Principal Energy Operations Officer 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: Principal Energy Operations Officer

Position: 50069662
Location: Dakar, Senegal
Position Grade: PL4

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth (PEVP)’ is a Sector Complex focusing broadly on the Bank’s TYS and High 5 priorities of “Light up and Power Africa”. 
• The complex’s objectives are (i) to develop policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector technical expertise to the Regions by gathering a pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted for their expertise on complicated transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) act as spokesperson for the Bank with external stakeholders on all aspects of “Light Up and Power Africa”.
• The Complex focuses specifically on areas of power systems development, policy and regulation, renewable energy and, climate and green growth.
• The Complex also ensures that the Bank operates successfully across its Regional Member Countries and oversees the full implementation of all aspects of the Bank’s energy operations in collaboration with the Regional Business Delivery Units (RBDUs). 

The Hiring Departments / Division

• The Power Systems Development Department within PEVP complex has the broad objective of supporting the Bank’s Regional Member Countries, Power Utilities, Regional Economic Communities, Power Pools, Regulators and other stakeholders to develop and improve their own Power Systems and the performance of their utilities for both sovereign (SO) and non-sovereign operations (NSO).
• The department has six (6) Divisions; Power Systems Solutions (PESD1) based at the HQ and Power Systems Operations Divisions in each of the Bank’s five (5) operational regions. 
• The position is under Power Systems Operations, West (PESD3) and located at the Bank’s Senegal Country Office and will be directly supervised by the Regional Sector Manager PESD3. The position will also support Bank Power Systems Development operations in the West Africa region and other business locations of the Bank as found necessary.  

The Position

• Under the overall supervision of the Regional Sector Manager (PESD3), the Operations Officer will ensure the technical strength of the Bank’s activities in the support of transactions linked to investments in the electricity sector.
• He/She will provide deep sectoral expertise related to the planning, development, structuring and financing of national and regional power systems, including power generation, transmission, and distribution / retail.
• The job contributes to the delivery of flagships as required.

Key Functions
The Operation officer is responsible for execution of the following activities with the associated deliveries:

• Contribute to the preparation of policies and strategies for Bank Group intervention in energy;
• Contribute to country and regional strategy papers; undertake relevant studies and analyses;
• Contribute to teams in charge of activities related to project and sector economic analyses; and conducting economic analyses throughout the whole project cycle through: i) data definition, collection and analysis of appropriate core indicators; ii) assessment of public utilities’ commercial performance; iii) calculation of project economic benefits including but not limited to assessing externalities, supply and demand analysis, cost benefit analysis, and economic profitability;
• Provide timely guidance needed to achieve projects’ development outcomes;
• Be part of the teams in charge of activities related to the project cycle and ex-post reviews of Bank operations focusing on renewables, involving RMCs’ governments, other development partners and concerned parties or partners;
• Use updated information on the energy sector and experts’ opinions to advice RMCs for promoting policies, regulations and institutional frameworks conductive to strong growth/development of renewables, stressing the need of good governance;
• Provide the required technical skills to design national and multinational projects that respond to the needs of the RMCs and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) based on their priorities and selectivity;
• Represent the Bank in national and regional partnerships, networks, conferences, workshops, and training seminars on issues related to Energy sector development and related issues;
• Build interdepartmental cooperation in the Bank and partnerships with other sister Institutions involved in the development of renewables;
• Undertake any other task as the Director of the Department and/or Manager may assign.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• At least a Master's Degree in Engineering, Economics, Finance or Business or related fields;
• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in project origination and sector analysis;
• Proven ability to assess and implement legal, institutional, and regulatory reforms in the energy sector value chain;
• 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;
• Demonstrated intellectual leadership and ability to integrate sector specific knowledge with broader operational strategy and research objectives;
• Good networking skills and judgment which are required in the management of professional relationship with external partners working in Africa;
• Client Orientation to understand, and when appropriate, anticipate client needs, to ensure the clients receive the best possible service from the Bank;
• Ability to apply innovative approaches and change working methods while remaining effective in changing working conditions;
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.

Application Closing Date
17th September, 2022.