Principal Development Economist at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

African Development Bank Group (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: Principal Development Economist

Reference: ADB/17/402
Location: Africa

Grade: PL4

Position N°: 50093716

The Complex

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

The Hiring Department

• Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex, the Bank has five (5) Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Directorates, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central. Each Regional Directorate is headed by a Director General and is staffed with the relevant sectoral functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries.
• The Regional Directorates provide overall strategic direction to country offices within the regions and are responsible for the Bank’s operations, business development, project management and overall effective delivery of the Bank’s High 5s :‘Light Up and Power Africa’, ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ ‘Integrate Africa,’ and ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.’
• 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 focusing on project/programme origination and delivery for approval of operations defined under the High 5 priorities.
• The Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department, within the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex will spearhead the achievement of the High 5s on “Improving the Quality of Life of People in Africa” and contribute to the other High 5s.
• The Department has two divisions Education, Human Capital and Skills Development Division which focuses on scaling-up of Bank’s support to education, human capital and employment/livelihoods; and Public Health, Security and Nutrition Division focusing on strengthening health systems and nutrition for human wellbeing. It also hosts various pertinent initiatives and trust funds.

The Position

• The African Development Bank adopted in May 2016, the “Jobs for Youth in Africa” (JfYA) Strategy for the period of 2016 – 2025. This Strategy responds to the priorities in Bank’s Ten Year Strategy and the New Corporate Priorities (High-Five).
• Creating productive jobs for the youth would improve their living conditions and enhance their engagement in Africa’s growth and economic transformation.
• The Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy was launched during the Bank’s annual meetings in May, 2016, in Lusaka to commence its operationalization. The Development Economist will be part of the team responsible of the day to day management of the implementation of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy in the Central region to:
  • Support sector departments and task managers in projects in operations in field offices to hold high level policy dialogue on youth and employability;
  • Lead the design and manage projects as which are high impact for youth employability and may have key underlying strategies to reduce the impact of migration;
  • Deliver knowledge exchange on drivers of development and  Youth Employment;
  • Support governments in reforms and dialogue on addressing the youth unemployment and migration issues;
  •  Contribute to Country Strategic Papers and Regional Integration Strategic Papers to implement the strategic vision of jobs for youth in Africa strategy;
  • Contribute to resources mobilization for targeted activities in the Bank’s work.

Duties and Responsibilities
With strategic and technical support from the Coordinator Jobs for Youth in Africa and under the supervision of the Regional Operations Manager, Agriculture, Human and Social Development Division of Regional business delivery office (central Africa), the incumbent shall:

• Conduct the Bank’s assessment of social and macroeconomic developments, monitoring of structural reforms and policy dialogue that impact national and regional jobs creation for youth and women, and also seek to address migration and refugees issues.
• Specifically, provide socio-economic and macroeconomic and reform advice; conduct and facilitate policy dialogue in close coordination with country economists in the Regional business delivery office (central Africa) and other Bank departments; and interact with country authorities, the private sector, local think tanks, academia, clients and other International Financial Institutions.
• Provide input to country strategies and other related country strategy instruments related to ensuring the conducive eco-system to foster entrepreneurship, enhance employability and job creation for youth.
• Support and develop innovative and timely solutions to mitigate the youth employment crisis including migration and regional refugee’s issues through the Jobs for Youth in Africa agenda.
• Carry out analyses of labor issues, unemployment, underemployment and youth migration issue, and propose operations to address these challenges.
• Support the Bank staff and departments to identify priority areas and potential projects with high jobs impact; help interface project design with private sector, and contribute to related Additionality and Development Outcomes Assessment together with sector economists and provide input to the assessment phase of major projects.
• Conduct the “Jobs for Youth in Africa dialogue” dialogue at the country and regional level for (i) the achievement of country policy dialogue objectives; and (ii) leading and coordinating contributions to country diagnostics study; and contributing to improvements in country and regional results measurements on Jobs for Youth.
• Provide technical expertise and identify opportunities to engage the private sector and propose innovative public-private partnerships for jobs creation for youth.
• Oversee the drafting of Bank’s economic reports, including inputs for the region and its countries for periodic forecasting exercise, country assessments, African Economic Outlook, Country Strategic Papers and related products, Regional Integration Strategic Papers and briefing notes for senior management.
• Manage or lead selected top priority “Jobs for Youth in Africa dialogue” projects especially those which have a high Jobs Impact and those which address long term policy reforms.
• Carry out other technical tasks and coordination as required by the “Jobs for Youth in Africa dialogue” coordinator or the Director General.

Selection Criteria
Including Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Labour Economics, Economic Development, Business Administration, Finance, Social Sciences, or related field.
• Have a minimum of six (6) years professional experience with relevant experience in jobs for youth, social protection, safety nets, financing for jobs, with at least in Africa, preferably in an international organization, government agency, think tank or other policy environment.
• Strong knowledge of jobs creation, migration issues, good governance reforms and economic policy issues in Africa with at least six years focusing on Africa.
• Ability to build partnerships with a broad range of clients and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the Bank.
• Having private sector experience will be an added advantage.
• Ability to manage multiple, simultaneous and shifting demands/ priorities under tight deadlines and coordinate the work of others.
• Results-oriented, accountable, proactive, self-motivated and able to work both with autonomy and with a team in diverse national and cultural contexts.
• Flexibility and the ability to work across divisions and departments of the ‘Agriculture Human, and Social Development’ Sector Complex.
• Client Orientation to understand, and when appropriate, anticipate client needs, to ensure the clients receive the best possible service from the Bank.
• Ability to develop strong working relationships with colleagues and contribute to the creation of a positive team environment.
• Experience with policy and policy-relevant research…