Chief Regional Operations Officer, RDRI at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/20/041
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50102233

The Complex

• The Regional Development, Integration & Business Delivery Complex major objective is to build regional capabilities and bring responsibility for client activities closer to the regions.
• Five Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Hubs have been created, each run by a Director General: Southern Africa, North Africa, West Africa; East Africa, and Central Africa.

The Hiring Department:

• The Regional Integration Department provides strategic direction for the Integrate Africa work streams at the regional level while focusing on implementation at the national level through Country Strategy Papers to enable Regional Member Countries to realize enhanced outcomes. The Department collaborates closely with internal stakeholders (Bank) and external partners to address policy, legal, regulatory and institutional constraints that stifle regional integration, intra-African trade and investment.
• Projected outcomes include removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers to facilitate and ease the movement of persons, goods, services and other factors of production. The Integrate Africa function’s approach leans toward analytical and practical work streams that help to reduce the costs and time (durations) for doing business, expand market access in Regional Member Countries, consolidate smaller and fragmented regional markets, facilitate value chain development, and enhance industrialization, cross-border investment flows and development of African enterprises.
• Core policy imperatives such as trade facilitation, trade in services, direct and portfolio investment, and sharing of knowledge products remain significant in addressing soft infrastructure constraints while simultaneously de-risking the Bank’s hard infrastructure investments.  Through strategic partnerships, the Bank Group provides leadership in key trade-related matters such as the Continental Free Trade Area to boost intra-African trade and investment as part of the African Union’s vision and agenda for 2063.

The Position

• The Regional Integration Strategic Framework (RISF) 2018-2025 provides the strategic guidance underpinning the Work Programme of the Regional Integration Coordination Office.  The aspirations of the RISF include: (i) bringing the High 5s together in support of AU Vision 2063; (ii) enhancing infrastructure connectivity; (iii) increasing market linkages and connectivity; and (iv) supporting financial integration and inclusion. The objective of the Regional Integration Coordination Office is to implement activities that support regulatory and policy reforms and institutional capacity development to ensure movement of goods and services across borders to facilitate Africa’s economic integration and global trade.
• The Bank is seeking to recruit a Regional Integration Operations Officer primarily to develop the financial integration pillar of the RISF and support upstream interventions for infrastructure projects.   Furthermore the candidate is expected to lead and advise particularly on innovative financial interventions that could finance regional infrastructure operations.  Under the financial integration pillar, the candidate is expected to support the Bank’s work in regional payment systems, capital markets development and infrastructure finance.
• Furthermore, he/she is expected to deepen the Bank’s regional integration analytical and knowledge work, engage with Regional Member Countries, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), other international organizations, and subsidiary institutions of AU and RECs. Within the Bank, the candidate is expected to lead and provide technical support to regional and cross border infrastructure and regional financial operations, as well as, develop tools and knowledge products that are operationally relevant.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Manager Operations Office and in collaboration with other staff of the department, the incumbent’s duties and responsibilities will be as follows:

• Provide strategic and business leadership of the regional infrastructure and regional financial integration workstream of the department;
• Develop regional integration programmes/projects that are operationally relevant for Bank intervention especially upstream infrastructure interventions, capital markets, payment systems, prioritization of projects, project preparation and capacity building;
• Build and strengthen partnerships coalitions within and outside the Bank, including the private sector, AU, RECs, local institutions, and NGOs;
• Support AU, AUDA,  RECs and RMCs in implementation of their regional integration programmes especially the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative (PICI) and major continental infrastructure programs as highlighted in the Agenda 2063 across the Bank.;
• Mentor and provide guidance to less experienced staff in the preparation of programmes, analytical work, tools and other products and services;
• Initiate programs for upstream planning, convening, scoping, brokering and coordinating of regional infrastructure (Energy, Transport, Water, ICT.) projects as well as de-risking regional infrastructure to attract PPP and private sector investments, in close collaboration with  Sector and Regional Departments;
• Initiate programs for the transformation of regional transport corridors into economic development corridors;
• Develop framework for harmonization of capital markets and payment systems and resource mobilization mechanisms using capital markets;
• Initiate and implement dialogue on continental and global initiatives including  integration of payment systems and stock exchanges;
• In close collaboration with other departments develop financial instruments for resource mobilisation of regional projects;
• Provide support to other duties as assigned by the Manager operations.

Selection Criteria

• A minimum Master's Degree or equivalent in Economics, Development Finance, International or related international development fields;
• Strong analytical skills and ability to produce high-quality reports;
• At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in development finance, operational experience in Africa is an added advantage;
• Diverse work background in regional integration issues, especially in upstream and finance infrastructure integration issues e.g. project preparation;
• Strong client orientation with commitment to results on the ground;
• Strong operational experience and ability to contribute to strategic thinking and to integrate strategies and policies into Bank programmes/projects;
• Proven ability to conduct research, analyse and produce reports.  Publications on topics related to development finance, project preparation and regional integration would be an added advantage;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and demonstrated ability to communicate ideas effectively;
• Strong leadership skills including the ability to mentor, coach and to work effectively in a matrix management environment, both as a team leader and team member;
• Excellent computer skills: Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.;
• Language skills: proficiency in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language.