Product Management Specialist at African Development Bank - AfDB

The Complex

• The core mandate of the Vice Presidency (ECVP) is to lead the Bank Group on prioritizing the generation, analysis, dissemination, brokering and implementation of relevant knowledge solutions in all High-5 operational priorities and the cross-cutting themes of its Ten-Year Strategy.
• Such solutions must be a clear response to priority development challenges facing regional member countries (RMCs), individually or collectively and need to involve RMCs in both the planning and implementation of the solutions. The solutions include: (i) research on major development issues facing Africa and their relation to global economic governance and other major global public goods; (ii) country diagnostics and future perspectives; (iii) policy dialogue and advisory services; (iv) economic, sector, and thematic knowledge work; (v) improving national and sub-regional statistical systems; (vi) preparation, design and support to the implementation of public financial management and Governance operations; (vii) capacity development for policy formulation and implementation; (viii) technical assistance and advice related to RMCs’ management of natural resources; and (ix) knowledge dissemination and development of national, regional, and inter-regional knowledge networks.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The mandate of the Country Economics Department is to position the Bank at the center of socio-economic knowledge-led Country and Regional strategies, policy dialogues and operations.
• The Department leads the knowledge work that informs (i) the production of Country and Regional Strategy documents, including the Country Strategy Papers, Regional Integration Strategy Papers, Country Diagnostic Notes, and Regional Diagnostic Notes to inform country lending programs, (ii) Regional and Country Economic Reports: produces the Regional Economic Outlooks Reports, the Country Focus Reports, and the African Economic Outlook Country Notes to update on the economic, political and social developments in the country, (iii) Policy Dialogue: the department plays a key role in Country/Regional policy dialogues and in the Bank’s collaboration with other Development partners, including participation in Country Thematic Groups in line with Paris Declaration on Aid effectiveness and Accra Plan of Action, and (iv) Economic and Sector Work: the Country Economics Department leads in the research and analysis of economic and sector issues at the country level to inform the design of Bank’s strategy and programs in the country.
• The Country Economics Department is composed of the Office of the Senior Director (ECCE.0) the Lead Economists report to, and two (2) divisions, each overseen by a Division Manager: The Country Economics Department Division 1 (ECCE.1), which covers Central, North, and West Africa, and the Country Economics Division 2 (ECCE.2), which covers Nigeria, Eastern and Southern Africa. The two (2) Division Managers and the Lead Economists report to the Director of the Country Economics Department.

The position

• The Product Management Specialist works under the supervision of the Senior Director and the Division Managers in the Country Economics Department.
• S/he oversees all knowledge-related activities, including producing, peer-reviewing and approval processing, translating and editing as well as disseminating and sharing all the Department’s knowledge products. It includes Economic and Sector Works, Country Strategy Papers and other strategy-related documents (mid-term review, completion report, etc.),
• Regional Economic Outlooks Reports, the Country Focus Reports, and the African Economic Outlook Country Notes as well as Thought leadership pieces and other publications.

Key Functions
The Product Management Specialist will:

• Work closely with the authors, editors, translators, designers and peer-reviewers to ensure high-quality and timely delivery of all knowledge products in the Department.
• Help with the preparation and dissemination of all publications, including the 5 Regional Economic Outlooks and 54 Country Focus Reports.
• Target audience and strategically recommend presentation, leaflets, infographics or other communication media to promote knowledge products and enhance the Department’s visibility and credibility.  
• Manage event details such as venue, location, list of participants, key speakers and special guests, required equipment, etc.
• Produce key messages and talking points for the Senior Director and Division Managers.
• Work with the Bank’s communication officers to produce press releases and feed the Bank’s website.
• Act as focal point for internal and external communication.
• Contribute to the organization and logistics of meetings and the drafting and distribution of the minutes as well as the follow-up of actions items.
• Establish a pool of experts to peer-review and design documents.

Competencies (Skills, Experience, and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Information & Knowledge Management or other relevant fields and related disciplines.
• Have a minimum of four (4) years of relevant experience in Knowledge / Product Management or Communication.
• Strong communication skills, able to synthesize complex messages and articulate them in a concise, comprehensive and intelligible way for the varied target audiences.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, including a proven ability to think strategically, seeing the big picture without sacrificing the details.
• Excellent writing and editing skills in both French and English and experience producing high quality documents, managing the production of reports, articles, newsletters or other publications.
• Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner; present oral information with clarity and appropriate style and adapt language and style to the needs of a particular audience.
• Ability to work as a team, to build strong working relationships with colleagues and contribute to the creation of a positive environment for teamwork; Good interpersonal skills and ability to provide and receive feedback.
• Ability to handle the high-level demands of a complex organization, including the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Professionalism, maturity, reliability, integrity, adaptability and initiative are essential to perform this function
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel and SAP.