Jobs at African Development Bank

The Chief Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Expert will be part of the jobs team for the day to day management and implementation of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy with the following main responsibilities to:

• Consolidate relationships with current partners and diversify the partnership base (public, non-state, financial and non-financial) and sources, to mobilize the resources of trust funds aimed at accelerating the implementation of the Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy
• Develop donor profiles and solicitation strategies; initiate, develop and cultivate strategic relationships with partners to ensure continued funding and recommend innovative funding opportunities.
• Develop resource mobilization presentations, proposals, briefing notes; participating in donor, investment and membership meetings and assist trust fund managers in the finalization of donor agreements.
• Develop and manage a cohesive portfolio of grants and investments that will foster the growth of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation.
• Provide concise and insightful written analyses and recommendations for making investments including evaluating grant proposals and drafting progress reports for review
• Develop a pipeline for projects (lending and non-lending) in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
• Meet the Bank’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to the department’s portfolio on youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
• Participate in the preparation of Bank’s country strategy papers
• Monitor and share key insights from the work done in each country, and contribute to analytical work and policy dialogue in the area of youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation
• Identify and conduct analysis and assessments of the partners’ landscape and recommend viable partnerships potential.
• Develop effective financial management tools and systems to enhance coordination, track commitments and opportunities with partners.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Coordinator, Jobs for Youth in Africa Strategy, the Chief Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Expert shall perform the following key functions:

• Lead the establishment and management of trust funds, special investment funds and other initiatives to improve access to finance among youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation in Africa
• Serve as the primary contact for the Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-donor Trust Fund (YEI MDTF). Consult regularly with grantees and partners to improve the impact of projects and ensure sharing of lessons learned. This will include field visits, hands-on oversight, operational guidance, and convening and facilitating interactions among key partners.
• Support the development of resource mobilization action plans tailored to specific donors, investors; provide strategic advice and policy recommendations with a view to positioning Jobs for Youth in Africa
• Identify and develop opportunities for non-core resource mobilization and advise the Jobs Team on appropriate strategies and approaches to seize them.
• Advise and support Jobs for Youth in Africa in establishing strategic approaches for positioning for improved and sustained partnerships and for resource mobilization, including with International Financial Institutions, foundations and other private and newly emerging funding sources, as well as on changes in the donor context.
• Develop specific donor fund-raising strategies and approaches.
• Develop and conduct competitive landscape analysis of partners, their priorities and characterization of their relationships/partnerships.
• Develop appropriate tools and systems to enhance coordination, track commitments and opportunities with partners (donor database, pipeline management system, etc.) and evaluation of partnership supported programs.
• Provide overall support on the relationship with critical partners (financial, non-financial, government and non-state actors) including in the negotiation of any agreements.
• Perform other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Business Administration, Finance, Social Sciences, Economics or related field;
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience at the international level involving resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder projects and partnership development;
• Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the Bank.
• Extensive experience in the Venture Capital space including experience in setting up a VC Fund/Platform for youth entrepreneurship, SME development and Job Creation in Africa;
• Extensive experience in fund raising from donors/commercial investors with strong networks in the donor community
• Experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of partnership programs;
• Ability to develop innovative and creative approaches to improve performance and create additional benefits for the Bank and its clients;
• Good knowledge of working environment to the resolution of problems and identify solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization;
• Demonstrated leadership effectiveness and supervisory ability to achieve defined objectives in international contexts;
• Experience in team management with focus in Africa would be a major advantage;
• Communicate and write effectively in English and 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.

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The Planning and Administrative Officer will:

• Act as Budget focal person in SNFI department in charge of (i) coordinating the preparation the department’s and Divisions’ administrative budget based on the annual work programs agreed upon and (ii) monitoring the use of resources and the cost centres according to the Bank’s rules and regulations;
• Liaise regularly with the Operations Complexes on a regular basis to ensure availability of budget to finance effective participation of fiduciary teams in the projects cycle;
• Providing Management with timely monitoring information and statements and prepare accordingly regular follow up of KPls along with budget execution; and budget-related annual activity reports.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of the Director, the Planning and Administrative Officer will:

• Liaise with the SNFI department’s front office and divisions with a view to gather information about the annual work programs and prepare accordingly the department’s administrative budget;
• Based on the operations-related divisions’ work programs, liaise with the operations Complexes Budget Focal point and SNVP Budget Coordinators to ensure availability of resources for providing effective fiduciary support during preparation and appraisal missions, including country strategy papers.
• Provide administrative support, including preparation of administrative and budget forms and processing of requests in SAP.
• Liaise with the SNVP Budget Coordinator on a continuous basis to anticipate on budget issues; identify and initiate measures for mobilization of additional resources putting forth efficiency requirement.
• Work with the Divisions Managers to ensure proper programming and timely implementation of SNFI Work Program.
• Provide administrative assistance to PL and GS staff in logistical arrangements for the planning of activities, including support to the recruitment of consultants and preparation and execution of training activities, in accordance with budget provisions
• Advise Management in a timely manner to ensure maximization of departmental resource allocation.
• Release regular updates of work program and budget utilisation levels based on the processing schedule.
• Prepare informative annual activity reports; monthly KPls reports; and monthly budget execution reports; and ad hoc reports.
• Assist staff in logistical arrangements for training activities while ensuring compliance with budget execution process; Participate in Bank missions, where necessary.
• Manage the P-Card allocated to SNFI department.
• Manage the process for the recruitment and use of consultants, payments of fees for services.
• Manage the recruitment of short-term staff and all related administrative activities to ensure proper STS contract management.
• Perform any other task entrusted by the Department’s Management.

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Business Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, Office Management, or any other related discipline combined with relevant experience.
• Have a minimum of four (4) years relevant experience in the fields of expertise concerned.
• Good knowledge of the international development institutions’ budget management policies, guidelines, procedures, and strong ability to interpret institutional related policies, guidelines and procedures.
• Proven knowledge of the Bank’s procurement rules and procedures for the recruitment of consultants; of disbursement procedures; and of financial management guidelines and tools, is a must.
• Solid background on budget process and financial reporting. Experience in international organizations will be an asset.
• Good organizational and planning skills.
• Strong customer service skills, ability to multitask, attention to detail and ability to work with a diverse workforce
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other language. Proficiency in both languages of the Bank (English and French) is an asset
• Competence with standard MS Office software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), preferably combined with knowledge and experience of SAP operations.

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Under the supervision of the Director, RDTS, the main responsibility of the Chief Fragility and Resilience Officer entails the development, programming and implementation oversight of fragility interventions in RMCs based on the Bank’s Agenda for addressing fragility and building resilience in Africa, the Bank’s High 5 Agenda and relevant Bank policies, strategies and guidelines. Her/his responsibilities also include preparation of analytical work, fragility lens application, partnerships, resource mobilization and advocacy including providing leadership to technical teams within RDTS and across the Bank to deliver the Fragility Agenda within a consultative partnership approach underpinned by adaptability, innovation and responsiveness.

Duties and responsibilities

The Chief Fragility and Resilience Officer will work closely with RDTS team members on the operational implementation of the Bank’s fragility agenda. Her/his duties are:

• Coordinate with appropriate Bank Group’s units and establish a three-year rolling Work agenda for the Fragility Lens application aligned with the schedule of Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) and Regional Integration Strategy Papers (RISPs) due for preparation in 2020-2022, as well as the 2020-2022 ADF rolling Indicative Operational Programme (IOP).
• Provide technical support to RDTS fragility and resilience experts on analytical work for the preparation of Fully-Fledged Fragility Assessments (3FAs). Review draft documents; provide input; and give appropriate guidance to ensure that fragility assessments are of high quality and properly address political economy considerations, as well as capacities and pressures related to externalities, regional spill-over effects, gender, youth empowerment, environmental as well as economic and social impacts.
• Alongside RDTS fragility and resilience experts, provide strategic direction in the preparation of Country Diagnostic Notes (CDNs), Regional Diagnostic Notes (RDNs) as well as relevant Bank analytical reports. Review draft documents; provide input; and ensure that the findings of fragility assessments are mainstreamed and effectively translated into strategic pillars and operational priorities.
• In the context of ADF-funded operations, provide technical leadership and quality assurance in the review phases of Project Concept Notes (PCNs) and Project Appraisal Reports (PARs) to ensure that fragility is adequately mainstreamed.
• In the context of national or regional projects (partly or fully) funded through the Transition Support Facility (TSF), ensure that the PCNs and the PARs are explicitly identifying drivers of fragility and entry points for interventions under the scope of the project. Appropriate reviews (and direct inputs when necessary) are required to clearly articulate in the PCN and in the PAR how the identified entry points would directly contribute to building resilience.
• Represent RDTS and be part of the Regional Operations (ROs) prioritisation and selection exercise. In line with the Revised RO prioritisation framework, verify to what extent proposed Regional Projects and Regional Public Goods (RPGs) are fragility-sensitive both at the level of participating countries and at project design.
• In the context of ADF-funded operations, represent RDTS and be part of the Readiness Review process. In line with the 2020 Enhanced Readiness Review Framework, assure the strategic, results, and implementation readiness of the operation as articulated in the PCN/PAR. In the readiness review checklist, verify to what extent drivers of fragility are explicitly contextualized, entry points for building resilience are properly identified, and these are effectively translated into operational interventions.
• Provide technical inputs to improve portfolio management in order to enhance project performance (cancellation of older projects, improvement of portfolio management in consultation with implementing project agencies, maintaining a continuous dialogue with governments and other development partners, training of project units, improved projects reporting system and promoting good governance, etc.)
• Contribute to RDTS’ efforts for institutionalizing the Fragility Lens application Bank-wide through experiences-sharing, lessons learned, and recommendation of best practices. Along these lines, provide reviews, comments, relevant materials, and appropriate inputs feeding into the preparation of the Fragility Lens Operational Guidelines.
• Provide technical leadership in the peer-reviewing of RDTS analytical products, including regional and national full-fledged fragility assessments, the annual Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA) Report, Economic and Sector Work (ESW) studies, as well as briefing notes
• Contribute to preparing relevant issues in key documents for resources mobilization, especially of the Transition Support Facility (TSF) during the replenishment and mid-erm review discussions of the African Development Fund (ADF) in close coordination with relevant Bank’s units.
• Under the “One Bank Approach”, provide technical leadership in RDTS’ participation in the Bank Group’s departmental and inter-departmental working groups and provide technical inputs that help the understanding of fragility issues across Bank projects, programs and policy documents; and provide technical inputs for Bank’s management and decision-makers of RMCs regarding project implementation.
• Ensure effective coordination with Bank Regional Delivery Hubs (RDGC, RDGE, RDGN, RDGS, RDGW as well as RDNG) as well as Country Offices (COs) as well as Bank Sectoral and Operational Departments to ensure alignment and optimization of Bank capacities and leverage to deliver on the Bank’s Fragility Agenda.
• Work with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and international development partners, as well as peace-building and humanitarian actors for the development of joint programmes and interventions in transition States.
• Undertake any other assignments and tasks as requested by the Director (RDTS) and/or the Vice-President (RDVP). Such assignments may involve working with Bank-teams and/or staff within or outside RDTS.

Selection Criteria

• The Selection Criteria including desirable skills, knowledge and experience is as follows:
• Hold at least a Masters’ or equivalent degree in Economics, Political Science, Social Sciences, International Relations, Organizational Development, Business Administration or related discipline.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant experience in the areas of peace and state building, international relations, in preparing, appraising, managing or supervising sustainable development and management of projects and programs, in operations monitoring and evaluation, and/or in preparing and implementing operational policies and guidelines within fragility situations.
• Strategic and objective thinking and reasoning including ability to make difficult decisions and being result-oriented including ability to apply business knowledge to the resolution of problems and identifying solutions to the benefit of clients (internal and external) and the Bank.
• Ability to assess, design, develop and deliver complex multi-sector projects and programs within dynamic and rapidly changing environments in a timely and effective manner while adhering to tight deadlines and responding to multiple demands.
• Strong analytical and modelling abilities and ability to lead operations from inception to completion would be an advantage including good planning and organization skills as well as ability to identify, assemble and lead multi-disciplinary and multicultural technical teams to deliver quality outputs.
• Strong familiarity and knowledge of economic, social policy, political dimensions development in general and of fragility in particular and its development dynamics in RMCs at national, regional and continental levels.
• Knowledge of the operational policies, procedures and practices of major Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), bilateral and multilateral development agencies including design and implementation of operations in fragile situations.
• Demonstrable ability to multi-task and manage their and to work under pressure within a competitive international working environment including facilitation and negotiation skills at the regional, continental and international level.
• Excellent communication and Interpersonal Skills and ability to maintain effective partnerships and working relations in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Commitment to the highest professional and ethical standards coupled with excellent interpersonal skills including an innovative and pragmatic approach to find appropriate solutions to key issues.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Microsoft Office software and familiarity with SAP and relevant project processing tools.