Consultant, Support to Review and Advisory Services: Operations and Strategy Quality, Results, Monitoring and Learning - SNDR 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: Expressions of Interest for the Support to Review and Advisory Services: Operations and Strategy Quality, Results, Monitoring and Learning - SNDR

Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Consultant Type: Individual Consultant
Job Family: Other
Duration of Services: 12 months,
Estimated starting date: 22nd May, 2023.

Description

• The  African  Development  Bank(AfDB or the Bank) hereby invites Individual Consultants to express their interest in the following assignment: Support  to  review and advisory services: operations and strategy quality, results, monitoring and learning.
• The purpose of this assignment is to supplement existing capacity in the division to provide review and advisory services to Bank operations teams. While the core work of the division has long focused on providing guidance, training, and tracking compliance, it has recently significantly expanded  its  services, to provide review and advisory services to operations teams  throughout the project cycle, demand for which has grown.
• Underthe umbrella of review and advisory services, the main workstreams are as follows:
  •  Assessing  the  quality  and  readiness  of  operations  proposals  from  a  results  perspective
  • Reviewing and advising on the quality of monitoring reports
  • Reviewing and advising on the quality of draft project completion reports
  • Reviewing and advising on country and regional strategy papers
  • Conducting analysis of lessons based on desk review
  • Other related tasks identified within the scope of enhancing review and advisory services.

Background

• The Department for Delivery, Performance Management and Results (SNDR) is at the centre of the Bank’s efforts to improve operational and corporate performance, accelerate the pace of delivery and increase impact on development. As part of its mandate, it also works to strengthen the Bank’s accountability for results and promotes a performance-driven culture across the organization.
• Within the Department, the Quality Assurance and Learning Division (SNDR.3) focuses on enhancing and mainstreaming the quality and results of the Bank’s strategies and operations.
• To this end, it is responsible for:
  • Setting quality standards for the Bank’s interventions
  • Strengthening tools and processes throughout operations cycle notably those relating to monitoring and results
  • Building staff capacities and facilitating operational knowledge dissemination.
• SNDR.3 requires support focused on its expanding review and advisory services, to operations teams.
• This assignment will require the services of an experienced consultant with a high level of in-depth expertise on monitoring, evaluating, and learning in a development cooperation context, and ability to work in a flexible and responsive manner, based on client demands.

Objective

• The purpose of this assignment is to supplement existing capacity in the division to provide review and advisory services to Bank operations teams.
• While the core work of the division has long focused on providing guidance, training and tracking compliance, it has recently significantly expanded its services, to provide review and advisory services to operations teams throughout the project cycle.
• The review and advisory services workstream has proven pertinent, such that the volume of demand is exceeding internal capacity to supply the services.

Main Deliverables
Under the umbrella of review and advisory services, the main workstreams are as follows:

• Assessing the quality and readiness of operations proposals from a results perspective, via the
• Bank’s readiness review tool, and providing constructive and specific advice to teams on how to improve the project logic, draft results frameworks, theories of change, monitoring plans and risk to result matrices during project design.
• Reviewing and advising on the quality of monitoring reports including regular implementation progress and monitoring reports, mid-term reviews of operations, and in some cases reviewing strategies, and refining existing checklists in this regard.
• Reviewing and advising on the quality of draft project completion reports, with particular attention to strength of evidence and analysis, and extraction and application of lessons.
• Reviewing and advising on country and regional strategy papers, portfolio performance reviews, mid-term reviews, and completion reports, as needed.
• Conducting analysis of lessons based on desk review.
• Supporting the team in reviewing, updating, and augmenting practical guidance notes and training available to Bank staff and implementing partners.
• Other related tasks identified within the scope of enhancing review and advisory services.
• These tasks are generally desk based.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Hold at least a Master's Degree in Business Administration, Economic Development, International Relations, Statistics, Economics or related disciplines.
• Minimum of 5 years of proven relevant work experience in development cooperation related to project design, monitoring, and evaluations practices.
• In depth knowledge and practical experience in developing and managing results monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems.
• Knowledge and practice of operational policies and M&E standards of multilateral development banks or other development agencies.
• Knowledge of economic and financial analysis, including cost-benefit analysis and costeffectiveness analysis is an advantage.
• In depth knowledge in one or more of the priority sectors for the African Development Bank;
• and knowledge of both sovereign and non-sovereign operations, an advantage.
• Strong IT skills for day-to-day collaboration, and good knowledge of data collection and data analysis tools (quantitative and qualitative).
• Be a national of one of the member countries of the Bank.

Language Skills:

• English and French are the working languages of the African Development Bank. The consultant should
• be fluent in one of the two languages with a solid working knowledge of the other.

Duration of the Assignment and Payment Modalities
The duration of assignment will be for a total of twelve (12) months, over the period May 2023 - May 2024. Payment of honorarium will be on a monthly basis after satisfactory execution of duties.

Application Closing Date
26th April, 2023 at 17:00 hours, Abidjan local time.