Principal Syndication Officer 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: Principal Syndication Officer

Reference: ADB/17/230
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50001323/50093715

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Finance oversees the financial management of the Bank Group.
• This encompasses the Bank Group’s treasury activities including borrowings from the capital markets and investment activities; controllership functions including financial reporting and loan administration; strategic resource mobilization and the strengthening of the non-statutory financial resources and instruments; the overall asset/liability management for the Bank Group.

The Department /Division
The role of the Syndications and Financial Technical Services department is rooted in Article 2 of the Agreement Establishing the Bank, which requires the Bank to:

• Mobilize and increase in Africa and outside Africa, resources for the financing of investment projects and programs and;
• Promote investment in Africa of public and private capital in projects or programs designed to contribute to the economic development or social progress of regional member countries.
• To help the Bank execute these functions, the Syndications and Financial Technical Services department  was established to;
• Provide centralised syndications and financial technical services to the entire Bank group cutting across both public and private sectors lending activities and across products
• Set up and coordinate the achievement of bank-wide mobilization targets and Key Performance Indicators and
• Serve, through Syndication and co-financing as a platform to build institutional capacity for two related activities, namely balance sheet management (risk mitigation on the existing portfolio) and agency functions which are the back office activities needed to support a full service syndication function.

The Position
Under the Supervision of the Division Manager, The Principal Syndications Officer is required to develop and maintain close relationships with the broader donor and investment community with a view to facilitating the co-financing of sovereign and non-sovereign projects and specifically to:

• Establish ADB as the leading arranger of syndicated development co-financing in Africa;
• Mobilize funding from all external investors – commercial banks, DFIs, ECAs, funds, etc. - to leverage the development impact of the deployment of the Bank’s risk capital;
• Mobilize resources from the many development partners and other related agencies with whom the African Development Bank have ongoing relationships or with whom otherwise Memorandums of Understanding have been signed e.g. China Development Bank, Korea Exim bank, India Exim bank etc ;
• Integrate syndication and co-financing into Operations, so that the mobilization of external funding becomes the standard business model;
• Support investment officers and task managers in identifying co-financing opportunities  and promoting the unit’s products to borrowers / sponsors;
• Assist with the structuring and pricing of proposals by feeding back market intelligence;
• Enable the Bank to manage its existing portfolio of assets through secondary sales/securitizations and any other balance sheet optimization mechanism.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Principal Syndication Officer  will  carry out the following functions:

• Provide structuring guidance to investment officers and task managers and actively participate in presenting proposals and mandate letters to clients, emphasizing the benefits of syndication and co-financing;
• Establish working relationships with  the widest possible group of commercial co-financiers;
• Execute A/B-loan co-financings and DFI syndications, sharing responsibilities where appropriate with co-arrangers;
• Perform market soundings and provide risk appetite feedback to senior management for their consideration;
• Identify existing assets for potential secondary sale, obtain market feedback on likely cost of sale and, where applicable, seek all necessary approvals;
• Participate in the balance sheet optimization transactions.
• Develop training, communication and marketing material and conduct staff and co-financiers information campaign.
• Ensure effective utilization and management of financing facilities within the Bank group architecture
• Carry out other tasks as directed by the Division Manager or Officer in Charge

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• A minimum of a Master's Degree or equivalent in Engineering, Economics, Finance and/or Business Administration or related disciplines.
• A minimum Six (6) years of relevant experience acquired in a reputable financial institution.
• Finance - Working knowledge of a range of financing alternatives and financial instruments and ability to conduct a range of financial analyses.
• Strong analytical, quantitative and financial market skills.
• Ability to plan strategically in an uncertain environment, and to achieve desired results on a timely basis.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – ability to understand project financing process; distilling operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.
• Ability to fully use systems, procedures policies in order to deliver the required results.
• Knowledge of market instruments and market sources of Financing
• Knowledge of fundraising and on-lending activities in developing capital markets, particularly in Africa.
• Excellent understanding of financial issues affecting sovereign and non-sovereign clients in developing countries and policy associated with the Bank’s mandate.
• Strong customer focus, ability to interface effectively with clients and business contacts at a senior level and work successfully as part of a team.
• Innovation and creativity  and Communication
• Proficient in the use of standard MS Office software applications, particularly Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, Knowledge of SAP would be an advantage
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French preferably with a knowledge of the other language.

Application Closing Date
13th June, 2017.

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