Operations Assistant at African Development Bank - AfDB

Position Number: 50071232
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Position Grade: GS7

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’ 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 objectives are: (i) to develop, policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) the Vice President will act as the spoke person to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department, within the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex, spearheads the Bank wide Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy to create 25 million jobs and equip 50 million young people.
• It contributes to the achievement of the High 5s on “Improving the Quality of Life of People in Africa” and contributes to the other High 5s.
• The Department also leads on the implementation of the Bank wide Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy. The Department has two divisions:
  • Education, Human Capital and Employment Division, which focuses on scaling-up of Bank’s support to higher education and skills development; and
  • Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division, which focuses on strengthening health systems, social protection and nutrition for human wellbeing.

The Position

• Under the general supervision of the Coordinator, Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy, the Operations Assistant will primarily assist the Jobs Team in implementing and monitoring the work programme, including technical administrative support in specific areas such as mission preparation, procurement, and disbursement as well as oversight on the portfolio quality.

Key Functions
The Operations Assistant will carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

• Provide operational support to the Coordinator, covering both lending and non-lending operations;
• Manage the electronic data archiving system of the Jobs Team;
• Manage the division's database and perform any task related to data entry and analysis as required;
• Coordinate the preparation and monitoring of the annual Work Programme;
• Coordinate the preparation and monitoring of the quarterly mission programme;
• Compile the portfolio database of the division / department (Non-Sovereign Operations, complex projects, trust funds, special initiatives, co-financing);
• Compiles and present data on projects (managed by the regional hubs) and trust funds related to the sectors under the division / department;
• Report on accuracy and completeness of TFMS (Trust Fund Management System), SAP (System Applications and Products), BPPS (Bank-Wide Program Processing Schedule) & SRAS (Strategic Resources Assessment Software) data;
• Prepare and Monitor the implementation of the administrative budget and determine/recommend allocation of funds when necessary;
• Assist with recruitment of consultants, initiate SAP processing of their contracts, prepare service orders, process their payments and follow them up with the Accounting and Treasury units concerned;
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual reports on the management and performance of the division activities;
• Facilitate task manager training on the use of the BPPS, SAP, TFMS and other systems;
• Assist in preparing documents, briefing notes, spreadsheets and correspondence necessary to manage work programme and projects / programmes;
• Assist in the preparation and organization of activities such as seminars, workshops etc.

Other Duties:

• Coordinate matters with the Corporate IT Services Department (CHIS), if necessary, for all issues relating to the SAP / BPPS / ATRS / SRAS/ TFMS system and other information technologies; play the role of SAP resource person in the division and the department; provide technical assistance to the staff in the use of SAP;
• Take notes during meetings, draft correspondence and prepare minutes as requested;
• Perform any other tasks requested by the Team.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• Hold a minimum of Bachelor's Degree, in Public Administration, Management, Information Technology or related field.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of progressively relevant and practical experience, in an international organization.
• Working knowledge and practical experience with the systems (SAP / BPPS / ATRS / SRAS and TFMS) and Operations Manual of the African Development Bank.
• Ability to work as part of a team and providing support to other team members where needed.
• High integrity and accountability in all aspects of portfolio management and programme implementation.
• Professional approach: a good grasp of the Bank’s organizational functions and procedures; self-control and a commendable personality.
• Excellent organizational, and communication skills.
• Able to work under pressure in the dynamic setting of an international and multicultural setting.
• Handling speedily and efficiently internal and external requests.
• Knowledge of administration duties.
• Excellent written and verbal communications in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint). Knowledge of SAP will be an asset.