Chief Power Engineer - RDGW1 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: Chief Power Engineer - RDGW1

Reference: ADB/18/151
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50064959

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency in charge of Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery is responsible for ensuring the operational relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank Group's operational activities and programmes.
• The Vice Presidency in charge of Regional Development will ensure that the Bank conducts its activities effectively in all its Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and will oversee the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank's Regional Directorates.

The Hiring Department/Division

• In the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Complex, the Bank has five (5) Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery (RDIBD) Directorates, that is, one in each region, namely: North Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, West Africa and Central Africa.
• Each Regional Directorate is headed by a Director General (DG) and has sectoral functions and relevant administrative capacity to ensure rapid service delivery to client countries.
• The Regional Directorates provide country offices in their regions with strategic direction and are responsible for operations, business development, project management and overall effective implementation of the Bank's High 5s, namely: "Light up and Power Africa", "Feed Africa", "Industrialize Africa", "Integrate Africa" and "Improve the quality of life of African people".

The Position

• The Chief Power Engineer will ensure the technical soundness of the Bank's activities in supporting transactions related to investments in the power sector.
• He / she will provide in-depth sectoral expertise related to the planning, development, structuring, financing and implementation of national and regional power systems, including power generation, transmission and distribution.
• He/she will contribute to the definition of reforms required to improve and facilitate the benchmarking of the performance of power utilities / knowledge sharing and the provision of quality advisory services required to ensure the successful reform and restructuring of public power utilities.
• The work accomplished will also contribute, as required, to the implementation of High 5 flagship programmes.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the general supervision of the Division Manager, Regional Power Operations, the incumbent shall assume the following duties:

• Coordinate the implementation of relevant flagship projects to achieve the objectives of the New Partnership for Energy in Africa;
• Provide advisory support to Regional Member Countries and project leaders in the preparation and implementation of national and multi-national projects aimed at reforming power utilities and improving / assessing management performance by rehabilitating and expanding transmission / distribution networks, as well as reducing loss and optimizing efficiency;
• Provide leadership, along with regional platform staff, in the process of identifying, preparing, and executing power utility transformation operations, including loss reduction and electricity access programmes;
•  Coordinate / lead, together with other teams, the operations (investment plan support, technical assistance) aimed at supporting transformation;
• Work in coordination with regional platforms and governance units in the conduct of strategy-related operations and the implementation of technical assistance to support power utility reforms and private sector participation;
• Provide in-depth sector expertise to ensure quality assurance in the preparation of terms of reference, analysis and validation of feasibility studies as well as  performance analysis of power utilities;
• Ensure timely review and quality assurance of project preparation, appraisal and supervision documents against technical, financial and economic requirements;
• Work with other sector divisions on relevant policy and regulatory issues, as well as on the structuring and financial analysis of complex / innovative projects, particularly those requiring private sector participation;
• Provide support for economic and sector studies related to the benchmarking of the performance of power utilities, in collaboration with other Bank entities; and
• Perform any other duties the Director or Division Manager may assign to him/her.

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• At least a Master's degree or its equivalent in Electrical Engineering or related disciplines;
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in power utilities or the energy sector, including the reform and restructuring of power utilities;
• Ability to innovate and create new approaches to improve performance;
• Ability to communicate effectively and mobilize key actors to achieve set objectives (private sector, public sector and civil society);
• Proven ability to build and lead a successful team to achieve visionary and challenging goals;
• Proven interpersonal skills, demonstrated through the ability to work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity, as well as the ability to build trust and coach each individual member team;
• Strong negotiation skills, demonstrated by achieving positive results with peers, both internal and external;
• Sound understanding of success factors and barriers to the success of power utilities in complex regulatory and policy environments;
• In-depth knowledge of the processes and tools for the development of low-cost integrated national power networks / systems used in Africa, and familiarity with the working methods of multilateral development finance institutions;
• In-depth knowledge of service quality standards for power utilities and related performance management systems;
• Excellent project management skills;
• Ability to draft terms of reference and requests for proposals for the procurement  of consulting services;
• Sound knowledge of the national regulation of the power sector, procurement models, contract management and standards as well as network code, operating rules, thresholds and reserves ( including the import, export, transmission and trading of power);
• Sound understanding of the requirements of the Bank's environmental and social policy;
• Sound knowledge of the governance, regulation, operations, maintenance and administration of power utilities, customer relations, billing, financial management of these services;
• Highly developed strategic thinking skills, coupled with the ability to translate concepts and strategic directions into the implementation of viable and sustainable policies and regulations;
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications such as SAP; and
• Ability / willingness to quickly become familiar with the use of various tools available and applied by the Bank, such as SAP.

Application Closing Date
9th September, 2018

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online