Chief Power Engineer, PESD2 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/20/093
Location: Kinshasa, Decmocratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50078310

The Complex
The Vice Presidency for ‘Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth’ is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy and High 5s priority of “Light up and Power Africa”. The complex’s objectives are (i) to develop policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector technical expertise to the Regions by gathering a pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted for their expertise on complicated transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) act as spoke person to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on all aspects of “Light Up and Power Africa”. The Complex will focus on areas of power systems, policy and regulation, renewable energy; and, climate and green growth.

The Hiring Department / Division

• Within this new Complex, there is a Directorate in charge of Power Systems Development. This Directorate includes the “Power Utilities” Division, which supports the Bank’s Regional Member Countries and their Utilities, Regional Economic Communities, Power Pools, Regulators and other stakeholders to develop and improve their power systems both for sovereign (SO) and non-sovereign operations (NSO).
• This Division also supports the Directorate Regional Development Business Delivery Unit (RDBU)- Central Africa Region (RDBU- C). The Regional Directorate is headed by a Director General (DG) and is endowed with relevant administrative capacities to be able to ensure rapid delivery of services to regional member countries.
• Regional Directorates provide country offices in their region with strategic direction and are responsible for operations, business development, project management and the overall effective achievement of the Bank's New Deal For Energy in Africa (NDEA) and High Five (H5) Priorities, namely : "Light up and Power Africa ", "Feed Africa", "Industrialize Africa", "Integrate Africa" ​​and "Improve the quality of life of African populations".

The Position

• Under the functional supervision of the "Power Utilities" Division Manager, the Chief Energy Officer will ensure the technical quality of the Bank's activities and support investment operations in the energy sector.
• The incumbent will be based in the Democratic Republic of Congo and report administratively to the Country Manager.
• The incumbent will provide: i) proven expertise in the preparation and monitoring and evaluation of complex projects, particularly in the power sector and ii) cutting-edge sectoral expertise in the planning, development, structuring and financing of electrical systems (national and regional), including power generation, transmission and distribution.
• The incumbent will contribute to the execution of NDEA flagship programs as required, throughout the project cycle and the value chain of the power sector. He will lead and work in multi-disciplinary teams and will contribute to the realization of the objectives of the NDEA / H5s.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Manager, Power Utilities, the incumbent will perform the following:

• Coordinate the implementation of relevant flagship projects / programs with a view to achieving the objectives of the New Deal on Energy for Africa;
• Provide advisory support and Technical Assistance to Regional Member Countries (RMCs) / Regional Economic Community (REC) institutions / Power Pools and Task Managers in the identification, preparation, screening and implementation of complex and innovative projects aimed at developing the energy sector and improving performance (e.g. benchmarking);
• Provide leadership as Task Manager, in collaboration with all the team members, in the process of identifying, preparing and implementing projects/programs related to the development of the energy sector;
• Coordinate/Lead, in conjunction with other teams, Bank power sector business development and operations to support transformation, including human capacity building and smart partnerships;
• Coordinate with Bank governance units and/or other Divisions in conducting policy dialogue and implementing projects/programs aimed at power sector development;
• Provide in-depth sector expertise to guarantee the technical quality of projects/programs;
• Ensure timely review and quality assurance of project identification, preparation, appraisal and supervision documents vis-à-vis technical, financial, regulatory, environmental, social and economic requirements;
• Contribute to the preparation of the Bank Group Energy Policy and Strategy;
• Provide timely guidance and inputs necessary to achieve project development goals;
• Work with other PEVP Divisions on relevant policy and regulatory matters and the structuring and financial analysis of complex / innovative projects, especially those involving private sector participation;
• Support delivery of Economic and Sector Work, in collaboration with other Directorates / Divisions of the Bank, utilities, power pools and development and other strategic partners;
• Undertake any other tasks the Director or Division Manager may assign.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related disciplines.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in a utility, including the design, structuring, financing and implementation of complex power projects across the power value chain: Experience in implementing large scale hydro power projects and Public Private Partnerships in Africa / emerging markets will give an advantage.;
• Demonstrated ability to interact with senior power sector stakeholders, including utilities, power pools, regulators and donor agencies, on policy dialogue, aid coordination, and the design and implementation of projects / programs on power sector reforms, utility transformation, power trade, human capital development and transition to sustainable green growth, including private sector participation;
• Have proven skills to build and lead a team of professionals, and effectively use the talents and expertise of team members;
• Demonstrate proven leadership and an ability to integrate sector-specific knowledge into an operational strategy and broader research objectives;
• Demonstrate strong networking skills and good judgment required in the management of professional relationships with Bank partners working in the RDBU – Central Directorate.
• Be client oriented to understand and, if necessary, anticipate customer needs to ensure the best possible service from the Bank;
• Being able to apply innovative approaches and change working methods while remaining effective in changing working conditions;
• Have proven interpersonal skills, demonstrated by the ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment, demonstrating sensitivity and respect for diversity as well as an ability to instill confidence and mentor each of the different members of the team;
• Have solid negotiation skills, demonstrated by obtaining positive results with counterparts, both internal and external;
• Have a clear understanding of the success factors and constraints to the success of public electricity services in complex regulatory and political environments;
• Have in-depth knowledge of the processes and tools for developing least-cost integrated national / regional electricity Master-plans used in Africa, and be familiar with the working methods of multi-lateral and bi-lateral development finance institutions;
• Have a thorough knowledge of the quality of supply and service standards applicable to public electricity services and the performance management systems relating thereto;
• Have the ability to write terms of reference and requests for proposals for the procurement of consultancy and contracting services, using proven model contracts (e.g. FIDIC);
• Have a good knowledge of the national regulation of the electricity sector, procurement models, project management, contract administration and standards as well as the network code, operating rules, thresholds and reserves (including import, export, transmission and trading of electricity);
• Have a good understanding of the requirements of the Bank's Environmental and Social / Safeguards and Climate Change Policies;
• Have a good knowledge of the governance, regulations, operations, maintenance and administration of public electricity services, customer relations, billing, financial management of said services;
• Have highly developed strategic thinking skills, combined with the ability to translate strategic concepts and directions in the implementation of viable and sustainable policies and regulations;
• Excellent spoken and written English or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, Excel, Access, Projects, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.