Principal Evaluation Capacity Development Officer at African Development Bank - AfDB

The Complex

• The Board of Directors provides oversight and strategic direction to the African Development Bank Group. It is composed of Executive Directors who are representatives of the African Development Bank member countries.
• Specifically the Board is responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the Bank, and carries out the following functions: (1) determine the general structure of the Bank’s services; (2) approve the financing policy and take decisions concerning loans, guarantees, equity investments and fund loans by the Bank; (3) determine the interest rates of loans and guarantee commissions; (4) approve the Bank’s operations programme and administrative budget; (5) prepare the work of the Board of Governors ; and (6) submit accounts and annual reports, as well as the administrative budgets for the approval of the Board of Governors.
• The Board does its work through a series of permanent Committees that review and discuss policy and program documents and make appropriate recommendations to the whole Board. Independent Development Evaluation; the Independent Recourse Mechanism; the Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board; and the Administrative Tribunal report to the Board.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The overarching mission of the African Development Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation is to enhance the development effectiveness of the Bank in its regional member countries through independent and influential evaluations, oversight over self-evaluation processes and products, and proactive engagement in evaluation partnerships and knowledge-sharing activities.
• The core mandate of Independent Development Evaluation department is to conduct independent evaluation studies, provide relevant lessons, develop and harmonize standards and practices, support evaluation capacity development together with partner agencies and attest to the validity of both processes and the results of African Development Bank’s self-evaluation activities.
• Independent Development Evaluation department also collaborates and exchanges information with bilateral and multilateral development agencies’ evaluation departments, and undertakes joint evaluation of co-financed projects and programs.

The Position

• The objective of the principal evaluation capacity development officer will be to contribute to the delivery of the division work program by leading on evaluation capacity development activities, both within the Bank and in Regional Member Countries. The incumbent will also supervise consultants and provides expertise to junior colleagues.

Key Functions

• Under the supervision and guidance of the Division Manager, Knowledge Management Outreach and Capacity Development, the Principal Evaluation Capacity Development Officer will:

Evaluation Capacity Development:

• Propose and implement annual plans of Evaluation Capacity Development activities for Independent Development Evaluation and other Bank staff, including trainings, knowledge sharing and peer learning events.
• Engage and manage the relationship with key internal evaluation capacity development stakeholders including Bank management and other relevant Bank departments (such as the African Development Institute).
• Represent Independent Development Evaluation in internal Bank working groups and external fora in the area of capacity development.
• Define a strategy for Independent Development Evaluation department’s support to Evaluation Capacity Development in the Bank’s Regional Member Countries, based on international capacity development standards, practices and concepts, and addressing both the supply side and the demand side of evaluation.
• Manage and report on Independent Development Evaluation department’s ongoing Evaluation Capacity Development initiatives for Regional Member Countries, including support for the African Parliamentarians’ Network for Development Evaluation and the Evaluation Platform for Regional Development Finance Institutions.
• Engage and manage the relationship with key external evaluation capacity development stakeholders including RMC governments, parliamentarians, civil society, bilateral and multilateral development partners, national and international evaluation networks, associations and initiatives, and the private sector, developing and building on collaborative partnerships where possible.
• Understand, discuss and integrate, if relevant, comments received from key evaluation stakeholders during the design and implementation of Evaluation Capacity Development initiatives.
• Prepare and present reports on Evaluation Capacity Development activities to the Board of Directors, specifically the Committee on Operations and Development Effectiveness, donors, partners and other stakeholders as needed.
• Prepare written answers to questions raised by the Board members and other stakeholders, and prepare summaries of the recommendations and follow-up actions.

Contribute to the creation of an evaluation culture in the Bank and in Regional Member Countries:

• Promote the use of evaluation as an effective accountability and learning tool in the Bank and Regional Member Countries.
• Ensure effective and appropriate communication of evaluation findings, lessons, conclusions and recommendations to the relevant stakeholders.
• Develop innovative communication tools (briefs, highlights, factsheets etc.) that are targeted to different audiences (e.g., policy-makers) and select appropriate communication channels (social media, websites, conferences etc.) to optimize the use of evaluation findings. 
• Contribute to ensuring that independent and credible evaluative information and lessons of experience inform policy- and decision-making on the planning, design and implementation of Bank and government interventions. 
• Represent Independent Development Evaluation department in relevant conferences, workshops, seminars etc. within and outside the Bank, seeking to ensure that evaluation perspectives and results are given due consideration.

Cooperation with Experts from other Multilateral and Bilateral Development Institutions:

• Participate in joint capacity development missions of co-financed initiatives with other agencies, in joint training seminars/workshops on evaluation systems, and develop partnerships with bilateral and multilateral evaluation units in development agencies and with counterparts in Regional Member Countries.

IDEV Three-Year Rolling Work Programme and Annual Report:

• Propose the Evaluation Capacity Development activities to be included in the three-year work programme and report on activities achieved during the year to be taken into account in the Independent Development Evaluation Annual Report

Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge)

• Hold at least a Master’s Degree in Economics, Political Science, International Relations, Development, Public Administration or Social Sciences.
• Have a minimum of a minimum of six (6) years’ experience in contributing to designing, implementing and reporting on capacity development initiatives.
• Experience in conducting needs assessments, developing strategies and action plans.
• Experience in planning, managing and leading projects.
• Experience in engaging and developing partnerships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Experience in working for an international organization with bias in evaluation and evaluation systems
• Ability to deal with discretion, sensitivity and tact with a variety of contacts, including government officials, parliamentarians, other bilateral and multilateral development agencies
• Integrity, professionalism, respect for diversity and a strong team player
• Ability to apply innovation and creativity in finding solutions for capacity development challenges
• Experience in providing strategic advice to management.
• Facilitation experience in multi-cultural or multi-sector setting.
• Knowledge of methodologies, implementation, developments and trends in capacity development.
• Knowledge of evaluation frameworks, processes and systems
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications; knowledge of SAP is an added advantage.