Lead Financial Management Policy Officer, SNFI at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB / 20 / 176
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Grade: PL2
Position N°: 50093679

The Complex

• The Senior Vice-President is responsible for supporting the President in the day-to-day management of the Bank Group to achieve it strategic objective, and drive performance culture that will align all processes and systems to deliver high impact results
• The Senior Vice-President will provide effective leadership and exceptional coordination to ensure implementation and monitoring of key corporate decisions as well as the identification of necessary corrective measures and actions
• The Senior Vice-President will lead senior management discussions, decisions-making process and the implementation of key board and management decisions.

The Hiring Department / Division
The Senior Vice-President supervises the Fiduciary Services and Inspection  Department, which acts as the custodian of the procurement (including procurement for private and public partnership) and financial management profession, and has the following responsibilities for its functions:

• Developing and interpreting fiduciary policy, strategy and related implementing documents (Manuals and Tools), including serving as the secretariat of the Procurement Review Committee (PRC);
• Providing fiduciary support to operations complexes (Sector Departments, Directorate General) during the whole project cycle, including country strategy papers, to ensure that fiduciary arrangements comply with Bank Fiduciary (Procurement and FM) policies and procedures;
• Developing and implementing fiduciary capacity building strategy for Bank  Staff and Regional Member Countries (RMCs);
• Inspecting and reporting on the performance of fiduciary activities undertaken by sector departments and the regions, including preparing annual post review reports on these activities for Board presentation that will contribute to building credibility and trust of the Bank in the countries and with other stakeholders; and
• Dialoguing with external and global partners with a view to building partnerships and fostering harmonization.

The Position
Under the general supervision of the Director, Fiduciary Services and Inspection,  the incumbent will play a leading role in:

• The design of a comprehensive and structured body of financial management policies and procedures applicable to Bank’s financed projects and programs, including revising the current framework or conceiving additional policies, strategies or guidelines on financial management and coordination of the quality assurance of FM work;
• The implementation of aid effectiveness agenda through harmonization of donors practices and encouraging the use of country public financial management systems on one hand and supporting the capacity building strategy of oversight institutions at the continental level on the other hand;
• The conception of specific financial management policies and procedures destined to support the High 5s and the Ten Years Strategy.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Play a leading role in developing, reviewing, updating and implementing changes in the Bank’s financial management (FM) policies, procedures and guidelines regarding the fiduciary safeguards.
• Influence the design and execution of major policy initiatives in the region and across the Bank
• Conceive, develop and promote innovations in Bank policies on financial management to improve its involvement and borrower’s accountability on FM issues.
• Oversee the development of policy and strategies for financial management thematic areas in Regional Member Countries in consultation with relevant government agencies.
• Provide leadership in conducting dialogue with government officials in Regional Member Countries on policy and reforms with respect to the areas of financial management.
• Lead and/or participates in ground-breaking or precedent setting missions and plays a key role in developing innovative practical approaches to difficult policy and operational issues at the Regional, Country and/or Sectoral levels.
• Develop strategies for harmonizing financial management approaches with other donors, playing a leading role in departmental or institutional task forces on developing and implementing policies and practices, FM safeguards and the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes.
• Represent, at the request of the Director, the function in global Financial Management Harmonization working groups
• Act as resource person on financial management issues, providing interpretation of related Bank guidelines, resolution of complex financial management issues.
• Define the Bank strategy on supporting the accountability institutions as Professional Accountancy Organizations, Supreme Audit Institutions, Parliaments and Civil Society Organisations in close consultation with the International Federation of Accountants, the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions and other development partners;
• Serve as the focal point or spokesperson on financial management policy issues with clients and borrowers, other external constituencies and expert groups from the other Multilateral Development Banks.
• Develop training plans and materials for Bank staff on financial management policy and procedures issues;
• Represent, at the request of the Director, the Fiduciary Services and Inspection Department in thematic working groups with respect to financial management or in policy peer-review from other departments;
• Prepare documents for consideration by the Board on financial management documents on policy and strategy;
• Contribute to preparing the Annual Report of the Bank and the various other bank reports; including contribution to report on implementation of the financial management related Policy approved by the Board of Executive Directors;
• Supervise, mentor, and coach policy FM staff under his/her responsibility.

Selection Criteria

• A minimum of a Master's Degree or its equivalent in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics or a related discipline and a minimum of a professional accounting certification (CPA, CA, ACCA, Expert Comptable Diplomé);
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant experience, with particular expertise in designing, supporting and implementing financial management operations of which at least three (3) in international financial Institutions.
• Sound knowledge of the African Development Bank’s Operational and Financial Management Policies and Procedures or other similar development institution.
• Experience in supporting private sector operations (banking, auditing, finance, microfinance institutions, agriculture, electricity, water) would be an added advantage;
• Proven ability to implement country or sector level financial management analytical and capacity building initiatives;
• An understanding of cross-cutting issues beyond financial management (e.g. procurement, governance, donors’ practices) at sector/country/regional level;
• Advanced and broad knowledge of all aspects of financial management: among others:
  • Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards, International Public Sector Accounting Standards, International Standards on Auditing, International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions;
  • Extensive experience with internal control systems and procedures; and
  • Extensive experience in auditing including assessing auditors competence.
• Good knowledge of key aid effectiveness issues especially harmonization of donors’ practices and alignment to borrowers’ systems;
• Flexible approach with the ability to use own initiative and respond to stakeholders needs;
• Demonstrable ability to quickly pick new tasks and communicate complex and technical concepts effectively;
• Communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications.