Chief Conference & Events Management Officer at African Development Bank - AfDB

Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Position Grade: PL3

Position Number: 50068957

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 Divisions, including Office of the President; the Independent Development Evaluation Department; the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department; the Compliance Review and Mediation Department; the Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board; the Administrative Tribunal; the Office of the Auditor General; the Group Risk Management Function Directorate; the General Counsel and Legal Services Department; the Communication and External Relations Department; the Ethics Office, and the Office of the Secretary General and General Secretariat.

THE DEPARTMENT:

The role of the Office of the Secretary General and General Secretariat (PSEG) is to facilitate the delivery of the objectives of the Bank's Ten Year Strategy, the High 5s, and the Development and Business Delivery Model by enhancing the decision-making process of the governance organs, and forging better working relationships with the shareholders and host countries of the Bank. PSEG comprises: (i) the Front Office of the Secretary General (PSEG.0) which has the additional responsibility of managing the Records Management and Archives Section and a Conferences and Meetings Section (DAI); (ii) a Board Affairs and Proceedings Division (PSEG.1); and (iii) a Protocol, Immunities and Privileges Division (PSEG.2)

The Conference and Meetings Section is in charge of the planning and organizing of various meetings and events, including:

• Sessions of the Boards of Governors and its subsidiary bodies (Annual Meetings of the Bank Group, including meetings of the Governors Advisory Committee (GAC), the Joint Steering Committee (JSC), the Office of the Boards of Governors (OBG), the Committee on Conditions of Service of Elected Staff and the Steering Committee for the Election of the President);
• Consultative meetings of the plenipotentiaries on ADF replenishments and mid-term reviews; the Boards of Directors and their Committees (CODE, AMBD, CAHR, ECAM, AUFI, ANRE, Plenary Committee of the Budget and Ethics Committee);
• Meetings organized in partnership with other institutions, at the Bank or outside the Bank. Example: joint AfDB/WB/IMF or AfDB/ECA/AU meetings;
•  International meetings whose agenda deals with issues related to the Bank's mission.

THE POSITION:

The incumbent reports to the Conference and Meetings Coordinator under the leadership of the Secretary General whose responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Planning and managing events and meetings, including, but not limited to, the Bank’s Annual Meetings, ADF Meetings, and all other meetings, conferences and events organized or sponsored by the Bank.
• Planning and managing the participation of the President of the Bank Group and Bank delegations in high-level meetings, in collaboration with Governments and other international organizations.

KEY FUNCTIONS:

Under the supervision of the Conference and Meetings Coordinator and under the leadership of the Secretary General, the incumbent will coordinate all technical activities related to the planning and organization of all major events, and meetings of the Bank Group.

More specifically, the incumbent will:

• Coordinate the planning and the execution of the Bank Calendar of Events and advise the Secretary General and /or the Conference and Meetings Coordinator on optimal programming of events, in close collaboration with Bank’s Protocol services, Communication, IT and any relevant other organizational units.
• Advise the Conference and Meetings Coordinator and Management, with direct responsibility for ensuring all logistical aspects of ceremonies, events, and meetings, including: (i) identification of venues; and (ii) justifying and supporting the choice of procurement method, etc.
• Assist in the definition of the work program of the Section and perform all administrative and related technical tasks, including the drafting of reports, letters, etc.
• Perform related duties assigned by the Conference and Meetings Coordinator and/or the Secretary General.
• Recommend to the Conference and Meetings Coordinator and/or the Secretary General:
• Guidelines, strategies, and policies of planning, organizing statutory meetings, high level events, summits, conferences, and meetings

COMPETENCIES (skills, experience and knowledge):

• Hold at least of Master’s degree in Event management, business administration, International Relations, or a closely related discipline.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in Conference and Events Management, International Relations, Public or private administration, or a similar field.
• Experience in the planning and management of conferences and events preferably in international organizations or environments.
• Good knowledge of policies and work procedures of institutions such as the Bank and its Boards. 
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Experience in physical, hybrid and virtual events.
• Demonstrated technical excellence and an established track record of excellence in achieving results.
• Ability to anticipate, be proactive (able to predict possible problems and provide appropriate solutions (i.e. manage contingencies) by supervising the technical implementation, technical team and supervise and monitoring before, during and the end of the event.

• Ability to communicate and write effectively in English and/or French, with good working knowledge of the other language.
• Proficiency in the use of common Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP (or another integrated document management system or quantitative and qualitative data analysis tools) is an added advantage.

ii. Familiar with IT with Conference Infrastructure systems and electronic systems set up and operations.

iii. Familiar with videoconferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Cisco Webex and others