African Development Bank (AfDB): Lead Public Sector Governance Specialist

Position title: Lead Public Sector Governance Specialist
Grade: PL-2

Reference: ADB/10/072
Publication date: 24/05/2010
Closing date: 24/06/2010

Objectives

The key role of the Governance, Economic and Financial Reform Department (OSGE) is to:

• Promote effective public sector governance and public financial management in Regional Member countries (RMC) and
• Enhance the investment climate and ensure an environment conducive to private sector development.

These objectives are achieved through operations designed to support reforms and build institutional capacity, including through policy-based lending, investment projects, technical assistance, and upstream analytical and advisory work. OSGE’s activities are in line with the Bank Group Medium-term strategy and the strategic orientations of the Governance Strategic Directions and Action Plan for 2008- 2012 approved by the Bank in 2008 and focusing on good economic governance and sound public finance management.

The role of this Lead Governance Experts is to advise the Director of OSGE with regard to the strategic orientations of the Department; to provide strategic advice on the Banks position in governance and technical quality control of operations under the Department’s responsibility.

S/he will also be responsible for coordinating the Department’s cross-cutting initiatives and advice on strategic matters related to the Bank’s governance agenda.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Director of the Governance, Economic and Financial Reform Department (OSGE), the Lead Public Sector Governance Specialist will be undertake the following tasks and responsibilities:

• Advise on policy matters, strategic issues, special initiatives and strategic partnerships on governance, anticorruption and public financial management and assist in the strategic steering of the Bank’s governance strategy and engagement at the regional and international levels.
• Serve as the substantive technical anchor to the Department’s engagement with key policy and strategy processes in the area of governance, anticorruption, and public financial management, internally and externally (such as the APRM or STAR).
• Provide leadership to the Bank Group on emerging operational issues pertaining to the nexus between governance, development, and service delivery for poverty reduction;
• Provide technical and operational advise, support and guidance, including quality control, to policy documents, institutional reports and country operations in the area of governance, anticorruption, and public financial management, including through participation in appraisal teams and peer review;
• Collaborate with the Operations Policy Department (ORPC) and Results Department (ORQR) to review and assess the continuing relevance and efficacy of the Bank’s governance strategy, operational guidelines, results monitoring (through the Governance Core Sector Indicators), strategic initiatives and intervention modalities, including as part of the ADF framework.
• Coordinate engagement in corporate processes, policies and guidelines especially on budget support, governance, and public financial management, including the mid-term review of the governance strategy in 2010, as well as relevant evaluations (on budget support, public financial management, fragile states).
• Ensure that governance and anticorruption aspects are mainstreamed in Bank country strategy papers and Bank-financed operations, in collaboration with the other Bank organizational units; Play an active part in formulation and implementation of Bank policies, initiatives and operations, in light of international best practice with the aim of strengthening quality at entry, operational effectiveness and policy advise.
• Lead, guide and support the Bank’s strategic engagement and knowledge base with strategic partners (UNECA, UNDP, World Bank, European Commission, OECD, pivotal bilateral donors) and relevant special initiatives, such as Africa Technical Assistance Centres Initiative (AFRITAC), Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), the Collaborative African Budget Reform Initiative (CABRI), African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF), Good Financial Governance (GFG), in close coordination with the OSGE Division Managers and respective Task Managers.
• Promote sector knowledge and dissemination of good practices in the area of governance, within and outside the Bank; articulate and advocate key governance challenges facing the continent and the Bank’s response; strengthen the Bank’s work on governance, anticorruption and public financial management, as well as integrity, transparency and accountability standards and practices.
• Play a lead role in identifying themes and organize the analytic work to reinforce the Department’s operations as well as its advisory services, in particular on political economy analysis and sector governance; Facilitate the mobilization of targeted support to the Bank’s governance agenda including through technical assistance and trust funds, including overseeing the functioning of the Governance Trust Fund (GTF).
• Develop and promote knowledge-sharing networks within and outside the Bank, in relation to the Department’s areas of competence; Contribute to strengthen the Bank’s analytical and advisory work on governance, anticorruption and public financial management such as the African Governance Outlook (AGO) and other Economic and Sector Work (ESW), in close coordination with OSGE Managers and the respective Task Managers.
• Lead the drafting of Departmental activity and results monitoring reports, including the contribution to the Annual Report, the Vice Presidency Report and the Departmental Reports.
• Represent the Bank at technical conferences and report on best practice with a view to disseminating it to the Department’s staff. Also liaise with the other organizational units to prepare the Director’s participation in conferences, workshops and initiatives within the Department’s scope of responsibility.

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• At least a master degree in governance, public sector reform, political sciences, political economy, or public financial management, and preferably a PhD;
• Proven skills and theoretical expertise in public management, public sector governance, anticorruption, and public financial management;
• Preferably a minimum of eight (08) years of relevant professional experience in public management, public sector governance and public financial management. Publication of significant research work and experience in leading task forces and advisory groups in the above fields would be an advantage;
• Ability to analyze and strategically synthesize complex issues with a sense of precision and attention to detail;
• Confirmed aptitude to build and lead teams of professionals; effective skills for coaching and coordinating teams; ability to mobilize human and financial resources.
• Capacity to organize training/workshops for transferring and disseminate operationally-relevant knowledge;
• Capacity to manage sensitive situations requiring work under pressure to deliver results within the prescribed time limits; effective communication skills and writing aptitudes;
• Excellent written and spoken communication in both Bank working languages; a good knowledge of other working languages of RMC would be an asset;
• Competence with standard Bank Microsoft Office; familiarity with SAP recommended;
• Knowledge of Bank strategies, policies and procedures would be an asset.

Only applicants who fully meet the Bank’s requirements and are being considered for interview will be contacted.

Applicants will only be considered if they submit (preferably electronically, to: recruit@afdb.org) a fully completed Personal History Form (PHF), available from the Bank’s web site, and attach a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) indicating date of birth and nationality.

The President, ADB, reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level.

The African Development Bank is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

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