Principal Policy Officers at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

Reference: ADB/17/068
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50091207 and 50065685

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 the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund.

The President supervises several Departments and Units including the Office of the President; Independent Development Evaluation Department; Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department; Compliance Review and Mediation Unit; Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board; Administrative Tribunal; Office of the Auditor General; Group Risk Management Directorate; General Counsel and Legal Services Department; Communication and External Relations Department;  Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption ;  Ethics Office and Office of the Secretary General & General Secretariat .

The Hiring Department

• The Office of the President assists the President in planning, supervising and managing the business of the Bank Group.
• The Office of the President monitors, coordinates and supervises the implementation of various Bank programs including administrative issues relating to Directors reporting to the Office of the President;
• Prepares and organizes the President’s missions and represents the Bank, in line with the President’s instructions, at international conferences and meetings and on working missions to member countries;
• Prepares and organizes meetings with Bank’s Senior Management, and facilitates follow-up on the decisions of these meetings; reviews, evaluates and gives advice on communication and interaction between the Presidency and the various organs of the Bank;
• Ensures the effective and timely implementation of Board and Management decisions; provides effective administrative and logistic support to facilitate implementation of the President’s programs; and prepares, monitors and submits summaries of audit reports to the President and follows up on the implementation of the recommendations of the reports.

The Position

• The Policy Officer’s primary function is to ensure the President’s awareness of policy issues ranging from energy, agriculture industrialization, etc. and shape the Bank’s position in these areas.
• The incumbent will also assist in the research and provide the President and his cabinet with strong research and evidence that can assist in influencing and changing policy.  The Policy Officer will gather data on the 5 key priorities of the Bank using existing information or generating new data through research. 
• He/she will also study how well current policies are working and recommend changes.  The Officer is expected to communicate all findings to the President and provide information to the Special Assistant and Speechwriter to ensure the President is always up to date on all social policy issues.
• The Principal Policy Officer to the President will work directly with the President and report to Chief of Staff & Director of Cabinet.

Duties and Responsibilities

•  Analyse the economic and financial situations of regional member countries using both internal and external information sources and determine the implications for the Bank;
• Contribute to the preparation of major Bank Documents including the Annual Report and other key documents.
• Ensure the integration of the High 5s (Light up & power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa) in all materials disseminated from the Presidency and by the bank;
• Reviewing and commenting on the content and quality (pertinence to the development and poverty reduction  problems  of the Regional Member Countries,  clarity,  consistency,  feasibility,  etc.) of  strategy papers  and other operations  documents;
• Maintain effective communication with the sector departments and other relevant units in the Bank to ensure a coordinated approach in the implementation of the Bank’s strategy and the High 5s;
• Coordinate activities on issues in the domain of development macroeconomics and finance, and assist Bank Group sector specialists by rendering advice in the preparation of sector policies;
• Provide technical and practical advice and recommendations to the President and Special Assistant in order to improve the quality of products emanating from the Cabinet;
• Coordinate the development of Sector and Operational Policies and Guidelines: Formulation of policies, strategies, guidelines, formats and manuals with a bearing on enhancing the development effectiveness of the Bank Group's policy support operations;
• Review and Update Bank Group Sector Policies and related Guidelines - updating the Bank Group Policies and guidelines in line with lessons learnt as well as best practices at sister institutions, requests of the Board of Directors, and the evolving need to further deepen the quality of operations in the Bank; and liaising and maintaining close working relationship with bilateral and multilateral development partner institutions, Regional Member Countries and other stakeholders during the review and updating of the policies.
• Represent the Bank in international policy conferences and meetings as part of knowledge generation which is key to updating Bank policies and strategies in the specific sectors.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• At least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Public Policy, Economics, Political science or International Relations;
• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in a policy hub or think-tank;
• Experience working on non-sovereign portfolios (private sector) will be an added advantage;
• Strong knowledge of socio-economic development issues and policies of African countries;
• Demonstrated experience and effectiveness in conducting policy dialogue on economic issues with government or peers;
• Strong analytical skills and proven capacity to produce and manage knowledge products in a multisector context;
• Proven ability to work in teams, maintain objectivity and clear focus on evidence based results;
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate sound judgement;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.  Ability to communicate in both English and French would be an added advantage.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access and Power Point, SAP and/or other integrated document management system).