Job Vacancies at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

Reference: ADB/19/222
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'ivoire
Grade: PL2
Position N°: 50069159

The Complex

• The President plans, supervises and manages the business of the Bank Group. Under the direction of the Boards of Directors, the President conducts the business of the Bank and the African Development Fund and manages operations and activities in accordance with the Agreements establishing the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund. The President supervises several Departments and Units including the Office of the President (PRST0); the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Office (PIAC); the Office of the Auditor General (PAGL); the Group Chief Risk Officer and Risk Management Department; the Office of the General Counsel and Legal Services Department (PGCL);the Communications and External Relations Department; the Ethics Office (PETH) and the Office of the Secretary General & General Secretariat

The Hiring Department

• The role of the Office of the General Counsel and Legal Services Department (PGCL) is to deliver legal advice and services to the statutory organs of the Bank Group, comprising the Boards of Governors and the Boards Directors of the Bank Group (the Bank), to Senior Management, to Directorate General Hubs and more generally to the Bank Group as a whole. PGCL’s role is also to protect the interests of the Bank from legal liability and, as necessary, to provide legal defence in cases filed against or brought by the Bank.

The Position
The job of Lead Counsel & Advisor to the General Counsel is established to achieve the following objectives:

• Support the General Counsel as a direct report to the President in his/her duties as the principal legal adviser to the Boards of Governors, the Boards of Directors, their subsidiary organs and the President.
• Assist the General Counsel in his/her duties in representing the Bank in all litigation before internal adjudicatory machinery, as well as in cases of outside arbitral and judicial proceedings.
• Ensure the mentoring of staff under his/her supervision.
• Ensure the correct interpretation of, and compliance with, the various Policies, Procurement and Administrative Rules and Regulations of the Bank, as well as carry out the day-to-day administrative management of the Front Office of the General Counsel.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision and guidance of the General Counsel -PGCL, the Lead Counsel & Advisor to the General Counsel will:

• Assist the General Counsel in his/her role as the principal legal advisor of the governing bodies of the Bank and its Management, in providing legal support and services to the Boards of Governors, Boards of Directors, their subsidiary organs and Management of the Bank.
• Prepare drafts of all legal instruments for the governance of the Bank for clearance by the General Counsel, ensuring conformity with constitutive agreements, rules and regulations of the Bank.
• Assist the General Counsel in ensuring that the policies of the Bank conform to sound legal principles in line with the practices of other international financial institutions.
• Support the General Counsel in representing the Bank in negotiations with member states, other international organizations, as well as representing and defending the Bank in arbitral and judicial proceedings.
• Support the General Counsel in leading, planning, directing, managing and coordinating the work of the Legal Services Department to ensure responsiveness, effectiveness and high-level delivery on all legal matters, and also advance strategic directions of the Bank.
• Assist the General Counsel in driving a performance-based system in the Department to ensure accountability and high-level productivity.
• Support the General Counsel in directing and managing all activities related to providing advice and assistance to all organizational units of the Bank on legal aspects of institutional, financial, operational and administrative matters.
• Assist the General Counsel in preparing all legal instruments necessary for all Bank Capital Increases, ADF Replenishment Negotiations, as well as ensuring that all resource mobilization activities of the Bank Group are carried out in conformity with the provisions of the constitutive instruments of the Bank Group.
• Assist the General Counsel in eensuring quality control as well as compliance with the Bank’s policies and procedures with respect to the provision of legal services in all aspects of the sovereign and non-sovereign operations of the Bank Group.
• In consultation with the General Counsel, conceive and prepare the budget framework document of the Department, as well as control the general administrative, strategic policy directions and orientations of the Department.
• Suggest solutions to legal issues of a complex and confidential nature in accordance with instructions from the General Counsel and other Senior Management Staff of the Bank.
• Provide legal advice and briefs to the General Counsel on matters to be addressed at Senior Management Coordination Committee Meetings, as well as Board Meetings as directed by the General Counsel.
• Participate as requested, in meetings of the Credit Risk Committee and issue pertinent legal advice as maybe required for the smooth conduct of the activities of the Committee, on behalf of the General Counsel.
• Support the General Counsel in establishing and maintaining contacts with the legal profession outside the Bank and arranging for the Bank Group to obtain the best legal advice and services

Selection Criteria

• A Master’s degree in Law, and admission to the Bar of one of the African Development Bank member countries; or A Bachelor’s degree with a relevant combination of academic qualification in law, e.g. Juris Doctor (JD), along with admission to the Bar of one of the African Development Bank member countries.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant experience in similar jobs, preferably in a Multilateral Development Bank.
• Demonstrated leadership, communication, team building, inter-personal, writing and analytical skills.
• Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous and shifting demands, priorities and tight deadlines.
• High-level skills in communication and negotiation, as well as the ability to build partnerships with a broad range of clients and deliver results that meet the needs of the General Counsel and Legal Services Department’s work program.
• Combined specialization and expertise in the knowledge of the administrative set-up, organization and texts of the Bank.
• Seasoned knowledge in current trends in development and familiarity with international law, and related matters within the Bank and other international organizations.
• Strong skills in the preparation of complex legal documents, including briefs and confidential legal opinions, preparing certificates, leading the negotiation of complex projects and programs, and other transactions of a similar nature.
• Capacity to conceive and supervise the negotiation of complex legal documents of all manners and form that balance the standards and norms of outside parties with the unique requirements of the Bank.
• Solid experience in applying legal knowledge to deliver the full scope of strategic legal services in line with the Bank’s strategy requirements.
• Client and results oriented individual.
• Effective consulting and advisory skills that enable clients and help resolve their legal questions.
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues in a multi-cultural environment and to build effective working relations with colleagues.
• Ability to lead independently and supervise a multicultural team.
• Ability to  drive and manage change.
• Ability to be flexible and open minded.
• Ability to work and deal with sensitive issues in a multi-cultural environment, as well as to build effective working relations with colleagues.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English and/or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other language.

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Reference: ADB/19/223
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'ivoire
Grade: LP5
Position N°: 50064289

The Complex

• The Vice-Presidency for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery is responsible for operational relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s operational programmes, and activities. The Vice-Presidency for Regional Development will ensure that the Bank operates successfully across its Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and oversee the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s Regional Directorates.

The Hiring Department

• The East Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Centre oversees 14 RMCs and 6 country offices. The Rwanda Country Office Manager reports to the Director General for the East African Region.
• Under the administrative authority of the Country Office Manager, the Senior Transport Engineer reports directly to the Division Manager, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation (RDGE.3) of the  Regional Development, Integration and Service Delivery Directorate for East Africa.

The Position

• Under the overall supervision of the Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation (RDGE.3) Division Manager, the incumbent will be responsible for all activities related to project management and loan administration with respect to the development of the Bank Group's transport infrastructure and urban development portfolio as defined in the duties and responsibilities of the Rwanda Country Office, including the coordination of related programmes with government, civil society and local bodies, the private sector and development partners.
• The incumbent will contribute to knowledge management efforts and ensure that best practices and lessons learned in transport management and institutional/governance approaches are reflected in project design.

The position of Senior Transport Engineer will have the following work objectives:

• Act as the Bank's expert for transport services and infrastructure.
• Develop and implement transport projects.
• Strengthen and maintain the Bank's understanding of the transport sector and its role in Rwanda's development.
• Mobilize resources for targeted activities as part of the Bank's work.
• Provide advice on future Bank and Rwanda investments in the sector.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the  Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation Division (RDGE3) Division Manager, the incumbent will have the following responsibilities:

• Contribute to the preparation and evaluation of strategies and policies for the development of infrastructure sectors (transport, urban infrastructure, etc.) in collaboration with government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders;
• Participate in the preparation of terms of reference and monitoring of studies relevant to the infrastructure sectors, contribute to the examination and review of study reports and propose actions to be taken by the Bank;
• Participate in missions for the identification, preparation and evaluation of studies, transport and urban development infrastructure projects/programmes and reform support programmes in these sectors in support of the Bank's strategy and contribute to the drafting and review of reports;
• Participate in project launch, supervision mid-term review, completion and portfolio review missions for transport sector projectsand contribute to the preparation of reports;
• Provide advice and expertise to the heads of implementing agencies on transport sector issues and priorities, technical aspects of projects and the Bank's rules and procedures, including procurement of goods and services, disbursement procedures;
• Provide expertise in the review of bid evaluation reports and conduct the evaluation of technical and financial proposals for contracts related to project implementation;
• Follow up on recommendations made in supervision, mid-term review, portfolio review and audit reports with due attention to project monitoring and evaluation;
• Carry out analytical and sector work to inform and support the Bank's downstream involvement in the design of transport sector projects and programmes;
• Collaborate with other development partners to harmonize approaches, share experiences, and continuously improve practices, and integrate transport sector policy commitments into project management;
• Develop partnerships with the private sector, bilateral and multilateral agencies on issues within the Directorate's mandate;
• Prepare transportation project fiches identified with borrowers for inclusion in the project pipeline;
• Carry out any other related tasks assigned by the Regional Operations Division Manager or Country Office Manager.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master's Degree, DEA, DESS or an equivalent degree in Civil Engineering or Public Works or an equivalent degree in a Transport-related discipline such as transport planning and engineering, or in transport economics. Training in public policy or public administration will be a plus;
• Preferably have at least six (6) years of experience in the transport sector and a proven ability to work on policy, institutional and financial aspects of transport infrastructure projects, construction and maintenance, management and procurement, capital and maintenance planning and programming, knowledge of private sector involvement and the link with economic development and poverty reduction;
• Be able to apply technical skills in a team leadership role to solve and manage issues related to the design and implementation of transport projects/programmes from an overall development objective of poverty reduction;
• Have proven experience in the formulation of transport policies and strategies, transport sector development and urban development programmes and the implementation of transport sector reforms, including legal, regulatory, institutional and privatisation reforms
• Strong experience and ability to conduct sectoral dialogue on transport policy issues (public sector reform, public finance, private sector participation and regulation) and analytical capacity to integrate policy and institutional development aspects into a wide range of transport sector issues;
• Have a good knowledge of methodologies and techniques for analysis, planning and programming of the transport, tariff regulation, economic and security sector as well as sectoral governance issues and the impacts of climate change;
• Competence in decision-making, teamwork and personal motivation;
• Ability to communicate effectively written and spoken in English and/ or French with a good working knowledge of French and/or English. Being bilingual is a plus
• Proficiency in the use of the Bank's current software (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, SAP and/or other ERP systems would be an asset.