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Resident Representative for Zimbabwe (ZWFO) - Regional Departments, Vice Presidency, Country and Regional Programs & Policy

  • Position title: Resident Representative for Zimbabwe (ZWFO) - Regional Departments, Vice Presidency, Country and Regional Programs & Policy
  • Grade: PL-2
  • Position N°: NA
  • Reference: ADB12/178
  • Publication date: 20/07/2012
  • Closing date: 01/08/2012

Objectives

The Regional Department is responsible for the Bank Group’s activities in specific regional member countries. These responsibilities include country dialogue, programming of the Bank’s activities in these countries and allocation of resources among sectors activities. The main deliverables for the Regional Department are the Country Strategies, Annual Work Programs and Budgets, Country Portfolio Reviews, coordination of country portfolio management, Country Economic Reviews, contributions to sector analytical work, support of regional entities and representation of the Bank in donor meetings. The Country Office oversees the portfolio of Bank projects in the country and participates /takes the lead actively in the dialogue with country officials and represents the Bank in aid coordination. It has a decentralized team including country economist, portfolio manager, and various sector experts depending on the portfolio of the country and a fiduciary team including procurement, financial management and disbursement officers.

Duties and responsibilities

Under general supervision of the Director of the Regional Department in the Vice Presidency of Operations I, the Resident Representative (RR) is responsible for the promotion of Country Policy Dialogue, the development, implementation and monitoring of the Bank’s country and regional strategies and ensuring that these strategies are aligned to the development programs and the priorities of the countries covered by the field office. The RR will ensure donor coordination in line with the Paris Declaration and related commitments. These responsibilities include country dialogue, programming of the Bank’s activities in these countries and advise the Regional Director (RD) on resource allocation among sectors activities. The main deliverables for the RR are the preparation of the Country Strategies including private sector development, Annual Work Programs and Budgets, Country Portfolio Management and Reviews, Country Economic Reviews, sector and any other analytical work, support of regional entities and representation of the Bank in donor meetings.

Specific Duties:

Overall Country Program

  • Monitor closely political and economic developments in the country; ensure the strongest relevance and value for RMCs of studies and reports undertaken by the Bank; evaluate and endeavor to contribute to the country’s development strategy, public expenditure management and planning; assist countries in the preparation and implementation of PRSPs;
  • Drive the management and implementation of the Bank’s program at country and regional (RECs) levels, under the overall guidance of the Regional Director ;
  • Play a key role and advise the Country Team on economic, political and other developments relevant to the Bank’s operations in the country;
  • Lead the preparation of Country Strategy Papers, seeking to work jointly with other donors, if possible, and lead the preparation of Country Portfolio Reviews in liaison with sector colleagues;
  • Play an active role in the design and management of economic and sector work in the country;
  • Play a key role in aid co-ordination meetings with a view to the Bank taking leadership in some of the thematic working groups, based on comparative advantage.

Management of the Country Portfolio

  • Oversee all aspects of portfolio management to ensure quality at entry and during implementation, including performance monitoring, in line with Bank policies, strategies, and directives;
  • Lead the dialogue with Government on all systemic issues relating to portfolio management, to improve the performance and quality of Bank operations based on an agreed result framework, which will include key performance indicators;
  • Identify and address cross-cutting and country specific portfolio issues and advise the Country Team in the design, implementation and supervision arrangements for the portfolio as well as new business development;
  • Ensure effective implementation of operations and activities in the portfolio.

Country Office Management

  • Supervise staff in the country office and undertake staff development and performance evaluation. In the case of sector experts, staff will be evaluated jointly by the RR and the relevant Sector Department;
  • Prepare and supervise implementation of the country office budget and submit periodic reports in accordance with the Bank’s budget management regulations;
  • Liaise and work closely with others department staff on issues such as audits of the country office, human resources and asset management and IT issues.

Selection Criteria

  • Minimum a Master’s degree or its university equivalent in business administration, economics or another relevant field;
  • Preferably a minimum of eight (8) years of extensive and progressive experience in country program operations in an international organization, including preferably 3 years at a managerial level. A solid knowledge and good grasp of the political economy as well as the socio-economic and development issues in Africa.
  • A strategic mindset and the capacity to steer the Bank’s agenda while empowering staff during a phase of institutional transition towards greater country focus of the Bank’s activities; portfolio management experience would be an asset;
  • Team skills required to lead complex programs, experience in the development of new projects and their financial supervision;
  • Excellent analytical skills, strong capacity to analyze actions from the perspectives of stakeholders and translate strategic thinking into compelling plan of action;
  • Demonstrated ability to take business risks and make effective, timely and well-determined decisions;
  • Senior level experience in public finance and debt management
  • Excellent communication skills including clear and concise drafting and ability to explain complex issues to a wide range of audiences. Outstanding networking skills and ability to develop partnerships with a broad range of clients, inside and outside the Bank.
  • First-rate interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas; a good listener; cultural sensitivity, commitment to diversity and capacity to initiate and manage innovations and change;
  • Ability to operate effectively in a matrix environment, both as team leader and team member;
  • Excellent written and verbal communications in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language..
  • Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).

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To apply for this position, you need to be national of one of AfDB member countries.

  • Submitted by: Harold Akingbade-Taylor, OIC CHRM.1
  • Approved by: Gemina Archer-Davies, Director, CHRM