Senior Country Economist 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 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 / Divisons

• 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 through (i) Strategy Documents: leading and contributions to 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 (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 Positions

• Senior Country Economists work under the supervision of the Division Managers in the Country Economics Department and the Lead Economists for the region (on technical matters), and report administratively to Country Managers in charge of their countries of assignment.
• They also work in close collaboration with other internal and external stakeholders, under the guidance of the Lead Economist.
• The Senior Country Economists will focus on macroeconomic and economic development work to deepen country knowledge, strengthen the Bank’s policy dialogues with country, regional, continental and global policymakers, preparation of Economic and Sector Works and coordination of the preparation of Country Strategy Papers and other relevant documents (mid-term review, completion report, etc.).
• Under the Bank’s matrix system, the Senior Country Economist, who is a member of the Country Economics Department, will have a solid reporting line to the relevant ECCE Division Manager and a dotted reporting line to Country Manager where she/he is based.  

Key Functions
The Senior Country Economists will:

• Analyse the economic and financial situations of assigned Regional Member Countries, using internal and external information sources, and determine the implications for the programming and updating of Bank Group operations such as defined in the Country Strategy Paper.
• Contribute to the preparation and dissemination of Bank’s flagship publications and the publication of the Country Economics Department, including the African Economic Outlook, Regional Economic Outlooks and Country Focus Reports.
• Support the Business Delivery Units (Regional department and country office) in the dialogue with the National Authorities and other stakeholders (Donors, CSO, Private sector, etc) with regular briefs and update on the economic and financial situations, preparation, and participations to meetings.
• Undertake assigned Economic and Sector Work (including Country Diagnostic Notes), focusing on issues of governance profiling; and papers on relevant economic and financial issues in the development process; Country Notes for African Economic Outlook reports, Country Focus Reports, etc.
• Identify, prepare, evaluate, and monitor the implementation of economic programmes, including macroeconomic programmes.
• Coordinate the preparation of Country Strategy Papers, based on the Regional Member Countries’ development strategies.
• Maintain effective communication with the sector departments and other relevant units in the Bank and an active participation in review meetings (Country /regional team meetings) to ensure a coordinated approach in the implementation of the Bank’s Strategy and lending operations in assigned countries.
• Participate in Country Portfolio Reviews.
• Participate in the preparation and monitoring of the implementation of measures under budget support loans.
• Participate in aid coordination activities with bilateral and multilateral donors, with emphasis on promoting the co-financing of knowledge products, projects, and programmes.
• Undertake Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA).
• Participate in the preparation of Country Fragility and Resilience Assessment, Country Risk Assessment, etc.
• Participate in the preparation of ECCE Divisions’ budget and in the recruitment of consultants; prepare annual and triennial knowledge work programme and briefs on economic and sectoral developments, economic reforms programmes.
• Develop and build client relations at all levels and plays a promotional role in generating new knowledge activities and related business for the Bank.

Competencies (Skills, Experience, and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Master's Degree in Economics and other relevant fields and related disciplines.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in macroeconomic policy analysis and management issues and the economics of development at international level, gained in international organizations or relevant national institutions, working on African development issues and country strategy papers preparation.
• Strong planning and organizational skills, including a proven ability to think strategically, seeing the big picture without sacrificing the details, negotiation skills and team building skills, as well as a credible ability to influence and present ideas.
• Capacity to connect, understand and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to handle the high-level demands of a complex organization, including the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Good grasp of the developing countries issues.
• Solid technical and quantitative skills as an applied development macroeconomist.
• Proven experience and record in economic modelling and forecasting.
• Competence in the use of at least one standard econometric software for empirical analysis.
• Very good knowledge of portfolio management and demonstrated knowledge of economics and analytical skills.
• Strong experience in policy dialogue, as well as fragility assessment knowledge and skills.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills and ability to deliver results on time.
• Problem solving capabilities coupled to innovation skills and change management.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in French or English, depending on the official language of the country, with a good working knowledge of the other language. Spanish or Portuguese would be an added advantage for candidates for Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications.