Chief Safeguards Policy Expert Vacancy

* Position title: Chief Safeguards Policy Expert
* Grade: PL-3
* Position N°: 0969
* Reference: ADB/10/112
* Publication date: 13/08/2010
* Closing date: 13/09/2010

Objectives

The African development Bank is a leading development institution on the continent, focused on promoting economic development and poverty reduction. It engages with the full range and complexity of development challenges in Africa. The Bank has integrated operations, lending directly the public and private sectors through a variety of instruments. It also provides advisory services and has an increasing country presence through a growing network of 26 field offices. The Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is charged with improving coherence and coordination across the Bank’s complexes, ensuring strategic priorities are reflected in resources allocation, enhancing monitoring and management of performance, strengthening the focus on results and ensuring compliance with policies. Within the COO’s Office, the Quality Assurance and Results Department (ORQR) assesses and monitors the development impact of the Bank’s operations. The Compliance and Safeguards Division (ORQR.3) ensures compliance with environmental and social safeguards and mainstreaming of environment, social and climate change issues.
Duties and responsibilities

The Chief Safeguards Policy Expert will work under the general supervision of the Director, Results and Quality Assurance Department (ORQR) and under the guidance of the Manager, Compliance and Safeguards Division (ORQR.3). His/her core responsibilities will include:

* Planning, coordinating, preparing, revising/updating the Bank’s environmental and social safeguard policies, procedures and guidelines, including the Bank’s Environmental and Social Assessment Procedures (ESAP); liaising with non-governmental organizations on policy and project matters related to environmental and social safeguards; supporting the development and dissemination of staff development modules, procedures, guidelines, and other tools for the effective application of the Bank’s safeguard policies.
* Overseeing the environmental and social categorization routinely executed by the Division and liaising with operations on issues of categorization; advising Management in relation to operations undergoing mediation or inspection under the Independent Review Mechanism; supporting the preparation of Management responses on issues of compliance with environmental and social safeguards.
* Mainstreaming environmental and social issues into Bank operations, including climate change issues; liaising with sector and regional departments in addressing environmental and social safeguards issues; participating in the operations review process aimed at enhancing quality-at-entry, including through the ‘Readiness Review’ exercise coordinated by ORQR; providing high quality desk support to Operations staff in meeting Bank requirements with respect to environmental, social and climate change mainstreaming, including through strategic environmental and social assessments (SESA), project level environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) and use of country systems for environmental and social assessment; contributing to policy developments in environmental and social areas.
* Supporting the functioning of the Bank’s in-house network of environmentalist specialists as a platform for consultation and knowledge development (ESSnet); supporting staff development and capacity building programs on environmental and social safeguards, at both Bank and country levels; contributing to knowledge capture and dissemination activities; supporting the management of partnerships, networking, harmonization initiatives with other multilateral development banks and development agencies.
* Monitoring related Bank results/KPIs at the institutional level related to environmental, social and climate change issues and reporting to Senior Management on a regular basis

Selection Criteria

Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

* Minimum of a Master’s Degree or its university equivalent in Environmental Engineering, Social Sciences or related disciplines.
* Minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience in quality assurance, safeguards policy development, and field operations.
* Knowledge and practice of safeguards processes of multilateral development banks.
* Excellent technical and analytical skills and established track record of excellence in operational and policy work.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French, with a good working-knowledge of the other language.
* Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
* Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, preferably SAP.


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.