Senior Rural Infrastructure Engineer at African Development Bank

Duties and responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Director RDNG and working closely with other Task Managers in the Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department, the Agriculture Finance and Rural Development Department, the Water and Sanitation Department, the Industry and Trade Development Department, etc., and with external stakeholders, the Senior Rural Infrastructure Engineer’s role includes but is not limited to the following:

• Undertake analytical work and provide technical guidance in the area of rural infrastructure and water resources, focusing on agriculture, water and agriculture infrastructure development, and advice on how to ensure sustainability of benefits of Bank-financed agricultural projects and programs in Nigeria.
• Identify opportunities for strategic collaboration with multilateral and bilateral donors in support of the agriculture and water sector in Nigeria, to increase the advantage effects of ADB’s loan and grant operations.
• Support RDNG in all rural infrastructure engineering and agriculture-related activities, including project development, implementation and supervision, and co-ordination with other stakeholders within the Bank as well as other donors and development partners.
• Contribute to the preparation of Country Strategy Papers, with particular reference to rural roads, water resources, and agriculture infrastructure development.
• Participate in the relevant sector donor-coordination meetings, sector wide approaches, and advise on sector policy issues.
• Assist where required in the development of the Bank’s policies, procedures and guidelines, and ensure their application.
• Provide expert advice and guidance to officials of executing agencies on sector issues and priorities, technical and operational aspects of projects, and Bank rules and procedures, including those for the procurement of works, goods and services, and disbursement activities.
• Provide active support to Government in facilitating loans/grants effectiveness.
• Assist country officials and implementing agencies in carrying out procurement and disbursement activities in accordance with Bank Group rules and procedures.
• Assist Government and implementation agencies in the utilization of revolving funds and preparation of quarterly reports and annual audit reports.
• Provide inputs in the review of tender evaluation reports and undertake the evaluation of technical and financial proposals for contracts relating to project implementation.
• Ascertain good performance of operations through regular supervision of portfolio operations, technical guidance and training of Borrowers on compliance with the Bank’s rules of procedure
• Collaborate with other Banks’ Units in reviewing the operations performance, preparing completion reports, etc., so as to ensure that the lessons drawn from the implementation of past operations are taken into account in new projects.
• Undertake any other duties as may be assigned by the Senior Director

Requirement/Skills

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Civil Engineering combined Rural Infrastructure Engineering, Hydrology, Water Resources Management, or related field;
• Have a minimum of five (5) years relevant professional experience in program/project design and management, broad knowledge of all rural infrastructure, water/agriculture sub-sectors, with specific experience in implementation and management of donor-funded projects in the rural infrastructure and irrigation sub-sector;
• Previous experience working in multilateral financial institutions or similar large organizations, and performing such roles as project preparing, appraising, supervising or implementing donor funded projects;
• Proven planning and organizational skills, with ability to think strategically and rapidly analyse and integrate diverse information from varied sources into conclusions and recommendations;
• In-depth knowledge of job-related social, economic and environmental development issues in the country;
• Proven ability to interact competently with Government and donor agencies on issues relating to aid coordination;
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in English. Good practical knowledge of French and other languages would be an advantage;
• Having private sector experience will be an added advantage;
• Ability to work in a team and work in a multicultural environment;
• Ability to work effectively in partnership with clients and seek feedback to improve work processes;
• Communicate verbally and write effectively in English or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competences in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable;