Manager, Water Coordination and Partnerships at African Development Bank - AfDB

Position Number: 50092415
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Position Grade: PL2
Division: AHWS1

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’(AHVP) is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten Year Strategy High 5s priorities of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.
• The Complex comprises five departments:
  • Agriculture and Agro-Industry Development;
  • Agriculture Finance and Rural Development;
  • Gender, Women and Civil Society;
  • Water Development and Sanitation; and,
  • Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development.
• The complex objectives are to:
  • Develop policy and strategy;
  • Provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pools of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; and
  • Develop new financing instruments.
• The Vice-President acts as the Bank’s spokesperson with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department

• The Water Development and Sanitation Department (AHWS) is responsible for the coordination of the Bank's water development and sanitation-related activities to enhance synergies and contribute to the achievement of all High 5s (Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, water-related Power and Light Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life).
• Through its three Divisions: AHWS.l for water coordination and partnerships; both AHWS.2 and AHWS.3 addressing water security and sanitation; and, the African Water Facility (AWF), the Department supports regional hubs in the development and promotion of new knowledge, approaches and tools for green and inclusive water resources development and management, and for improved sanitation.
• In so doing, the Department leads the scaling-up of the Bank's contribution to Africa's efforts to attain water security and sanitation for sustainable socio-economic transformation.

The Position

• The Manager, Water Coordination and Partnerships Division (AHWS.l) reports to the Director, Water Development and Sanitation, (AHWS).
• The Manager is responsible for providing leadership and supervising the personnel and activities of the Division, and for supporting the related initiatives and trust funds under AHWS.

The main work objectives are to:

• Lead the Bank’s work on integrated water resources management and development (including transboundary programs), taking into account the increasing demand for water, rising conflict among competing water uses, climate change, fragility, urban development, and other key global trends;
• Support the Division's, and the Department's contribution to the Bank's resources mobilization efforts for pertinent sectors by fostering strategic partnerships for leveraging funding and knowledge, through (a) development and implementation of innovative financing mechanisms; and (b) promotion of private sector engagement in water development and sanitation as a source of financing, technology and management systems that improve the efficiency of service provision;
• Foster effective coordination of water-related activities in the Bank and beyond - including serving as the focal person of the Policy on Water Cross-complex Coordination Committee (PoWCCC) Secretariat to coordinate all water-related activities undertaken by the Bank, for internal as well as external contributions; facilitate multi-sector collaboration around water; and support sharing of information and knowledge on developments in the water sector within the Bank, the continent and globally;
• Contribute to the development and review of water development and sanitation sector policies and strategies; and promote their implementation in relevant Bank operations identified, developed, and executed through the regional hubs;
• Develop and disseminate knowledge and provide technical guidance and expertise to various Bank units and Complexes, directly and in collaboration with various initiatives and trust funds within the Department, namely the Rural Water and Sanitation Initiative (RWSSI), and the African Water Facility (AWF); and support the sector monitoring and evaluation (M&E) function to maximize the Bank's contribution to Africa's development in water and sanitation.

Key Functions

• The Manager, Water Coordination and Partnerships Division (AHWS.l), under the oversight of the Director, Water Development and Sanitation, (AHWS), plans, organizes, supervises and directs the work to ensure efficient and effective delivery of results assigned to the Division.

The Manager performs the following:
Leading the Bank’s Program on Integrated Water Resources Management and Development  (IWRMD):

• Monitor the implementation of the Bank’s water policy and lead the review, preparation and updating of policies, strategies, business plans and guidelines related to IWRMD;
• Lead policy dialogue and design of IWRMD programs that incorporate best practices and leverage the comparative advantage of the Bank;
• support regional hubs in mainstreaming integrated water resources management (IWRM) principles into Bank operations;
• Lead the Department’s contribution to development and review of policies, strategies, business plans and guidelines prepared by other departments from water resources perspectives;
• Support Regional Member Countries (RMCs), River Basin Organizations (RBOs), and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in mainstreaming IWRMD principles in their policies, strategies and development plans;
• Lead review of project proposals prepared by regional hubs and contribute to all aspects relating to/linked with water resources development and management.

Managing and Supervising the Division:

• Leads, supervises and provides strategic direction of the (AHWS.l); and promotes and organizes teamwork among the staff of the Division to achieve the objectives of the Division and the Department;
• Determines and manages the human and financial resource requirements of the Division; participates in the selection of staff, provides management support to the staff and facilitates their full performance in technical work; identifies staff's training and career development needs; prepares their periodic performance evaluations and resolves staff disputes/complaints;
• Prepares and leads the implementation of the work program of the Division, determining priorities and allocating resources for timely delivery of outputs; fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across the unit and organizational boundaries; manages the activities undertaken; and, ensures that the key performance indicators (KPIs) set for the Division are met;
• Oversees programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Division, including preparation of budgets, reporting on performance; recruits staff taking account of institutional values; manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision;
• Participates in and/or chairs meetings for the Division, the Department, Inter-Departmental Working Groups, PoWCCC, donor and partner meetings related to the initiatives and trust funds under AHWS.l, as well as other meetings related to the work of the Division;
• Ensures professional quality of all material produced by the staff of the Division;
• Fosters an environment that stimulates and rewards innovation, creativity and accountability for results, and motivates staff to contribute to delivering significant developmental impact for Africa's growth.

Coordination and Collaboration within the Bank for Water Security:

• Leads the Secretariat for the PoWCCC to ensure efficient coordination of the water-related activities to foster multi-sector collaboration around water and maximize synergies towards water security and sustainable social-economic development;
• Fosters an integrated approach to the design and implementation of water-related activities including providing guidance on knowledge development and management on water resources in general and the Bank's water-related operations in particular, and informing decisions for project development and implementation of multi-objective water-related projects;
• Promotes coherence of the Bank's actions in water development and sanitation across regions and collaboration to ensure synergies between the water development and sanitation and other water-related Complexes of the Bank;
• In collaboration with Resource Mobilization and Partnerships and the Syndication and Financial Technical Services departments, as well as other AHWS units, supports regional hubs and Regional Member Countries (RMCs) in mobilizing resources through providing advisory services for innovative financing approaches and crowding in the private sector, facilitating co-financing arrangements with other development partners for large scale investments, providing technical support in accessing climate-related finance and project preparation facilities;
• Leads preparation of annual work plans and budgets of the department's activities related to water resources development and management.

Strategic Partnerships, Networking and Sector Knowledge:

• Advises the Director on issues related to water resources management and development and supports presentations to the Board;
• Contributes to forging strong strategic partnerships with multilateral, bilateral, and regional organizations to leverage resources and support business development in regional hubs in the area of water resources management and development, and to support the Vice President’s role as the Bank's spokesperson to external audiences;
• Develops and maintains cooperation and co-financing relations with other development agencies and organizations; may lead important and sensitive missions to member countries and partner organizations and agencies; may represent the Bank Group in major international conferences and meetings especially on water development and sanitation;
• Supports the development, and recommends implementation of innovative financing mechanisms, as well as technical and management approaches to promote water security across regional member countries, including through public-private partnerships, and improvement of the overall governance of these sectors;
• Leads and/or contributes to Economic Sector Work in countries and regions to inform and improve the design of new operations for greater impacts;
• Organizes and/or represents the Bank at high-level strategic meetings and conferences on water security;
• Coordinates cross-department inputs for Bank-wide participation in regional and global water-related events and conferences.

Sector Policies and Strategies; and Sector Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Provides expertise and leadership in development and review of Bank Group policies, rules, regulations, norms and standards especially related to IWRMD to ensure that all relevant issues are adequately addressed, and solutions and options provided from an integrated perspective;
• Promotes an integrated approach to the preparation of water-related sections of Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) and Regional Integration Strategy Papers (RISPs); as well as country and regional development programs and projects as support to regional hubs;
• Monitors the implementation of the Bank's water policy;
• Advises on / promotes the implementation of relevant sector policies and strategies within the Bank;
• Oversees the monitoring and evaluation function of the Department;
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Director.

Qualifications, Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge)

• Hold a minimum of a Master's Degree in Water Resources Engineering, Hydrology/Hydraulics, Economics, or closely related disciplines;
• Have a minimum of eight (8) years of extensive and progressive experience in an internationally recognized financial or development institution, three (3) years of which should be at managerial level;
• Experience in integrated water resources management and development; policy development and support in developing countries, including in Africa;
• Good knowledge of private sector contribution to water development; and innovative financing mechanisms is a bonus;
• Recognized sector expert with deep knowledge of integrated water resources development in Africa, with a focus on research and policy, and ability to analyze and evaluate critical matters pertaining to the broad water agenda, and to provide policy advice;
• Experience in planning, organizing, managing and coordinating the activities of similar units; in forging effective partnerships, and in supervising staff, organizing teams, and providing managerial support;
• Experience in delivering high-quality operational products and services (projects, economic analyses, research advice, sector studies and reviews);
• Client-oriented with good managerial skills in a multicultural environment
• Knowledge of operational policies, rules, procedures and practices of the Bank or comparable institutions;
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.