Chief Program Coordinator 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 Program Coordinator

Position Number: 50071207
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Position Grade: PL3

The Complex

• The President plans, supervises and manages the business of the Bank Group. Under the direction of the Boards of Directors, the President conducts the business of the Bank and the African Development Fund and manages operations and activities in accordance with the Agreements establishing the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund.
• The President supervises several Departments and Units including Office of the President; Independent Development Evaluation Department; Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department; Compliance Review and Mediation Unit; Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board; Administrative Tribunal; Office of the Auditor General; Group Risk Management Directorate; General Counsel and Legal Services Department; Communication and External Relations Department; Staff Integrity and Ethics Office and Office of the Secretary General & General Secretariat.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The Africa Investment Forum in The Office of the President assists the President in planning, supervising and managing all activities related to the efficient and timely delivery of the mandate of the Africa Investment Forum.
• Africa Investment Forum (AIF) is a multi-stakeholder, multi-disciplinary platform dedicated to advancing private and public-private-partnership projects to bankable stages, raising capital, and accelerating the financial closure of deals. The AIF is Africa’s investment market place, through which the African Development Bank, along with its partners, is structuring transformational deals, screening and enhancing projects, attracting co-investors, and facilitating transactions to close Africa’s investment gaps.
• The AIF objectives are to reduce intermediation costs, improve the quality of project information and documentation, and increase active and productive engagements between African governments and the private sector as well as increase regional integration for developmental impact. The AIF offers investors access to a structured platform offering bankable projects within an enabling environment.
• The Africa Investment Forum facilitates awareness raising about the investment opportunities in Africa for international investors, social impact investors, institutional investors (pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and others) both local and global.
• It provides an opportunity for the Africa Investment Forum partners to determine the investment needs of these various categories of investors, facilitate tailored structures and showcase Africa’s investment successes and enabling policies that would be attractive to these various classes of investors who are looking to deploy funds in Africa.

The Africa Investment Forum seeks to deliver on the proposed strategic approach via its pillars as defined below:

• The Platform - selects, supports, and facilitates the origination, structuring and closure of high-impact deals in Africa’s critical sectors through facilitating financing for project preparation & advisory services directly or through its network of advisors. It includes a digital platform for investors and project sponsors to profile their investment interests and deals respectively.
• The Market Place - leads productive engagements and roundtables with both existing and new stakeholders’ thereby deepening relations and diversifying the sponsor, investor and partner base.  
• The Market Days - physically convenes investors, project sponsors and key decision makers at a bespoke platform for investment conversations and closing deals.
• The Deal Tracker - a pioneering structured mechanism designed to facilitate the progress of Boardroom deals, accelerate investor’s commitments, and advance projects further towards and until deal closure.
• Knowledge / Policy Environment - seeks to foster investment friendly regulation, a pro-investment climate to remove bottlenecks to deal closure, as well as disseminate knowledge products.  

The Africa Investment Forum will track the implementation of commitments made at the actual event to ensure transactions reach financial close and policies and bottlenecks to facilitate Africa Investment Forum projects are implemented.  

The Position

• Under the Supervision of the Senior Director, Africa Investment Forum, the Chief Program Coordinator will be an essential part of PAIF and will be working closely with the team Leads. She/he will support PAIF’s work program and has the following functions:

  • Coordination of the work program.
  • Budget coordination.
  • Procurement oversight. 
  • Coordination of audit activities
  • Supervision of Administrative team.

Key Functions
The Chief Program Coordinator will be responsible for:

Coordination of the Work Program:

• Coordinate with the team Leads to develop, validate, and monitor the implementation of the work program, ensuring full alignment with the mandate of the Africa Investment Forum.
• Report to the Senior Director on the work program progress, identifying critical areas deserving specific support and provide recommendations as appropriate.
• Manage the AIF’s regular management meetings, including setting up the agenda, finalizing minutes and monitoring the implementation of action items.
• Monitor the delivery of commitments from the AIF, including commitments to the Boards, Senior Management as well as monitoring work program and assignments of various teams.
• Alert the Senior Director on major impending deadlines or matters related to the execution of the work program and assignments.

Budget Coordination:

• Lead on managing the Budget of the AIF, ensuring that teams are properly resourced to deliver the work program.
• Supervise budget preparation and execution.
• Coordinate periodic reporting on budget and work program implementation.
• Collaborate on resource prioritization exercises, such as for program-based operations and other.

Procurement Oversight:

• Provide oversight of procurement activities, in line with the Bank’s rules and procedures.
• Put in place a monitoring system to ensure that consultants are recruited in direct support of the work program implementation.
• Provide guidance to task managers on consultants’ recruitment by continuously developing and disseminating good practices in the selection, contract award and contract management.

Management of Audit activities:

• Lead the processing of audit cycle exercise from audit planning, audit execution, audit exit meetings, review of preliminary audit reports for the preparation of comments for the final audit reports.
• Lead the preparation of Audit Action plans.
• Organize periodic meetings to discuss and follow up on outstanding audit recommendations and prepare pertinent comments to address audit issues.
• Lead and follow up, monitor and advice the Senior Director on the implementation of audit recommendations.
• Lead the preparation of implementation progress reports for the Senior Director and the Board on Audit recommendations.

Supervision of Administrative Team:

• Lead the supervision and monitoring of the administrative functions.
• Establish processes and tools to facilitate administrative activities, including documents circulation, meetings management, department’s onboarding of new staff, etc.
• Drive the efficiency and effectiveness of the administrative team to fully support the AIF in delivering its mandate.
• Motivate, train and develop administrative staff.
• As required, attend meetings, advise the Senior Director on key issues or any matters raised at these meetings which require his/her attention or action.
• Lead team building and change management activities to reinforce team cohesion and improve efficiencies in a conducive working environment.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• At least a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Development Finance, or any other discipline that is relevant to the operations of the Bank;
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of experience in a similar organization
• Experience in managing a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural team within multilateral organizations.
• Ability to think clearly and write to communicate effectively with diverse audiences, individuals and across teams, including senior management team.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail and must be able to work independently and as a part of a group.
• Ability to make administrative/procedural decisions and judgements, with excellent technical and analytical skills.
• Proven ability to communicate both orally and in writing with high level individuals/stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build and lead teams.
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients.
• Ability to collaborate with a highly diverse Senior Management teams and responsive to needs of multiple stakeholders, with excellent negotiation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access and Power Point, SAP and/or other integrated document management system).

Application Closing Date
2nd April, 2022.