Manager, Operation Office – Agriculture at the African Development Bank (AfDB)

African Development Bank (AfDB) – Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Manager, Operation Office – Agriculture

Reference: ADB/17/262
Location: Africa

Grade: PL2

Position N°: 50092490

The Compelex

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

The Hiring Department

• The mission of the Agriculture, Human & Social Development Division is to contribute to the Bank’s efforts to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development in Regional Member Countries.
• It does so by contributing to development of country and regional strategies and building sector knowledge and by focusing on origination and delivery for approval of flagship programmes defined under the High 5s priorities as ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ ‘Integrate Africa,’ and ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.’
• The scope of the Division subsumes areas such as agriculture, water and sanitation, broader rural and urban development issues, education, health and nutrition, human and social development, youth employment, gender equality, and social protection.

The Position

• The Manager for Agricultural Operations plans, directs and oversees the Division’s operations to ensure effective origination and delivery of sound and practicable projects within the business development process.
• The incumbent is both directly involved in the processes related to origination and delivery of the concerned High 5 flagship projects and programmes, and in the management of staff who are directly involved in the project development cycle from identification of opportunities in line with the High 5s to their approval by the Bank’s Boards of Directors.
• As part of the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex, the Manager, Agriculture Operations, is responsible for the delivery of the ‘Feed Africa’ and ‘Jobs for Youth’ Flagship programmes and ‘Gender Strategy’ in the designated region, and works in close collaboration with the Vice Presidency for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.
• The incumbent and team build a robust project pipeline, and strategically prioritize and drive their delivery for approval.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Minimum of a Master’s Degree (or its university equivalent) in Agriculture/Forestry, Agricultural Economics, Social Sciences, Engineering, Water Resources Management, or any other relevant field.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience, 3 years of which should be in a management position or leadership role.
• Having Private Sector experience would be an added advantage.
• A proven track record for origination and in managing the delivery of projects in at least one of the sectors/sub-sectors covered by the Division.
• A track record demonstrating a high-level expertise of project appraisal including environmental, social, economic and financial analysis and the provision of technical assistance to improve service delivery.
• Demonstrated experience in Agriculture project origination, financial and economic analysis, and financial structuring (project finance and corporate finance) in a multilateral financial institution with special focus on at least one of the sectors in the assigned Division.
• Experience with working in a team oriented, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, international and professional environment.
• Track record of leading and developing teams and managing projects and programmes.
• Innovation & Creativity: Deploys a strategic mind-set and the capacity to steer the Division’s agenda while empowering staff during a phase of institutional reforms and transformation towards greater country focus of the Bank’s activities.
• Client Orientation, First-rate interpersonal skills, Communication Skills and Business Acumen
• Familiarity with strategies, policies, procedures and practices of multilateral development institutions.
• Comprehensively understands projects structures, including project planning, risk management strategy, issue management strategy, communication management strategy, lessons learned and handover, and other critical success factors, strategies, policies, procedures and practices of multilateral development banks.
• Highly developed negotiation skills proven to yield positive outcomes with senior counterparts, both internal and external, and understands when and how to apply tact, influence, maintain a hard line, make or break contacts, understand unwritten lines of influence and conduct oneself accordingly.
• Knowledgeable in the structuring and execution of debt and equity investments in the assigned sector projects and program.
• Professional Expertise: Continuously expands understanding of relevant business products, practices and systems/technology.
• Implementing Strategy: Highly developed strategic thinking skills allied to an ability to translate strategic concepts and direction into the implementation of workable and sustainable projects and programs.
• Executing for Results: Ability to pull together all aspects of project origination and drive the process to deliver the lending program.
• Influential:  Can build a vision of how the division should be in terms of corporate culture/climate, broad objectives/goals/targets, then motivate and inspire staff to move forward as individuals, as a unit, and as upstanding Bank representatives.
• Decisive, Takes Initiative/Spotting Opportunity/Pushing Strategy
• Mentorship/Coaching: Empowers staff by seeking to understand how to upskill them and then applying the right methodology for each to convey and apply counsel.
• Excellent Professional written and verbal communications in English or French with a working knowledge of the other.
• Competence in the use of standard MS office applications (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint)

Application Closing Date
23rd June, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online