Current Positions at The African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

The Bank’s Chief Economist and Vice President, reports to the President and is responsible for providing leadership and visibility for the Bank on economic, financial and socio economic development issues. The incumbent must be a world class economist, with extensive experience in economics, finance, statistics, fiscal and economic management.

The Chief Economist and Vice President will lead analytical work to inform the Bank’s strategic directions and support Regional Member Countries through first-rate knowledge and technical policy support operations.

The Chief Economist and Vice President will be tasked to turn around and revamp the Economics Complex in the Bank, provide strategic re-orientation, build up a first rate group of macro-economists and Economic Policy analysts, that can provide top-notch economic and policy support to Regional Member Countries and private sector.

Duties and responsibilities

The African Development Bank is seeking a Chief Economist and Vice President to lead in revamping the complex, including developing a strong link to operations and providing macro-economic advise to its Member Countries, and position the Bank as the premier knowledge institution in the continent. Reporting to the President of the Bank, the Chief Economist and Vice President’s responsibilities are as follows:

• Frame and implement appropriate economic research agenda for the Bank at country, regional and global levels. In this regard provide leadership to undertake and disseminate research and related analysis on economic development and priority socio-economic issues in support of the policies and operations of the Bank as well as the knowledge base of its regional member countries (RMCs).
• Build national and regional institutions for economics and Policy Research, and develop relationships with RMCs, through sharpened understanding of their particular interests and concerns and providing authoritative advice and guidance on emerging economic and financial issues. Promote information sharing within and between Member Countries.
• Elevate the profile and advocate the incorporation of rigorous economic research and analysis into project design, implementation and evaluation.
• Provide leadership for the promotion of robust economic analysis, including development of the statistical capacities and systems in RMCs for the provision of timely and reliable data for policy dialogue and formulation.
• Provide leadership for timely periodic reporting of financial, and economic analysis with emphasis on RMCs and for the production and dissemination of relevant statistical data on Bank programs and projects.
• Provide direct support to the President and Senior Management of the Bank on a broad range of technical and management issues by providing reports, briefings and other information. Co-ordinate the Bank’s knowledge work and serve as editor of the Bank knowledge products. Develop and foster partnerships with relevant international and regional institutions to ensure coordination of activities and to leverage the Bank’s resources to the benefit of member states.  
• As assigned, represent the Bank’s management on economic and financial issues in international and regional fora and provide the leadership required to safeguard and strengthen stakeholder’s confidence in the Bank’s operations.
• Participate in the development of policies and innovative approaches to position the Bank as a learning/knowledge sharing organization.

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Hold a PhD degree in Economics with extensive experience in Macro-economics, Fiscal Management, Statistics, Finance, or related discipline.
• A minimum of 15 years relevant and demonstrable experience acquired in the area of development economics, academia or multilateral institutions. The last 5 years should be at a senior management level.
• Must be a visionary, with in-depth knowledge of the state of economic, financial and social development in Africa, within the wider global economy, and the linkages within different economic sectors as well as across regions.
• Commitment to consistent delivery of the highest quality outputs, with deep technical understanding and attention to detail.
• Strong outreach competencies with ability to confidently speak at international fora on economic development issues.  Excellent public  relations skills with all potential users of Bank knowledge work and statistics – the press, analysts, academics, professional bodies, MDBs and other international organizations, and government departments.
• A strong record of publications in the area of economic development, statistical systems development or capacity building with well delineated policy implications.
• Familiarity with the work of other multilateral and bilateral development finance institutions and the private sector, especially their roles in supporting economic reform and poverty reduction.
• Experience of working in large, multicultural organizations in the public or private sector with a diverse workforce and sensitivity to diversity concerns of staff and Boards of Directors.
• Established reputation and track record of performance, innovations and change management.
• Creativity in providing guidance on innovative and cutting-edge solutions to Africa’s economic challenges.
• Ability to listen and communicate effectively with oversight bodies such as Boards of Executive Directors and Governors and other senior management and government officials.
• Ability to think strategically and design long-term plans and programs to develop staff competences in line with strategic priorities.
• Ability to inspire, generate and sustain staff commitment and professional excellence.
• Good negotiating skills and ability to communicate orally and write effectively in English and/or French, with a working knowledge of the other.

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The Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Services reports to and supports the President in ensuring the delivery of efficient, people-centered, client-oriented, corporate services to ensure overall institutional effectiveness of the Bank in all its operations. 

The Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Services will lead the effort to digitalize and transform the Bank into a knowledge-driven workforce, promote human resources policies that enhance talent, drive a performance-driven culture, and ensure the competitiveness of the Bank as the employer of choice. Under the direction of the President, s/he will drive a new Corporate culture that rewards creativity and innovation and attracts and retains a world class workforce into the Bank.  

The Vice President will ensure that all Human Resources and Corporate Services are re-aligned to drive greater corporate performance and execution of the Bank’s strategic vision and priorities.

The Vice President supervises three departments i) Human Resources Management, ii) General Services and Institutional Procurements and iii) Corporate Information Technology Management, in addition to the Business Continuity Strategy and Planning and Medical Service operations.

Duties and responsibilities

• Providing leadership in the formulation and implementation of the Bank’s strategies in line with its mission as they relate to the People, Information Technology, General Services and Institutional procurements, Business Continuity, and Health and Safety Strategies.
• Oversee the administrative division structure and nurture the emergence of functioning teams in the organization, to ensure greater institutional coherence, collaborative culture and collective delivery of impactful results.
• Develop, enhance, implement and enforce policies and procedures that will ensure transparency, accountability and effectiveness across the organization in recruitments and promotions.
• Implement a transparent bank-wide performance management system that fosters productivity and promotes effective teamwork across the Bank.
• Provide strategic direction, management, leadership in Human Resources and talent management, and aligning budgets to the strategic direction and operational priorities of the Bank.
• Create mechanisms that nurture the emergence of innovation and creativity in the institutional culture and foster a work environment that supports the development of talents, knowledge-driven work force, with greater staff productivity.
• Oversee the management of Information Technology functions within the Bank including the deployment of a first-rate IT network system to ensure digitalization of all work processes and procedures to enhance performance and productivity in the organization.
• Lead the formulation of, and ensuring proper implementation and monitoring of policies and programs relating to business continuity management, procurement of assets, services and works.

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Strategic Management, Human Resources Management, Finance, Law, or any other related discipline.
• A minimum of 15 years relevant experience in Corporate Services and Human Resources Development, and driving institutional reforms in any large multinational finance institution, or public or private organization, of which  five (5) years has been at a senior management level.
• Excellent knowledge of multilateral and bilateral development of finance institution policies, guidelines and procedures, especially with respect to human resources, general services and information systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex institutional arrangements that deliver a high performing organization.
• Ability to manage a highly diverse work force, ensure gender balance, and develop a work environment that fosters team work and flexible hiring policies that attract and retain top talent.
• Established reputation in successfully delivering on change management within a large international organization.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated capacity for strategic planning.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English and/or French, with a working knowledge of one or the other.

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The Senior Vice President reports directly to and will support the President in the day-to-day management of the Bank.  S/he must be a top-performer and achiever, with extensive managerial experience in driving change and achieving transformative results.  The ideal candidate must be dynamic and results-driven with a proven record of effectively running large and complex international institutions (public and private).

Extensive senior-level experience in multilateral development finance institutions will be a distinct advantage. The incumbent will support the President to drive and deliver the Bank’s operations across Africa and ensure a performance-driven culture with sharp focus on institutional efficiency and effectiveness.

Duties and responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the incumbent will include, amongst, the following:

• Support the President to deliver on the Strategic direction of the Bank and drive a performance culture that will align all processes and systems to deliver high impact results.
• Streamline all processes and systems of the Bank to become more efficient, effective and build accountability systems for results and performance.
• Support the President in the day-to-day management of the Bank’s affairs, lead senior management discussions and decisions as well as the implementation of key board and management decisions.
• Ensure day-to-day management of the Bank with due regard to efficiency, effectiveness and results and undertake tasks delegated by the President.
• Build organizational capability and effectiveness and provide operational guidance, cross sectoral and cross-complex leadership in the execution of the Bank’s programs and activities.
• Ensure strategy execution, corporate planning and efficient coordination to achieve corporate coherence.
• Lead and coordinate the effective implementation and monitoring of key corporate decisions as well as the identification of necessary corrective measures and actions.
• Supervise the Units/Departments directly reporting to his/her Office, namely: Strategy and Operational Policies, Results and Quality Assurance, Business Development Office, Delivery and Performance Management Office, Staff Appeals Committee, Ombudsman, Director Senior Vice President’s Office, Programming and Budget, Operations Committee Secretariat, Asia External Representation Office, Decentralization and Sanctions Office.
• Chair Senior Management Committees including Senior Management Coordinating Committee (SMCC) and Operations Committee (OpsCom) as well as other Bank-wide committees’ discussions as appropriate bringing to the attention of the President any issues arising.
• Advise the President on emerging issues of corporate significance for strategy management, resource allocation and performance monitoring.
• Provide guidance and support to Vice Presidents in the execution of their functions.

In the discharge of his/her duties, the Senior Vice President will as needed:

• Bring together virtual teams from time to time to facilitate effective coordination between different Complexes.
• Undertake periodic assessments of progress on specific corporate issues which span across Complexes and advise the President accordingly.

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• At least, a Master’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Finance, Economics or other relevant fields.
• A minimum of fifteen (15) years of relevant direct private or development sector experience of which 10 years will be at senior management level.
• Excellent capacity for strategic leadership and ability to drive result and execution.
• Solid credibility on development issues, underpinned by multiple regional/global and cross-sectoral experience; understanding of both public and private sector perspectives; experience in change management would be an asset.
• Strong motivation and ability to work under pressure, to drive the achievement of organisational goals and results.
• Demonstrated superior leadership qualities, first-rate interpersonal skills, strategic mindset with ability to balance long-term and short-term trade-offs and the ability to manage change.
• Excellent technical, analytical skills and established operational track record of excellence in achieving results.
• Proven ability to identify and articulate policy issues, tradeoffs and priorities to provide sound advice.
• Demonstrated ability to work across institutional boundaries with various teams, build and lead a team of professional staff, and utilize talent and expertise of team members in a productive way.
• Ability to build partnerships and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution.
• Demonstrated ability to produce high quality work on a variety of issues within very short deadlines, to take prudent risks and make effective and timely decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and synthesize complex issues (translated into effective oral and written communications).
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to work under pressure and maintain a high degree of successful performance in a multicultural and complex environment.
• Proven track record of building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively mentor and guide groups of professional staff and design training/skills enhancement initiatives to ensure effective transfer of knowledge/skills.
• Ability to communicate and defend orally and in writing, complex issues and positions to Senior Bank Management, the Board of Executive Directors, Government officials, Civil Society Organizations, etc.
• Ability to operate effectively in a matrix management environment, both as team leader and team member.
• Ability to deal sensitively in a multi-cultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft software (e.g. Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).