Senior Operations Officer at African Development Bank - AfDB

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’ is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy High 5s priorities of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”. The complex objectives are (i) to develop policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pools of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; and (iii) develop new financing instruments.
• The Vice President will act as the spokesperson to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and Improve Quality of Life for the People.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department, within the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex, spearheads the achievement of the High 5s on “Improving the Quality of Life of People in Africa” and contributes to the other High 5s. The Department also leads on the implementation of the Bank wide Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy. The Department has two divisions (i) Education, Human Capital and Employment Division, which focuses on scaling-up of Bank’s support to higher education and skills development; and (ii) Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division, which focuses on strengthening health systems, social protection and nutrition for human wellbeing.
• In the regions, Human capital, Youth and Skills development Department has a Regional Division which covers countries in Southern Africa. This Regional Division focuses on Pipeline development, Lending delivery, and Portfolio management for all social sector (Education/Skills Development, Health, Social Protection, Nutrition, Youth Employment) in Southern Africa. It also develops Coordination, Client Relations and Partnerships in these countries.

The Position

• The objective of the Operations Officer will be to support a team of different operations professionals in human capital development, including the Sector Manager and Task Managers in the implementation of their operational work programs.
• The responsibilities of the Operations Officer will include the collection, analysis and provision of data and necessary for the execution of the work program.
• The Operations Officer, in the performance of his duties, facilitates the work and decision-making for the management and work teams of the division concerned.

Key Functions
Under the supervision of the Sector Manager, Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division (AHHD2), and working closely with internal and external stakeholders, the Operations Officer shall:

• Database administration: Contribute to the maintenance of a database for the division’s work program on lending (Sovereign & Non-sovereign), pipeline, portfolio and non-lending operations (also referred to as the division’s delivery dashboard) including special initiatives and Trust Fund funded activities.
• Lending and Portfolio Tracking: ensure continuous monitoring of the division’s lending and portfolio
• Contribute to the preparation of weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, and ad hoc reports on the management and performance of the division's work program, including but not limited to loan/grant effectiveness, supervision tracking and rating, disbursement trends, status of project audits, loans/grants qualifying for cancellation, and status of Project Completion Reports.
• Provide direct and indirect operational support, to the Manager and Task Managers, that contributes to effective project management, and delivery of the division or the department’s work program.
• Coordinate the preparation and monitoring of the division’s quarterly mission program.
• Budget preparation and implementation: Coordinate the preparation of the three-yearly rolling budget exercise for the division based on inputs from the Division’s staff.
• Budget execution: Monitor the division’s budget utilization on weekly basis and provide advice to the Manager on the appropriate actions to optimize budget utilization and align resource allocation to business needs, including through transfers, reallocations of resources and identification of budget gaps where appropriate.
• Corporate procurement: Support with the recruitment of goods and services (individual and firms) using the Bank’s administrative budget, including the contract processing through SAP.
• Contribute to the organization of division’s events such as retreats, workshops, seminar, by providing adequate support on logistics related aspects including the recruitment of consultants, service providers and contract management.
• Participate in the identification, preparation, appraisal and supervision of the Division’s projects.
• Key resource person: serve as the division’s focal point on matters related to Budget, SRAS, ATRS, and key Bank’s operations related business tools such as SAP, TFMS, BPPS and BRAG, etc. As need arise, facilitate Task Manager Training on the use of these business tools.
• Report on the accuracy and completeness of SAP, BPPS, TFMS, SRAS, BRAG and ATRS data regarding the division’s operations, portfolio and budget.
• Perform any other related duties required by the Sector Manager.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Master's Degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Information technology, or any related field.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in compiling management information, analyzing data, which could include a proven track record in various fields of operations, including portfolio management and reporting.
• Demonstrates active listening skills by paying full attention and asking questions in order to clarify client and stakeholder needs and to gather required information.
•  Excellent written, communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to prepare documents and reports that are concise, well-organized, and appropriately focused on the most critical points that are relevant to the target audience.
• Utilize charts, graphs, and other presentation techniques to communicate complex data simply.
• Understands and is able to apply basic project management concepts, standard tools, methodologies, and processes to adequately support business delivery.
• Experience working in a team in a multicultural, multidisciplinary, and professional environment.
• Excellent written and/or verbal communication skills and English and/or French, with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint). Knowledge of SAP would be an advantage.