Operations Team Leader (Agriculture Infrastructure) at Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is a multilateral development bank (MDB) which funds its projects and other developmental activities using Islamic finance. Hence, the name “Islamic”. Founded in 1975, the IsDB is headquartered in Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the Bank is to foster economic development and social progress of its member countries.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Operations Team Leader (Agriculture Infrastructure)

Job ID.: IDB3253
Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full-time
Business Unit: Operations Complex
Division: Country Rel.&Ser. Africa & Latin America
Department: Country relations and services Africa & Latin America

Job Purpose

• Under the supervision of the Country Operations Manager, to manage the portfolio of Agriculture & Rural Development projects and TAs within the approved scope, schedule, budget and quality to ensure efficient delivery of the Bank’s mandate to support socio-economic development in the relevant Member Countries.
• Supervise and provide technical oversight to Project Managers on day-to-day basis for the implementation of projects and to provide clearance on their tasks.
• Lead/conduct the appraisal of projects, TAs, quality reviews, progress reporting monthly, quarterly and annually.
• Contribute to the clearance of tender documents and contracts related to implementation of the approved projects and proactively mitigate risks issues in the portfolios.
• Provide technical support and contribution in shaping the Bank’s strategy by focusing on the given sector in the covered region, including contribution to Member Country Strategy, analytical work.
• Provide Project Management and Implementation supervision. Provide Data Entry and system management of Bank Project Management Systems. Contribute to the operational, financial, knowledge and procurement policies and implementation guidelines.

Key Accountabilities
Project Appraisal:

• Lead the preparation of project appraisals to ensure comprehensive coverage of the technical, economic, social, financial, procurement, institutional and environmental aspects of the project proposals are in line with the operations manual and applicable policies/procedures of the Bank.
• Seek inputs from the respective Sector Teams in DGCP and GPP to further refine and enhance the project appraisal documents prior to submission for Board approval.
• Ensure all changes identified during project preparation and appraisal are incorporated in all the relevant documents for alignment of project design and approach prior to submission of project for Board approval.

Project Approval:

• Lead in the preparation, follow-up and communication of project preparation and approvals, in line with IsDB’s business processes, delegation of authority with the relevant focal points and stakeholders (Bank, MC, Partners).

Project Implementation and Monitoring:

• Coordinate with respective DGCP and GPP Sectoral Leads for receiving technical assistance in all aspects across the entire project lifecycle.
• Maintain project plans to ensure ongoing monitoring of project progress, proactive identification of issues and implementation of action plans to resolve issues promptly.
• Liaise with the Operations Quality and Monitoring (OQM) Unit during the operational cycle of projects to ensure necessary operational policies and procedures are being followed and suggestions for improvements are implemented.
• Review disbursement requests and advise on clearance status to country management to ensure timely resolution of procurement and other related issues and ensure that Undisbursed Commitments are minimized.

Project Closure and Review:

• Contribute to the development of project completion reports, on completion of each project, ensuring that all elements of the project charter have been incorporated in the report.
• Provide inputs to the Sectoral Teams in DGCP and GPP ensuring that the problems and issues faced, remedial actions taken, and the lessons learned are well documented for reference in the future projects.
• Provide necessary inputs to the Portfolio Effectiveness Unit, at the end of the project portfolio cycle, to ensure that the portfolio development effectiveness objectives have been achieved.

Academic and Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture/ Food Security/ Rural Development/ Transportation / Water Management/ Agriculture Engineering or related field.
• Master’s degree would be preferred.
• Additional qualification or certification in Project Management like PMP would be highly desirable.
• Minimum 8 years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree 6 years with a Master’s degree in the development sector, of which minimum 5 years in a specific sector.

Skills & Necessary Knowledge:

• Project Management skills.
• People Management skills.
• Quality Management.
• Results Orientation.
• Portfolio Management.
• Time and resource management.
• Building Relationships
• Passion for Excellence
• Problem Solving skills
• Vendor Management
• Global Trends and Challenges in the specific sector.
• IT skills, especially in project management.

Application Closing Date
5th March, 2024.