Operations Officer, PESD3 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB/20/125
Location: Pretoria, South Africa
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50078325

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth (PEVP)’ is a Sector Complex focusing broadly on the Bank’s TYS and High 5 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 spokesperson for the Bank with external stakeholders on all aspects of “Light Up and Power Africa”.
• The Complex focuses specifically on areas of power systems development, policy and regulation, renewable energy and, climate and green growth.
• The Complex also ensures that the Bank operates successfully across its Regional Member Countries and oversees the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s energy operations in collaboration with the Regional Business Delivery Units (RBDUs).

The Hiring Department/Division:

• The Power Systems Development Department within PEVP complex has the broad objective of supporting the Bank’s Regional Member Countries, Power Utilities, Regional Economic Communities, Power Pools, Regulators and other stakeholders to develop and improve their own Power Systems and the performance of their utilities for both sovereign (SO) and non-sovereign operations (NSO).
• The department has six (6) Divisions; Power Systems Solutions (PESD1) based at the HQ and Power Systems Operations Divisions in each of the Bank’s five (5) operational regions.
• The position is under Power Systems Operations, South (PESD3) and located at the Bank’s South Africa Country Office, and will be directly supervised by the Regional Sector Manager PESD3.
• The position will also support Bank Power Systems Development operations in the Southern Africa region and other business locations of the Bank as found necessary.  

The Position

• The Operations Officer will provide deep sectoral expertise and be responsible for the identification, technical design, appraisal, implementation and supervision of Bank projects / programs linked to lending and non-lending operations involving public and private sector investments in the power sector.
• S/he will provide deep sectoral expertise related to the planning, technical structuring, financing and implementation of power and utility reform projects / programs across the project cycle and power value chain (i.e. fuel supply, power generation, transmission and distribution / retail).
• S/he will support power sector reform projects / programs (i.e. management contracts to full divestiture) that facilitate sustainable utility transformation, regional integration, performance benchmarking, knowledge sharing and the provision of quality advisory support services, designed to improve the operational performance of utilities.
• S/he will work in multi-disciplinary teams and contribute to the delivery of the New Deal on Energy for Africa / “Light-Up and Power Africa and relevant High Five flagships and priorities, as required.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Regional Sector Manager for Power System Operations (PESD3), the Operations Officer will perform the following:

Business Development and Pipeline Management:

• Contribute to the preparation of energy sector assessments and other upstream analytical and diagnostic work to inform Country Strategy Papers (CSP), Regional Integration Strategy Papers (RISP) and design of national and multinational projects that respond to the needs of RMCs; provide support to country/regional departments on policy dialogue with RMCs relating to energy sector and related issues; and provide back-up to country offices to ensure provision of quality advisory support services to RMCs.
• Provide support to the Regional Member Countries (RMC) and Bank teams in the origination, preparation, structuring and implementation of complex and innovative power system development projects and providing advisory support services that promote national and regional policies conducive to strong growth and development of the energy sector.
• In line with the objectives of the New Deal on Energy for Africa, engage with HQ, the regional hub teams, other development partners, project sponsors and developers and other key stakeholders in developing a pipeline of bankable energy infrastructure projects in collaboration and consultation with power utilities, the regional power pool and regional project delivery secretariats.
• Build and maintain good relationships with clients, especially regional independent power producer (IPP) / public-private partnership (PPP) developers and sponsors, power utilities, service providers, banks, multilateral partners, regulators, government officials and regional energy sector institutions to provide advisory support services for complex transactions and financial analysis, and to facilitate realization of investment opportunities in the power sector.

Portfolio Management:

• Provide sector expertise for quality assurance in the preparation of terms of reference (TORs), requests for proposals (RFPs), and tender documents in line with the Bank’s procurement rules: e.g. recruitment and supervision of expert advisors (and Bank staff), execution of socio-techno-economic feasibility studies and utility performance diagnostic reports.
• Task-manage the Bank’s power systems development portfolio in the assigned countries and carry out all regular portfolio management activities, including conducting supervision and field inspections, and interaction with Project Implementation Units (PIU) and relevant government departments to guide, monitor and follow-up on implementation issues, review quarterly progress reports, audit reports, procurement processes and complaints, among others to ensure compliance with Bank policies, directives and guidelines.
• Support Bank effort of implementing a fast-track approach in accelerating project agreement negotiations, including Power Purchase and Power Sales Agreements and Power Wheeling Agreements, for large-scale regional power infrastructure projects.
• Review the various proposals and communications sent to the Bank by its partners, clients and RMCs; and take appropriate action, including issuing of technical opinions on Government / client submissions to the Bank, drafting of responses and/or reports / representation of the Bank in various forums and internal or external follow-up.

Knowledge Production and Coordination:

• Support national (and regional) institutions in developing high-quality power development plans, energy sector studies and performance benchmarking strategies, including efficient joint and coordinated approaches to intra- and inter-regional investment planning of power infrastructure projects.
• Support member countries and the regional power pool in development of policies, laws and regulations that promote development of transparent, predictable and stable energy markets; and, in collaboration with relevant Bank colleagues, design appropriate technical assistance and capacity building programs to address identified skills and competence gaps.
• Participate in meetings and conferences of RMCs, the Regional Economic Community and their technical power development secretariats to influence regional energy policy issues and regulatory changes in line with Bank objectives and strategies.
• Contribute to the preparation of policy statements, papers, briefs and various reports on energy sector issues and other areas relevant to the Energy, Environment & Climate Change Department;
• Perform any other ad hoc tasks assigned by the Sector Manager or Director.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering or related electrical disciplines and relevant professional certification(s);
• Have a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in a power utility.;
• Broad range of experience in at least two of the following areas: power generation (thermal or renewable); and/or transmission and/or distribution and/or retail / vending (including power systems planning, sector regulation, project design, construction, operations and maintenance, and performance monitoring & evaluation.
• Proven ability to work within diverse teams of cross-functional and multi-national professional staff (interpersonal skills), and utilize the talent and expertise of team members in a productive way;
• Highly developed strategic thinking skills allied with an ability to translate strategic concepts and direction into the implementation of workable and sustainable policies and regulations and energy sector programs;
• Good listening skills with demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas as well as make effective and timely decisions
• Proven ability to formulate and execute plans to achieve the desired work objectives, with minimum supervision from the Manager.
• Full understanding of the power project cycle, value chain and project / program processing and implementation requirements, including the corresponding documentation from origination to project closure;
• Up to date knowledge of power infrastructure capital costs and operating parameters of diverse generation, transmission, distribution and retail / vending technologies and business models (including IPPs / PPPs and/or Distribution Concessions);
• Good understanding of the Bank’s Environmental & Social policy requirements,
• Good understanding of corporate / project finance, procurement procedures and contracting models, contract negotiations (including IPP / PPP contracts).
• Excellent project management and contract administration skills;
• Clear understanding of the drivers and barriers to the success of power utilities in complex regulatory, socio-economic and political environments;
• Ability to draft Terms of reference (TORs), Requests for Quotation (RFQs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to procure services from consultants;
• Good knowledge of national power / utility regulation, procurement and contracting models and standards; and grid code / operating rules / limits / reserves (including power import, export, wheeling and trading requirements);
• A good understanding of SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and asset management systems;
• A good understanding of, and ability to lead / support negotiation of, power project agreements such as Power Purchase Agreements, Grid Connection Agreements, Fuel Supply Agreements, Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) Contracts, Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Contracts.
• Familiarity with the work and requirements of multilateral and bilateral Development Finance Institutions.
• Excellent Professional written and verbal communications in English or French, with a demonstrated working knowledge of the other; a bilingual candidate will have added advantage.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft office applications (Word, Excel, Access, Projects and Power Point) and familiarity with Development Finance Corporate applications / tools.)