Latest Jobs at African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Position Number: 50104678 / 50104679
Position Grade: GS6

The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF)

• The African Legal Support Facility (“ALSF” or “Facility”) is an international public organization dedicated to providing legal advice and technical assistance to African countries in matters pertaining to creditor litigation and complex commercial transactions.
• The goal of the Facility is to remove asymmetric technical capacities and level the field of legal expertise among parties during litigation and negotiations.
• The Facility strives to further development in Africa by removing obstacles to realizing the benefits of debt relief through its work in vulture fund litigation. It also provides advisory services to improve the negotiating capabilities of its member countries.
• Through all of its activities the Facility aims to build additional legal capacity on the continent. The ALSF is hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
• The African Legal Support Facility ("ALSF" or the "Facility") established by Treaty on December 22, 2008. Its membership is open to (a) all AfDB member states; (b) other states; (c) AfDB; and (d) other international organizations or institutions.
• The Facility currently has 60 members, comprising 53 countries and 7 international organizations. ALSF's main objectives include: (i) assisting AfDB’s Regional Member Countries(RMCs) address litigation brought against them by vulture funds (and other such entities); (ii) creating an avenue for AfDB’ s RMCs to access technical advice when negotiating complex commercial transactions (especially in the area of infrastructure and natural resources); and (iii) investing in and organizing the training of legal counsel from RMCs to equip them with legal expertise necessary to better represent their countries.
• The ALSF also develops and proposes innovative tools for capacity building and knowledge management.

The Position

• The Department Assistant in the Operations Department, Capacity Building/Knowledge Management (ALSFOP1) or Energy/Power (ALSFOP3), works on the basis of general instructions, own experience and precedents, following specific procedures and practices to ensure smooth workflow in the Department and respective Divisions.  
• Most of the work is controlled for correctness and appropriateness by the incumbent. The job also requires strict confidentiality.  The job holder is required to review the work and ensure that it meets expectations of the Department in terms of overall quality.
• The Department Assistant is relied upon to brief/assist team members of the Department and Division on specific administrative procedures and practices such as travel arrangement, meeting organizations Facility’s administrative standard formats etc.
• The objective of the job is to ensure smooth flow of work of the Operations Departments: Capacity Building/Knowledge Management Unit (ALSFOP1) and Power/Energy Unit (ALSFO3. Specifically, the job holder is expected to:
  • Provide administrative support to the Operations Departments: Capacity Building (Knowledge Management (ALSFOP1) and Power/Energy Units (ALSFO3), through a direct working relationship.
  • Coordinate multiple and diverse work processes and activities in the Department thus ensuring that management decisions are effectively carried out within the Department.
  • Serve as an intermediary between the Department Heads, the Units and staff of the Department as well as the Facility as a whole and external audiences.

Key Functions
Under the overall supervision of the Operations Department Heads, the Department Assistant performs the following:

Workflow Management:

• Receive and register all incoming and outgoing documents for the Department.
• Ensure that documents presented for Department Head’s signatures are complete, with necessary attachments and background documents.
• Draft general or administrative correspondence on own initiative or on the basis of instructions and finalize for the Department Head.
• Verify that outgoing correspondence is presented in accordance with the Facility’s accepted formats and check on probable typographical errors, presentation, completeness and procedural accuracy of all documents submitted to the Departments and Heads of Unit for clearance, approval or signature.
• Review and classify priority and important correspondences and submit accordingly.
• Follow-up and ensure that target dates and deadlines are met using appropriate tracking tools, and that correspondence and queries are responded in a timely manner.
• Channel correspondence for action by the Head of the concerned Departments.

Communication and Liaison:

• Receive visitors and telephone calls with tact and discretion, and act according to the nature and urgency of each, including redirecting to the concerned as appropriate.
• Screen the Head of the Department's calls/visitors, make appointments for visitors to meet the concerned Managers.
• Provide background information to the Head of Department for appointments with official visitors and/or staff members.
• Relay information between the Head of Department and other staff members of the departments.
• Follow up on work deadlines with other Departments.
• Schedule weekly team and ad hoc meetings for the Heads of Departments, according to schedules and the Head of concerned Department's Agenda for the week.
• Arrange time and venue for meetings, collect necessary background materials of meetings needed from the relevant Departments; Remind the Head of Departments and other staff members about scheduled meetings.
• Write meeting reports/minutes of meetings.

Record Keeping And Documentation:

• Maintain a filing system in both hard and soft copies to meet the needs of the Departments.
• Keep a weekly calendar of activities that shows all meetings to be attended by the Head of Department as well as by other staff members. It also includes all external visits to the Department.
• Obtain briefing and background materials for meetings, seminars, workshops, etc. to be attended by the team's staff, checking their availability and ensuring they have the appropriate briefing files and documents.
• Maintain Contact address / Mailing directory of partners working with the Departments.

Office Administration:

• Make travel arrangements for the Heads of Departments including tickets, hotel reservation, etc.
• Assist in preparation of presentations using PowerPoint and other software packages on own initiative or on the basis of instructions.
• Photocopy and send correspondences when the need arises.
• Undertake any other task as assigned by the Heads of the Departments.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• A minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Commerce, Administration or related discipline, preferably supplemented with courses in   Administration/Office Management or Secretarial Studies.
• A minimum of four (4) years of progressively relevant and practical experience, in an executive office preferably in an international organization, Development Banks or similar institutions.
• Good organisational, budgeting and planning skills will be highly desirable.
• Good organizational, analytical and writing skills, ability to make sound judgments and decisions.
• Ability to work under pressure in the dynamic setting of an international and multicultural setting.
• Speedy and efficient handing of internal and external requests.
• Ability to work and cooperate with others from diverse background.
• Excellent working knowledge and experience in administrative and sectorial skills and duties.
• Strong customer service skills, good organizational skills, ability to multitask, attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure and with a diverse workforce.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French, with a good working
• Knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access and Power Point), knowledge of SAP or other ERP system would be an added advantage
• Excellent levels of initiative, enthusiasm and team spirit, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to interpret ALSF policies, guidelines and procedures.

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Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Position Grade: GS7
Position Number: 50104676/50104677

The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF)

• The African Legal Support Facility (“ALSF” or “Facility”) is an international public organization dedicated to providing legal advice and technical assistance to African countries in matters pertaining to creditor litigation and complex commercial transactions.
• The goal of the Facility is to remove asymmetric technical capacities and level the field of legal expertise among parties during litigation and negotiations. The Facility strives to further development in Africa by removing obstacles to realizing the benefits of debt relief through its work in vulture fund litigation.
• It also provides advisory services to improve the negotiating capabilities of its member countries. Through all of its activities the Facility aims to build additional legal capacity on the continent. The ALSF is hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB).
• The African Legal Support Facility ("ALSF" or the "Facility") established by Treaty on December 22, 2008. Its membership is open to (a) all AfDB member states; (b) other states; (c) AfDB; and (d) other international organizations or institutions.
• The Facility currently has 60 members, comprising 53 countries and 7 international organizations. ALSF's main objectives include: (i) assisting AfDB’s Regional Member Countries(RMCs) address litigation brought against them by vulture funds (and other such entities); (ii) creating an avenue for AfDB’ s RMCs to access technical advice when negotiating complex commercial transactions (especially in the area of infrastructure and natural resources); and (iii) investing in and organizing the training of legal counsel from RMCs to equip them with legal expertise necessary to better represent their countries.
• The ALSF also develops and proposes innovative tools for capacity building and knowledge management.

The Position
As part of the African Legal Support Facility, the Administrative Assistant will:

• Perform administrative and personnel support functions including such tasks as the provision of and administrative services to support the planning and/or implementation of projects or activities within the Operations or Institutional Departments.
• Maintain administrative and budgetary control records.
• Requisition of office supplies and equipment; classify and code material relating to a number of subject matter areas; make arrangements for shipment and receipt of office and project supplies and equipment or material.

Key Functions
Under the supervision of the Head of the Operations or Institutional Departments, the Administrative Assistant will be responsible for the following:

Workflow Management:

• Devise and maintain office systems to deal efficiently with paper flow; organize and store paperwork, documents and computer-based information; these include the management of the filing and retrieval system.
• Track and follow up on documents: deal with incoming email, faxes, post and correspondence.
• Distribute documents from the Department and maintain a follow up system as required.

Meetings:

• Prepare documents, briefing papers, reports, spreadsheets and presentations.
• Acts as secretary at meetings. Draft minutes of meetings; establishes a reporting system on all decisions taken during the meetings for follow up of implementation of outstanding decisions.
• Processes schedule of the Department meetings within the ALSF.
• Processes the request to incur representation expenses; follow up of actions to be taken by concerned services.

Administration:

• Devises and maintains efficient office systems.
• Tracks and follows up on documents, deal with correspondence and general correspondence and briefs.
• Manages the flow of information by receiving, examining, sorting and monitoring the ALSF’s incoming and outgoing mail, taking into account the priority and urgency of the documents concerned; organizes logical filing of this correspondence.
• Handles incoming and outgoing telephone-calls.
• Establishes and update the agenda and electronic mail address book.
• Drafts mail and documents in conformity with administrative instructions.
• Drafts memoranda and acknowledgement letters to be submitted, along with their background documents, for the Departments Head’s signature.
• Makes necessary arrangements for visiting delegations.
• Assists in and advises the Departments Head on a variety of administrative and personnel matters.
• Establishes stock control system for the management of office supplies and other ALSF’s properties (personal computers, printers, etc.); centralizes requests for office supplies submitted by staff within the Department and makes provisions in order to ensure distribution of the required items.
• Advises on the allocation of support staff to meet priorities, workload and timeliness.
• Negotiates with CHGS on allocation of appropriate office space for the ALSF by providing justifications; responsible for organizing and coordinating office moving operations.
• Coordinates and submits staff missions, BTOR’s and training programs.
• Contributes to the preparation of the annual budget submission for the ALSF: Collects facts and presents them for decision making; recording data, monitoring and reporting on the Department budget implementation level; Initiates actions on expenses to be incurred, processing requests for recruitment of short-term staff and consultants, missions, with particular attention to the procedures, follow-up of the required travel authorizations, contracts and payments.
• Manage systems, creates and process expenses reports in MIS/SAP

Reporting and Correspondence:

• Consolidates the Departments reports and the reporting on level of work executed and following up with Departments Heads and staff on relevant documents.
• Drafts correspondence that requires research and/or discussion on administrative and technical matters including information memoranda to staff and various self-explanatory memoranda to obtain information from other Units.
• Liaise with professional staff in the Departments to obtain information for special and ongoing projects.

Secretarial Duties:

• Ensure maintenance of enough stocks of stationery and other basic office requisites.
• Track and follow-up on documents, deal with incoming emails, faxes and general mails.
• Handle internal and general public enquiries; screen telephone calls and requests and handle them as appropriate; welcome and look after visitors; organize and maintain electronic diaries and make appointments.
• Maintain confidential records and filing of reports, correspondence and related material for ease of referral.
• Source internal and external documents for research purposes and ascertain the methods and techniques required to undertake related projects.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• A minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Commerce, Administration or related discipline, preferably supplemented with courses in Administration/Office Management or Secretarial studies (BTS or DUT).
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively relevant and practical experience, in an executive
• office preferably in an international organization.
• Good organisational, budgeting and planning skills will be highly desirable.
• Good organizational, analytical and writing skills, ability to make sound judgments and decisions.
• Ability to work under pressure in the dynamic setting of an international and multicultural setting.
• Speedy and efficient handing of internal and external requests.
• Ability to work and cooperate with others from diverse background.
• Excellent working knowledge and experience in administrative and sectorial skills and duties.
• Strong customer service skills, good organizational skills, ability to multi task, attention to detail and ability to work under pressure and with a diverse workforce.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access and Power Point), knowledge of SAP or other ERP system would be an added advantage
• Excellent levels of initiative, enthusiasm and team spirit, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to interpret ALSF policies, guidelines and procedures.