Principal Operations Officer, SNMO1 at African Development Bank - AfDB

The Complex

• The Senior Vice-President (SVP) is responsible for supporting the President in the day-to-day management of the Bank Group to achieve its strategic objective and drive performance culture that will align all processes and systems to deliver high impact results.
• The SVP provides 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 SVP leads senior management discussions, decision-making processes and the implementation of keyboard and Management decisions.

The Hiring Department

• Located within the Senior Vice-Presidency (SNVP) Complex, the Department SNMO is overseeing the Secretariats of two key management committees – the Operations Committee (OpsCom, SNMO.1) and the Senior Management Coordinating Committee (SMCC, SNMO.2).
• The role of the Operations Committee Secretariat (SNMO1) is to support the Bank’s Operations Committee in its efforts towards sharpening the country focus and strategic selectivity of the Bank’s operations. enhancing the quality of operations; strengthening the Bank’s internal cooperation and cohesion among operations departments; and improvement in the development impact of the Bank’s support to its Regional Member Countries.

The Position

• Under the supervision of the Division Manager, the Principal Operations Officer will (i) contribute to the review and clearance of operations proposals submitted for OpsCom’s consideration, mainly by undertaking rigorous and high quality internal prior reviews; (ii) prepare appropriate analytical/advisory notes and briefing material for regular and special OpsCom meetings, as well as on an ad hoc basis as requested; (iii) conducting post-review of all revised proposals and drafting clearance notes; (iv) support the continuous enhancement of business processes and systems to improve the efficiency and the quality of the review and clearance process; (v) coordinate all aspects of work related to portfolio management; (vi)  provide implementation support to regional and sector complexes; (vii) and contribute to enhancing the efficiency of the Division’s delivery.

The main objectives of the position are to:

• Coordination and Management of the Review and Clearance Process and System: Contribute to quality and timely review and clearance of proposals; Ensure compliance and consistency of the proposals with high-quality standards and the Bank’s applicable policies, strategies, directives, processes, procedures, and guidelines for proposals not qualifying for OpsCom review; Support the management of OpsCom meetings and contribute to the management of the Bank’s review and clearance process and the BPPS system.
• Portfolio Management and Monitoring of Systemic Issues: Conduct analytical work and develop proposals to address Portfolio management issues raised along the review and clearance process; establish procedures to effectively track and report on the implementation of recommendations and systemic issues raised by OpsCom, the Board and its relevant committees; and support the strategic planning of OpsCom meetings.
• Enhancement of Business Process and Operational Excellence: Contribute to operational knowledge and excellence through continuous refinement of relevant Presidential Directives, Guidelines and instruments related to the operations review and clearance process; Consolidate good  practices and disseminate to enhance learning and operations quality; Provide implementation support to regional and sector complexes and support efforts to promote and instill a culture of performance and excellence in operations.
• Enhancing the Efficiency of the Division: Develop internal procedures to continuously improve the efficiency of the division in supporting OpsCom; Provide technical and administrative support for the effective delivery of the division’s work program and budget.

Key Functions
Under the overall supervision of the Division Manager, Operations Committee Secretariat, the Principal Operations Officer will be responsible for:
Quality Assurance and Quality Control:

• Review documents submitted for OpsCom’s clearance to ensure compliance with all relevant corporate policies, alignment with the High 5s and the Ten-Year Strategy, readiness, and delivery mechanisms prior to submission for OpsCom’s consideration.
• Review of operations proposals at key stages to ensure: (i) their consistency with Country Strategies and Institutional policies and priorities; (ii) high quality-at-entry and demonstrable results focus; and (iii) stronger inter-departmental engagement and cooperation in all aspects of operations, delivery, and development impact.
• Prepare Advisory Notes for the OpsCom Chairperson on proposals in the OpsCom agenda and Detailed Written Comments for Task Teams’ consideration.
• Conduct post-OpsCom reviews of all documents to ensure compliance with OpsCom’s guidance before clearance by the Division Manager.

Contribution to the OpsCom Review Process and other tasks:

• Draft OpsCom agenda for the Division Manager’s consideration.
• Attend OpsCom meetings and take notes to contribute to the drafting of the Flash Report for the President after each OpsCom Meeting.
• Coordinate the preparation of the Minutes.
• Consolidate the Written Comments received from OpsCom members and transmit them to Task Teams.
• Contribute to the preparation of the annual report on OpsCom’s activities.
• Contribute to developing, maintaining, and continuously improving OpsCom Internal Operating Procedures.
• Contribute to the identification of emerging issues that would impact the Bank’s operations review and approval process as the Bank implements various reforms to improve its operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Contribute to the preparation and updating of SNMO1’s annual work program and budget.
• Support implementation of key initiatives introduced by OpsCom and participate on behalf of SNMO1 in working groups, task forces, and other special initiatives.
• Support the recruitment of SNMO1’s Consultants.

Competencies (Skills, Experience, and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Master's Degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Engineering, Development Studies or related disciplines.
• Have a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience working in operations as a policy analyst or advisor with proven competencies and experience in leading in project management, policy and strategy development and implementation.
• Having private sector experience will be an added advantage.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience of operations policies, procedures, and review processes of multilateral development banks or other development agencies.
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to review lending and non-lending proposals and prepare analytical notes to support senior management decisions, with track record of undertaking or assessing Economic & Sector Work, Country/Regional Strategies, and projects/programs for quality and suitability.
• Demonstrated capacity to undertake and deliver innovative solutions to enhance operations quality and efficiencyFull understanding of core African Development Bank policies, strategies, and priorities.
• Experience serving in a senior management committee secretariat is a plus.
• Ability to manage heavy workloads as well as multiple, simultaneous, and shifting demands, priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to write concise, accurate reports reflecting the guidance and comments made at meetings by senior management committee.
• Ability to work independently with minimum supervision, as well as part of a multi-cultural team Demonstrated rigor, analytical capacities, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Ability to work in English and/or French, with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, SAP, PowerPoint, MS Project).