The African Development Bank Group (the Bank) is the premier pan-African development institution promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. It is composed of 81 member states, including 54 Regional Member Countries (African Countries) and 27 non-regional member countries.

The Bank mobilises and allocates resources to African countries, individually and collectively, for investment in public and private capital projects and programmes. To ensure greater developmental impacts and accelerate the implementation of its Ten-Year Strategy (2013 – 2022), the Bank’s operational focus has been placed on the High Fives: powering Africa, feeding Africa, industrializing Africa, integrating Africa, and improving the quality of life of Africans. The Bank is seeking to build a management team to lead the successful implementation of its Ten-Year Strategy and High Fives.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Director, Joint Secretariat Support Office (PJSS)

Position Number: 50076435
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Position Grade: EL5

The Complex

• The Presidency Complex comprises the Office of The President of the Bank Group and all corporate offices, departments and other organizational units that are directly subordinate to the Presidency in administrative as well as functional terms.
• The President, in the capacity of the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank Group, is mandated to provide competent strategic management of the Bank Group and all its resources towards the fulfilment of the Bank Group’s purpose of contributing to the economic development and social progress of Regional Member Countries.
• The Presidency Complex provides day-to-day and medium-term corporate leadership and executive oversight maintains communication with the Bank Group’s Member Countries and supports the Boards of Directors in the conduct of their statutory roles.
• In addition, the Complex provides legal and regulatory oversight on the conduct of the Bank Group’s business and integrated risk management of Bank Group operations, oversees corporate communication with a range of internal and external stakeholders, promotes integrity, transparency and the highest ethical standards and norms among Bank Group personnel in the conduct of their work, and assures the security of the Bank Group’s personnel, premises and physical assets, information and data in all locations where the Bank Group operates. Furthermore, the Presidency Complex is also involved in catalysing investment from various sources in line with the operational priorities of the Bank Group.
• The President directly supervises several departments and units including the Office of the President; the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department; the Office of the Auditor General; the Group Risk Management Directorate; the General Counsel and Legal Services Department; the Communication and External Relations Department; the Staff Integrity and Ethics Office; Office of the Secretary-General & General Secretariat; the Africa Investment Forum; the Joint Secretariat Support Office and; the External Representation Office in Asia.

The Hiring Department

• The Joint Secretariat Support Office was established by three pan-African institutions comprising the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the African Development Bank Group. Its main objective is to promote coordination, collaboration, and leverage synergies between the three institutions.
• The work of the Joint Secretariat Support Office has been recently revised to focus on the Bank’s strategic partnership with the African Union Commission to accelerate the mainstreaming, implementation and monitoring of Agenda 2063 and other continental initiatives.
• As part of this work, the Joint Secretariat Support Office has created five coordination platforms which it co-chairs with various AU departments and commissions in order to ensure alignment of programming and harmonized reporting on Agenda 2063.
• In coordination with the Bank’s Regional Integration Coordination Office as well as other departments, the Joint Secretariat Support Office facilitates and leads the Bank’s active participation in all African Union Summits.
• The department showcases the impacts of the Bank’s work and solicits high level continental and global support for strategic initiatives, programs, and projects that help the continent respond to emerging global challenges.

The Position

• The position of Director of the Joint Secretariat Support Office, which reports directly to the President, and which is physically located within the Ethiopia Country Office in Ethiopia, leads on the implementation of the Bank’s strategic engagement with the African Union Commission as well as other Addis Ababa-based international organizations, notably, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
• The Director is responsible for leading the Bank’s effective cooperation, seeking to enhance high-level dialogue with the African Union Commission and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, reinforcing coordination and alignment in programming and reporting, as well as facilitating the effective implementation of joint initiatives, programs, and projects.
• The Joint Secretariat Support Office Director provides strategic, operational leadership for facilitating the Bank’s engagement and dialogue at the highest level in the African Union and its Organs and is the primary interface for dialogue with the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
• In delivering on the work program, the incumbent will be supported by a Lead Program Coordinator and a small support staff to engage at appropriate technical levels with the African Union Commission and selected Bank departments.

Key Functions
Under the general guidance of the President, the Director of the Joint Secretariat Support Office will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Facilitating High-Level Dialogue:

• Facilitate high-level dialogue and consultative meetings between the Bank’s President and the Chairperson/Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission as well as between the Bank’s Vice Presidents and African Union Commission Commissioners;
• Facilitate the participation of the President and Senior Management in all African Union Summits, including Mid-Year Coordination Meetings between the African Union, the Regional Economic Committees, and the Regional Mechanisms;
• Follow up on key action points or decisions emerging from senior management’s attendance to African Union and Mid-Year Coordination Meetings Summits, and ensure follow-up/implementation by relevant Bank Departments and African Union Commission;
• Organize the President’s bilateral meetings with Heads of State on the margins of all African Union and Mid-Year Coordination Meetings Summits or high-level events;
• Represent the Bank in important meetings of the African Union, its Organs, and Specialized Agencies, and effectively articulate the Bank’s interests and contributions to such meetings;
• Engage in preliminary dialogue to support the development of African Union-related projects, programs, and initiatives;
• Coordinate the preparation of regular briefing notes and reports on joint African Union and the Bank’s initiatives to be shared with the Bank’s senior management;
• Strengthen ongoing partnerships between the Bank and the African Union Commission and provide advice on strategic and emerging policy issues;
• Work with the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa Secretariat in identifying and discussing issues of importance to Africa’s development within a global context; and
• Provide regular updates to the President and Senior Bank management on emerging issues requiring policy discussion and strategic level attention.

Coordination and Mainstreaming the High 5s in Agenda 2063:

• Engage in dialogue and advocacy with the African Union Commission to mainstream the Bank’s various initiatives into the African Union agenda, as well as reinforcing the Bank’s visibility;
• Support the operationalisation of the existing Joint Secretariat Support Office coordination platforms, through regular consultative or technical working group meetings, to ensure alignment of the High 5s with Agenda 2063;
• Coordinate with key departments of the Bank to ensure effective participation, coordination, and information sharing;
• Lead and coordinate the Bank’s participation in the preparation of Agenda 2063 progress report meetings.

Program Support:

• Work closely with the Bank’s Regional Integration Coordination Office to provide strategic support on the implementation of critical African Union flagship programs and initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa, or the Single African Air Transport Market;
• Lead and provide support to all the Bank-financed African Union Projects to ensure effective implementation;
• Participate in selected regional and country team meetings to ensure alignment with African Union strategies and programs;
• Coordinate and monitor the Bank’s special projects and initiatives; and
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the President.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills

• At least a Master’s Degree in Economics, Politics, International Relations, Development Studies, Law, Management, or related Social Sciences and interdisciplinary studies;
• An excellent understanding of contemporary debates in political economy, broadly understood, both in Africa and elsewhere, informed by both orthodox and heterodox socioeconomic and political and/or diplomatic theory;
• Strong familiarity with the role of other development finance institutions in facilitating socioeconomic reform and addressing poverty reduction in developing countries;
• Have a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in addressing challenges in developing countries, preferably gained in regional, continental, or international development agencies working in or in Africa or in public service, three (3) years of which should be at a managerial level;
• Solid understanding of regional integration and the workings of supranational organizations, (knowledge and/or experience with the workings of the African Union, African Regional Economic Committees, and other regional mechanisms would be a plus);
• Strong planning and organizational skills, including a proven ability to think strategically, see the big picture without sacrificing the details, proven negotiation skills and team building skills, as well as a credible ability to influence and present ideas;
• Capacity to connect, understand and influence stakeholders at all levels;
• Demonstrated leadership experience and ability to handle the high-level demands of a complex, multinational, multicultural organization, including the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines;
• Strong capacity to analyse actions from the perspectives of stakeholders, and to translate strategic thinking into compelling action plans;
• Demonstrated ability to take prudent business risks and make effective, timely and well-determined decisions;
• Ability to plan and manage staff to achieve high-quality results and encourage innovation in an open team-based environment, inspiring trust and influencing, and resolving differences across organizational boundaries;
• Impeccable oral and written communication skills in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language; and
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software applications (Office suites, Enterprise Resource Planning; Collaboration Suites).

Application Closing Date
11th October, 2022.