and administrative budget; (5) prepare the work of the Board of Governors ; and (6) submit accounts and annual reports, as well as the administrative budgets for the approval of the Board of Governors.
• The Board does its work through a series of permanent Committees that review and discuss policy and program documents and make appropriate recommendations to the whole Board. Independent Development Evaluation Department; Compliance Review and Mediation Unit; Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board; Administrative Tribunal report to the Board.

The Hiring Department

• The overarching mission of the African Development Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation is to enhance the development effectiveness of the Bank in its regional member countries through independent and influential evaluations, oversight over self-evaluation processes and products, and proactive engagement in evaluation partnerships and knowledge-sharing activities.
• The core mandate of the Independent Development Evaluation Department is to conduct independent evaluation studies, provide relevant lessons, develop and harmonize standards and practices, support evaluation capacity development together with partner agencies and attest to the validity of both processes and the results of African Development Bank’s self-evaluation activities.
• The Independent Development Evaluation Department also collaborates and exchanges information with bilateral and multilateral development agencies’ evaluation departments, and undertakes joint evaluation of co-financed projects and programs.

The Position
The Quality and Methods Advisor provides leadership in enhancing The Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation quality assurance, approaches, methodologies and evidence in order to improve the quality, credibility and usefulness of The Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation processes, products and services.

The Advisor will:

• Support and promote across the Independent Development Evaluation Department a  culture of high-quality, credible and useful evaluations, and also of consistency in the application of  evaluation guiding principles, standards, methodologies, tools and evidence
• Assist evaluation teams to effectively select and use the most appropriate evaluation approaches, designs and methods for answering the evaluation questions and purposes of interest
• Assist evaluation teams to produce high quality, credible and useful evaluations
• Support the strengthening of staff evaluation skills and competencies in The Independent Development Evaluation Department and across the Bank
• Promote learning from evaluation work
• Contribute to strengthening the African Development Bank’s self-evaluation function, and
• Support the development of evaluation capacity in the Bank’s Regional Member Countries.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision and guidance of the Evaluator General the Quality and Methods Advisor will:

• Review and revise, taking into account emerging development evaluation thinking and methodologies, the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation approaches, designs, methodologies and tools;
• Review and revise the Independent Development Evaluation Department data collection, management, analysis and reporting standards and tools;
• Revise and update the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation quality assurance processes, standards and tools;
• Pilot new and innovative evaluation methodologies (including methods, and tools) and quality assurance  processes and tools;,
• Serve as principal advisor to the Evaluator General, Managers and Evaluation Teams on appropriate evaluation standards, approaches, designs, methods and tools for the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation work;
• Support and facilitate application of appropriate evaluation approaches, designs and methods across the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation work in order to ensure consistency in the application of methodological approaches, methods and processes across the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluations;
• Provide feedback on the quality  and credibility of the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation processes and products (including adequacy and appropriateness of data collection , use and reporting)to the Independent Development Evaluation Department management;
• Develop appropriate M&E frameworks for the Independent Development Evaluation Department evaluation policy,  strategy and rolling work programs;
• Lead the methodological topics of African Development Bank evaluation community of practice events, and provide follow up on key methodological issues of interest to the Independent Development Evaluation Department;
• Contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the Independent Development Evaluation Department methodologies and methods tools (including development and dissemination of relevant learning materials) within and outside the Bank;
• Lead and develop special programs and visiting fellows on evaluation methodologies, quality assurance and capacity building in order to enhance the Independent Development Evaluation Department’s evaluation skills and competences;
• Actively engage with the Chief Economist’s complex, and the Delivery, Performance Management and Results Department of the African Development Bank in developing and promoting evaluation methodologies within African Development Bank;
• Actively engage with the Delivery, Performance Management and Results, Strategy and Operational Policies, and Operations Committee Secretariat and Quality Assurance Departments in strengthening the self-evaluation of the African Development Bank;
• Lead assessments of the Independent Development Evaluation Department staff skill gaps and learning needs in evaluation designs and methods in order to ensure delivery of relevant and appropriate learning events
• Work closely with Division.3 in planning, designing and delivering appropriate interventions/strategies for evaluation learning and for strengthening evaluation capacity in African Development Bank;
• Work closely with Division.3 and Regional Member Countries in planning, designing and delivering strategies for strengthening capacities in evaluation approaches and methodologies in Africa;
• Work with the Independent Development Evaluation Department Management Team in enhancing partnership across IFIs for harmonization of evaluation methodologies;

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Holds at least a Master's Degree or its equivalent in a relevant field (economics, development studies, evaluation, policy analysis, statistics, social sciences, or other related discipline) with strong development/social science research.
• Holds also a certificate/diploma in development evaluation, development oriented research and/or program/project planning, management and evaluation
• Have a minimum of 7 years of relevant international professional experience in development work; experience in (development) evaluation and/ or development research/analytical work in the context of developing region Africa in particular.
• Substantial international professional progressive experience in designing, implementing and managing purposeful evaluations and/or analytical works
• Experience in leading evaluation/analytical work
• Experience in identifying, gathering and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data for development evaluation/research and/or development analytical work
• Experience in evaluation capacity development
• Operational experience in development and multi-lateral development financial institutions.
• Advanced knowledge of independent evaluation principles, standards and procedures.
• Advanced knowledge of evaluation practice theories, approaches and methods.
• Significant knowledge in identifying, designing, gathering and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data for evaluation and/or development analytical work from multiple sources.
• Knowledge of design, implementation, management, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects.
• Knowledge of leading and guiding of development evaluation work
• Operational effectiveness: Commitment to deliver required results using African Development Bank’s’s systems, procedures and culture.
• Innovation and creativity: Commitment to enhancing performance through innovative and creative approaches.
• Problem-solving: Applies business knowledge to resolving problems, and identifying solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization.
• Demonstrates Professional expertise: Continuously expands understanding and sharing of relevant knowledge about evaluation designs, methods and practice.
• 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 (Word, Excel, Access and Power Point); knowledge of SAP (or other integrated document management system or quantitative and qualitative data analysis packages is an added advantage).