Regional Power Systems Officer at the African Development Bank Group (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: Regional Power Systems Officer - RDGS1

Reference: ADB/18/175
Location: South Africa
Grade: PL3
Position N°: 50078321

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery is responsible for operational relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank Group’s operational programs, and activities.
• This will ensure that the Bank operates successfully across its Regional Member Countries and oversee the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s Regional Directorates

The Hiring Department

• Within the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery (RDVP) Complex, the Bank has five (5) Regional Hubs, one in each region of Africa: North, South, East, West, and Central. Each Regional Hub is headed by a Director General (DG) and is staffed with the relevant sectoral functions and administrative capabilities for rapid delivery of services to client countries.
• The Regional Hubs provide overall strategic direction to country offices within the regions and are responsible for the Bank’s sovereign operations, business development, project management and overall effective delivery of the Bank’s High 5s, notably ‘Industrialize Africa’, ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Light up and Power Africa’, ‘Integrate Africa’ and ‘Improve the Quality of Life of the people of Africa’.

The Position

• The Regional Power Systems Officer is responsible for providing leadership in the origination, processing, supervision and general portfolio management of Sovereign energy sector projects. 
• In this work, the incumbent works closely with the following complexes; Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization; Agriculture, Human and Social Development; and Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth; and supports their efforts to identify business opportunities and manage non-sovereign operations. 
• The incumbent is directly involved in the development cycle from identification of opportunities in line with the High 5s to their approval by the Bank’s Boards of Directors. 
• As part of the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery (RDVP) Complex, the incumbent contributes to the delivery of the ‘Power and Light Up Africa’, ‘Integrate Africa’, ‘Improve the Quality of Life of the People of Africa’ and the ‘Industrialize Africa’ Strategies.

Duties and Responsibilities
Business Development and Pipeline Management:

• Provide guidance to the Regional Member Countries (RMC) and Bank teams in the origination, preparation, structuring and implementation of complex and innovative projects.
• Coordinate with Region / Hub-based staff and relevant governance / risk / compliance units, in the process of identification, preparation and execution of Sovereign operations, as well as in conducting policy / result based operations and technical assistance related to the above topics;
• Lead the provision of expert advice on issues related to energy sector development including advice to RMCs  for  promoting policies conducive to strong growth/development of the energy sector  as well as other areas of activity of the Division (creation of an enabling environment for private sector investments in energy projects, corporate governance);
• Provide the required technical skills to design national and multinational projects that respond to the needs of the RMCs and regional economic communities based on their priorities and selectivity;
• Lead, co-ordinate and oversee the identification, appraisal, negotiations, supervision and ex-post reviews of Bank operations, involving RMCs’ governments, private sponsor – when relevant – and other development partners or concerned parties;
• Lead discussions with other development partners in order to identify opportunities for co-financing and other partnerships;
• Develop and manage a diversified pipeline and lending programme of investments in the sector across the region, to meet the Bank’s impact and profitability targets.

Portfolio Management:

• Provide sector expertise for quality assurance in: preparation of terms of reference (TORs), requests for proposals (RFPs), tender documents to procure goods and/or services in line with the Bank’s procurement rules: e.g. Recruitment and supervision of expert advisors (and Bank staff) regarding execution of socio-techno-economic (pre-) - feasibility studies and utility performance diagnostics;`
• Oversee and carry out effective management of the assigned portfolio, including sector policy based operations and institutional support projects;
• Ensure timely procurement and disbursement of active power projects in the Bank’s portfolio, liaising with Government departments and project implementation units to address blockages in project execution, using the Bank Portfolio Dashboard as main monitoring tool.

Knowledge Production and Coordination:

• Lead the preparation of energy sector assessments and other upstream analytical and diagnostic work to inform Country Strategy Papers; provide support to country/regional departments on policy dialogue with RMCs relating to energy sector and related issues; and provide back-up to country offices to ensure provision of quality advisory service to RMCs  ;
• Lead and coordinate the preparation of policy statements, papers, briefs and various reports on energy sector issues and other relevant areas;
• Represent the Bank in national and regional partnerships, networks, conferences, workshops, and training seminars on issues related to energy sector development and related issues;
• Undertake any other tasks as assigned by the Manager

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Hold at least Master's degree (or its university equivalent) in Business Administration, Economics, Social Sciences, Engineering or any other relevant field
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of professional experience in energy and infrastructure.
• Experience implementing projects with public sector institutions and / or bilateral and multilateral development finance institutions; will be an added advantage for this position.
• Proven ability to interact competently with the staff of government and donor agencies on issues relating to aid coordination, as well as with the private sector;
• Proven ability to build and lead a team of professional staff, and utilize talent and expertise of team members in a productive way;
• Good listener with demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas as well as make effective and timely decisions;
• Capacity to initiate and manage innovations and change.
• Familiarity with project management and project identification procedures in Development Finance Institutions multilateral organizations, and in particular of the African Development Bank, an added advantage.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other.
• Good command of standard Bank commonly used software (e.g. Microsoft Office Suite for word processing, spreadsheets, databases and presentations)
• Knowledge of IT tools; knowledge of SAP is desirable.

Application Closing Date
5th October, 2018.

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

Note: This position is classified international status and attracts international terms and conditions of employment.