Trade Finance Operations Assistant 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: Trade Finance Operations Assistant

Position Number: 50087666
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Position Grade:  GS7

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization is central to the Bank’s mission of developing the private sector, improving infrastructure and accelerating industrialization. 
• The complex main functions are to: 
  • Strengthen the enabling environment for private sector [and financial sector] development conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development, 
  • Support the development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure, including cities and urban development, and 
  • Place renewed emphasis on industrial and trade performance in support of structural transformation across Africa. 
• The Complex leverages knowledge, co-financing, and partnerships to attract private capital and work with governments on delivering the Bank’s development agenda.

The Hiring Department / Division

• The primary role of the Financial Sector Development Department is to help the Regional Member Countries increase the reach, depth, and breadth of their financial systems, while safeguarding financial stability. 
• The Department has four long-term objectives: (i) development of a vibrant private sector through an inclusive access by households and enterprises to financial services; (ii) strengthening markets participants; (iii) developing efficient capital markets, and (iv) deepening regional financial integration.
• Working in partnership with other Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization complex departments, the Financial Sector Development Department is responsible for implementing the Bank Group’s Financial Sector Development Action Plan to develop vibrant, innovative, robust and competitive financial systems, both national and regional, and in both the public and private sector of Regional Members countries. 
• The Financial Sector Development Department plays a transversal role across the Bank’s five strategic priorities, applying its financial deepening and access tool kit for the achievement of the High 5 priority goals... The Financial Sector Development Department leverages partnerships to foster greater developmental impact in financial sector development.
• The Trade Finance Division (PIFD.3) oversees all the trade finance activities of the Bank.  
• The Division seeks to address the trade finance gap in Africa by providing guarantees and liquidity support to commercial and development finance Banks involved in trade finance, Corporates, as well as various economic actors including parastatals engaged in this critical sector, with the objective of broadening access to affordable financing in Regional Members countries. 
• The Division leads project teams that identify, appraise and process trade finance related projects until first disbursement, at which point primary responsibility, is passed to the portfolio management Division depending on the specific product. The Division also implements technical assistance and non-transactional programs in these areas.   

The Position

• The Trade Finance Operations Assistant is part of the middle/back office team of the Trade Finance Division responsible for recording, monitoring and managing the trade finance guarantee portfolio. 
• The portfolio comprises guarantee transactions generated through our Risk Participation Agreement (RPA) and Transaction Guarantee (TG) instruments. He/she is responsible for verifying the accuracy of guarantee transactions reported by partner banks against defined eligibility criteria and subsequently capturing those details in the Trade Finance Database System.
• The incumbent monitors the trade transactions throughout their tenor and performs monthly reconciliation of outstanding commitments and revenue due to AfDB as a guarantor.

Key Functions
Under the guidance and supervision of the Chief Trade Finance Operations Officer, the Trade Finance Operations Assistant will perform the following duties:

Operational Excellence:

• Support trade finance portfolio (operations) officers in the day-to-day management of the guarantee agreements signed with partner international banks, local banks, regional banks, regional development finance institutions and other multilateral development banks.
• Support trade finance portfolio (operations) officers in the execution of requests from Confirming Banks and Issuing Banks relating to trade finance guarantee issuance, amendment and cancellation of guarantees, as well as maintaining static data in the database, managing limits, monitoring of active transactions and payments due, and processing changes to credit terms.
• Proactively update the pricing spreadsheet for all countries with information gathered from various sources, including from partner Confirming Banks and Issuing Banks.
• Maintain a quality filing system of CB and IB agreements, and all guarantee-related documents, including internal and external SWIFT messages to facilitate easy retrieval when required.

Portfolio Management:

• Support the monitoring of the Bank’s exposure on a going basis and the preparation of regular portfolio reports for internal use.
• Participate in the review and reconciliation of outstanding exposure and income due to the Bank from Confirming Banks and Issuing Banks.
• Support the preparation of regular risk and ad hoc reports for use by various internal stakeholders.
• Assist trade finance portfolio (operations) officers in the preparation of annual supervision reports of guarantee partners.
• Support the periodic review of Issuing Banks and their limits
• Assist in the monitoring of financial covenants compliance and reporting requirements of the Issuing Banks and Confirming Bank

Miscellaneous:

• Perform other related duties as assigned by the Division Manager and/or supervisor of the middle/back office.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Banking, Finance, Accounting, Management, Economics, or other relevant field.
• Training and Certificate in trade finance would be an added advantage.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in a commercial bank or development finance institution, including at least one-year practical experience in a trade finance middle/back-office environment.
• Strong client orientation with commitment to operational experience.
• Excellent analytical and interpersonal skills, with an eye for detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, with a working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of the Bank’s standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).

Application Closing Date
5th April, 2025.