ADB - The Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Chief Operating Officer

• Grade: EL-2
• Position N°: NA
• Reference: ADB/11/193
• Publication date: 21/11/2011
• Closing date: 18/12/2011

Objectives

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is Africa’s premier multilateral development finance institution that has a composition of 53 African member countries and 25 non- African countries from Asia, Europe, North and South America. The purpose of the Bank is to further the economic development and social progress of African countries, individually and collectively. The Bank has its Headquarters in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. From February 2003, the Bank’s headquarters have temporarily shifted to Tunis in Tunisia and the Bank has been operating from its Temporary Relocation Agency (TRA) there. The Bank has a staff of about 1860 in the Senior Management, Professional (PL) and General Support (GS) categories, spread over offices in Tunis, Abidjan and 28 other countries in Africa. Evidence of the Banks diversity is reflected through the workforce representation of more than 78 member countries, supporting the Bank’s multicultural composition. The Bank’s multicultural status is displayed by using two official institutional languages – English and French.

Within the Bank the COO’s Office forms part of reforms introduced in the 2008-2012 MTS designed to improve coherence and coordination across complexes, ensure strategic priorities are reflected in resource allocation, enhance monitoring and management of performance, and strengthen the focus on results.

Duties and responsibilities

On behalf of the President, he/she will provide day-to-day oversight on the management of the Bank’s affairs to help knit the organization together to ensure enhanced corporate delivery and performance.

The duties and responsibilities of the incumbent will include, among other things, the following:

• Ensure cross-complex coordination to achieve corporate coherence
• Coordinate the effective implementation and monitoring of key corporate decisions as well as the identification of necessary corrective measures and actions
• Supervise the Units/Departments directly reporting to his Office
• Serve as Chair for Senior Management Committees (OpsCom and SMCC) discussions and as reference point for bringing to the attention of the President any issues on which there has been no agreement at other consensus building organs of the Bank
• Advise the President on emerging issues of corporate significance for strategy management, resource allocation and performance monitoring.

In the discharge of his duties, the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) may also as needed:

• Bring together virtual teams from time to time to facilitate effective coordination between different complexes
• Undertake periodic assessments of progress on specific corporate issues which span complexes and advise the President accordingly

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Master degree or its equivalent in business administration, management , finance, economics or other relevant fields;
• Preferably a minimum of 15 (fifteen) years of relevant experience with 10 years of relevant direct experience; solid credibility on development issues; understanding of both public and private sector perspectives; Experience in change management would be an asset;
• Demonstrated superior leadership qualities, first-rate interpersonal skills, strategic mindset with ability to balance long-term and short-term tradeoffs;
• Excellent technical, analytical skills and established operational track record of excellence in achieving results;
• Proven ability to identify and articulate policy issues, tradeoffs and priorities to provide sound advice;
• Demonstrated ability to work across institutional boundaries with various teams, build and lead a team of professional staff, and utilize talent and expertise of team members in a productive way;
• Ability to build partnerships and deliver results that meet the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution;
• Demonstrated ability to produce high quality work on a variety of issues within very short deadlines, to take prudent risks and make effective and timely decisions;
• Superior written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French with demonstrated ability to think strategically and synthesize complex issues (translated into effective oral and written communications);
• High degree of discretion, tact and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients and stakeholders at all levels;
• Ability to work under pressure and perform in a multicultural and complex environment;
• Proven track record of building and managing teams and creating an enabling work environment;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively mentor and guide groups of professional staff and design training/skills enhancement initiatives to ensure effective transfer of knowledge/skills;
• Ability to communicate and defend orally and in writing, complex issues and positions to Senior Bank Management, the Board of Executive Directors, government officials, Civil Society Organizations, etc.;
• Ability to operate effectively in a matrix management environment, both as team leader and team member;
• Ability to deal sensitively in a multi-cultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues;
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).

Document download

The Vice President and Chief Operating Officer - Chief Operating Officer (74 KB)

Apply online

Apply for this position

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