Sector Manager, Agriculture Operations, RDGE at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) Full Time

Job Title: Sector Manager, Agriculture Operations, RDGE

Reference: ADB/21/060
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Grade: PL2

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for ‘Agriculture, Human, and Social Development’ is a Sector Complex focusing on the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy High 5s priorities of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”. The complex objectives are (i) to develop, policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector expertise to the Regions by gathering pool of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) the Vice President will act as the spoke person to represent the Bank with external stakeholders on aspects of “Feed Africa” and “Improve Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department / Division:

• The role of the Agriculture & Agro-Industry Department is to support the delivery of the Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy for Agricultural Transformation in Africa, 2016-2025. The strategy aims to end hunger and rural poverty in the next decade through self-sufficiency in eighteen (18) priority commodity value chains specific to the continent’s agro-ecological zones
• The role of the Agriculture Operations, Regional Directorate East Unit (RDGE) is amongst others, to plan, direct and oversees the Division operations to ensure effective origination and delivery of sound and practicable projects within the business development process.

The Position

• The Manager, Agriculture Operations, serves as the leader and manager of the Division and empowers staff to accomplish their objectives by directing and delegating duties and tasks to them, and then supporting, mentoring and engaging with them
• The Manager also works directly with and also uses Division staff to engage Country Economists, Deputy Director Generals, Country Managers, Country Program Officers and Implementation Staff to make use of macro-economic analysis, country and sector know-how and recommendations to identify opportunities for projects within the scope of the Division that make an impact on the High 5s, ‘Gender Strategy,’ and the ‘Feed Africa,’ ‘Jobs for Youth,’ ‘New Deal on Energy for Africa’ flagship programmes
• The incumbent and team build a robust project pipeline, and strategically prioritize and drive their delivery for approval
• The incumbent and the staff build and maintain key relationships within the Bank with Sector Complex staff and others as needed, and external to the Bank, such as government officials, civil society leaders, and technical experts to support due diligence in the development of projects
• The incumbent and staff also work within the processes of the Bank to fulfill all requirements to get project approvals and to provide all requisites for implementation of projects.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of the Director AHAI & expert guidance from Senior Management from the DG, Regional Directorate East (RDGE), the manager performs the following:

Leadership and Management:

• Lead the strategic staffing of the Agriculture Division of the Regional Directorate East (AHAI-E) team in the respective region, giving due support to and championing the Bank’s regional and country Strategies,in general and promoting Feeding Africa, in particular
• Lead and manage the Agriculture team in the assigned region and ensure the team is high-performing, well-motivated and committed to the success of the Bank
• Lead, plan, organize, manage and supervise the activities and work programme and budget of the Division with appropriate delegation of day-to-day activities
• Drive and ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Agriculture Division RDG-E (AHAI-E) achieving the Bank’s strategic imperatives and the management of change
• Cultivate and ensure a culture of “ONE-Bank” in the Agriculture and Regional Directorate East with the highest levels of ethics, fiduciary responsibility, and professionalism to protect and enhance the reputation of the Bank
• Provide both technical and managerial leadership to staff in the definition and realization of the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the Division
• Ensure effective Divisional budget resources management
• Strengthen the human and institutional capacities of countries and deepen the capacity of the Bank to implement the Bank’s Flagship Projects and to become the thought leader in knowledge products and advisory services to countries
• Ensure the Task Managers of the Division contribute to the development of country strategy papers and regional integration strategies in relation to their High 5 of concern and country of assignment
• Lead and drive the Division’s contribution to policy dialogue with Government Officials in Agriculture.

Business Development:

• Manage the delivery of the lending programme for member countries in the Region in accordance with Bank policies and procedures
• Advance regional integration through the development of and contribution towards the execution of major regional transformative development projects to attain the Bank’s High 5s #2 Feed Africa  and where possible to contribute to ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa’ ‘Light up & Power Africa,’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ and ‘Integrate Africa.’
• Ensure impact is made on the objectives of the ‘Feed Africa,’ flagship programmes
• Develop critical resources and the technical capability necessary for sourcing and originating bankable projects
• Pipeline Development: Develop and manage a diversified pipeline and lending programme of investments in Agriculture across the region, to meet the Bank’s impact and profitability targets
• Drive the development of a robust pipeline of public and private projects, programs and analytical work through identification and preparation activities
• Identification of Opportunities – Identify and secure co-financing opportunities and organization of joint promotional activities
• Identify direct investment opportunities for possible Bank financing and build up PPP project pipeline
• Under the guidance of the Director AHAI, spearhead national and regional business development and investment, drive resource mobilization across the countries under their remit and significantly grow the business of the Bank
• Project Management: Ensure that when preparing and designing projects in Countries in fragile situations, there is effective liaison with internal Fragility and Resilience Experts to ensure effective application of the fragility-lens, taking into consideration the fragility context (economic, political, social, environmental, and regional factors) and implications from a risk management point of view to minimize impact, and if within scope of the project to make an informed beneficial impact.
• Supervise all stages of the project origination part of the project cycle up to Board presentation.
• Drive the development and delivery of transformational projects for the region and the continent.
• In joint venture with the Regional teams, manage selected client relationships, and ensure high level of client satisfaction
• Promote the Bank’s Agriculture operations and programs to Government Officials, business operators, development partners, etc
• Promote and ensure programmatic linkages between the work of the Division and that of other related Bank Divisions and Departments.

Portfolio Management:

• Ensure regular and timely supervision reporting of all agricultural operations in the region
• Ensure timely completion reporting for all agricultural projects closing
• Process cancellation of loan and grant balances as due
• Ensure dashboard performance of agriculture portfolio is within set targets

Building Relationships and Using Influence:

• Developing partnerships: Lead the AHAI-E Division’s contribution in the creation of networks and partnerships to implement the ‘Feed Africa,’ High 5 and make impact on ‘Light up and Power Africa’ ‘Industrialize Africa,’ ‘Integrate Africa,’ and ‘Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa’ High 5s
• Lead and manage the development of partnerships that lead to the creation of Public Private Partnership for transformation and innovative financing of operations under the above mentioned High 5 in the (indicate region)
• Build strong relationships: a strategic focus with regional and local private businesses, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), River Basin Organizations (RBOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), United Nations (UN) organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners and Government officials to develop investment opportunities and to ramp up co-financing and loan syndications
• Coordination role: Coordinate the Bank’s relationships with institutions involved in Agriculture, operations (exchange of information on policies, operational experience, identification, preparation and appraisal)
• Represent the division, department, the Complex and the Bank at agriculture gatherings.

Performance Management:

• Execute staff performance management, including work performance appraisals and assessments of staff potential and training and development needs
• Foster an environment that stimulates and rewards performance, initiative and innovation, and encourages continuous learning, open communication and teamwork.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in general Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Livestock, Agricultural Economics, or any other relevant field. A qualification or certification in Project Management would be useful
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience, 3 years of which should be in a management position or leadership role
• A proven track record for origination and in managing the dlivery of projects in at least one of the sectors/sub-sectors covered by the Division
• A track record demonstrating a high-level expertise of project appraisal including environmental, social, economic and financial analysis and the provision of technical assistance to improve service delivery
• Experience in and strong understanding of socio-economic and development issues and dynamics in at least one of the sectors covered by the Division particularly in Africa and/or assigned region in Africa
• Experience with working in a team oriented, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, international and professional environment
• Track record of leading and developing teams and managing projects and programmes
• Experience in development of Agriculture Strategies and strong understanding of socio-economic and development issues and dynamics in covered by the Division particularly in Africa and/or assigned region in Africa. Familiarity with strategies, policies, procedures and practices of multilateral development institutions
• Comprehensively understands projects structures, including project design, planning, risk management strategy, issue management strategy, communication management strategy, lessons learned and handover, and other critical success factors, strategies, policies, procedures and practices of multilateral development banks
• Has an acute knowledge and understanding of the elements essential for the effective delivery and measurement of development impacts through projects and programs in Africa
• Can identify and create meaningful linkages across sectors to drive development impact at a country and regional level
• Highly developed negotiation skills proven to yield positive outcomes with senior counterparts, both internal and external
• Communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP is desirable.

Application Closing Date
18th June, 2021.

Important Information / Note

• This position is classified as an international recruitment and attracts international terms and conditions of employment.
• Should you encounter technical difficulties in submitting your application, please send an email with a precise description of the issue and/or a screenshot showing the problem, to “HR Direct” via: [email protected]
• To apply for this position, you need to be national of one of AfDB member countries.
• Applicants who fully meet the Bank’s requirements and are considered for interview will be contacted. Only online applications submitted with a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) and copies of the required degrees will be considered. The President, AfDB, reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level. The African Development Bank is an equal opportunities employer. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) does not ask for payments of any kind from applicants throughout the recruitment process (job application, CV review, interview meeting, and final processing of applications). In addition, the Bank does not request information on applicants’ bank accounts. The African Development Bank Group declines all responsibility for the fraudulent publications of job offers in its name or, in general, for the fraudulent use of its name in any way whatsoever.