Principal Legal Counsel (Capacity Building Unit) 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 Legal Counsel (Capacity Building Unit) - Operations, ALSF

Position Number: 50081071
Location: Abidjan - Cote d'Ivoire, Pretoria - South Africa, Nairobi - Kenya or Tunis - Tunisia
Position Grade: PL4

The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF)

• The African Legal Support Facility (“ALSF” or “Facility”) is an international organization dedicated to providing legal advice and technical assistance to African countries in matters pertaining to creditor litigation and complex commercial transactions.
• The goal of the Facility is to remove asymmetric technical capacities and level the field of legal expertise among parties during litigation and negotiations. The ALSF's main objectives include:
  • Assisting African Governments in defending against litigation brought against them by vulture funds (and other such entities);
  • Providing legal advisory services to African Governments in the negotiation of complex commercial transactions relating to natural resources & extractive industries, infrastructure/PPPs, energy and sovereign debt (“Key Sectors”);
  • Capacity building for lawyers and Government officials related to the above; and (iv) development of knowledge products.
• The ALSF is hosted at the African Development Bank (AfDB), in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and was established by Treaty on December 22, 2008. Its membership is open to:
  • All AfDB member states;
  • Other states;
  • AfDB; and
  • Other international organizations or institutions. The ALSF currently has 60 members, comprising 53 countries and 7 international organizations. 

The Position

• The core responsibilities for this position are to manage the Capacity Building Unit of the Operations Division of the ALSF, to manage and monitor the capacity building and knowledge management activities of the ALSF and to assist the Division Manager & Head of Operations:
  • In supporting, managing and monitoring legal counsel and support team responsible for:
    • The organization of in-person and online training, (ii) the development of knowledge management solutions and initiatives,
    • The compilation of precedents to support legal analysis and conduct of advisory work in coordination with the advisory services unit,
    • Needs appraisal and institutional partnerships to design sound project proposals, and
    • Overall projects’ supervision and management;
  • In planning the funding requirements for ALSF’s project pipeline and implementation, (ii) building up the said project pipeline to meet the Facility’s objectives, and (iii) coordinating with the finance department to assess the liquidity needs for ALSF’s capacity building and knowledge management activities.

Key Functions
The Principal Legal Counsel (Capacity Building) will report to the Division Manager & Head of Operations and will work closely with internal and external stakeholders. The incumbent’s role includes but is not limited to:

• Analyse country requests for capacity building activities, design capacity building programmes and oversee the submission of project proposals and reports to the Director and Management Board of the Facility;
• Supervise and coordinate the preparation of briefs regarding legal due diligence and pedagogical materials required to carry out proposed operations;
• Assist in recruiting and managing external legal counsels and service providers, including negotiating cost effective fee arrangements;
• Assist in recruiting and managing internal legal counsel and logistics support team, including evaluating their performance;
• Regularly liaise and interact with senior government officials to discuss ALSF’s interventions;
• Provide advice to senior government officials in the context of legal training on complex commercial transactions and related institutional capacity building activities;
• Coordinate the drafting of ALSF's standard template agreements relevant to the key sectors;
• Oversee the compilation of knowledge resources/precedents gathered in past transactions supported by the Facility, in view of strengthening the Facility’s knowledge database;
• Liaise with partners, co-financiers and facilitate cooperation with other development partners;
• Assist the Division Manager & Head of Operations in the planning of the funding requirements for ALSF’s capacity building and knowledge management project pipeline and programme implementation for the enhancement of legal capacity in Africa;
• Coordinate with the other ALSF’s units and divisions for an optimal implementation of ALSF’s activities;
• Assist in developing a strategy to attract more project specific funding from development partners and private sector stakeholders for capacity building and knowledge management activities;
• Assist in the drafting of policy documents on operational matters relating to the Facility’s capacity building and knowledge management activities;
• Mentor and assist with the development of team members;
• Assist with the coordination and expansion of ALSF’s flagship capacity building and knowledge management projects (ALSF Academy, Africa Mining Legislation Atlas, Africa Petroleum Legislation Atlas, etc.); and
• Perform such other assignments as may be required from time to time by the Division Manager & Head of Operations, and Director of the Facility.

Competencies (Skills, Experience, and Knowledge)

• A minimum of a Master's Degree in Law or related disciplines plus admission to the Bar of a member of the African Development Bank. Any other professional qualification relevant to the position is an added advantage.
• Relevant skills and experience: at least eight (8) years of relevant work experience including experience in legal assistance to governments and capacity building actions with concrete involvement in the design/delivery of training programmes, preferably targeted to government officials and/or legal practitioners;
• Demonstrated experience and understanding of the sector(s) relevant to ALSF’s portfolio of projects;
• Relevant professional experience preferably with an established international law firm, and/or international financial institution, with proven technical competence and experience in international private law, project finance, extractive resources, international arbitration and/or commercial contracts;
• Strong skills in preparation and negotiation of complex legal documents including briefs, legal opinions, commercial transaction agreements and related transactions;
• Demonstrated effective management and coordination skills and an ability to work under pressure in a multicultural environment to complete multiple tasks and meet deadlines;
• High-level skills in communication, team building, inter-personal relationships, writing, and analytical skills;
• Competence in Microsoft Office; knowledge of cloud-based project management software;
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in English and/or French with good working knowledge of the other language;
• Must be a citizen of a member country of the African Development Bank;
• Must demonstrate a high level of integrity, moral values, discretion and confidentiality;
• Willingness to undertake extensive travel (up to 30% of time).

Application Closing Date
16th December, 2022.