African Development Bank Group (AfDB) - 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).
POSITION : Principal Policy Officer.
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.
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;
- 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;
- 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;
- Work independently and demonstrate sound judgement;
- 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).
Sorry the application deadline for this job has elapsed
