STANDARD TIMES PRESS SIERRA LEONE African Development Bank – Sierra Leone Country Office Local Vacancy Announcement PAGE

The African Development Bank office in Freetown (SLFO) has been established to strengthen dialogue between the Bank and Government, development partners, the private sector, and the civil society, in the design of its development policy and programs, as well as on implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the poverty reduction strategy. The office also seeks to assist the operational functions of the Bank Group in launching and follow up of projects and programs in Sierra Leone. The major functions of the office fall under the major areas of: country programming, project administration, promoting participation, regional integration, and aid co-ordination, in line with the partnership principles and with a view to increasing development effectiveness and impact. SLFO invites applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the following vacant position. This position is local and posting will be in the Sierra Leone Country Office (Freetown) of the African Development Bank.

Social Development Specialist

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Resident Representative, SLFO, and working in consultation with the Division Manager, Social Development Divisions, and Task Managers at Headquarters, the incumbent will among others:

· Collect background information work and undertake analytical work in the social sectors, namely education, health, gender, population and poverty related aspects, with a view to determining the level of priority in the country’s development program, and advise the Resident Representative and the Management of the Bank on policy issues in the sector.

· Contribute to the preparation of Country Strategy Papers (CSP) and Portfolio Review Reports (PRRs), with particular emphasis on social sector development.

· Participate in the identification, preparation and appraisal of social projects/programs, namely:

- Analyze requests for funding submitted by the Government of Sierra Leone and other technical documents that contain project ideas;

- Prepare Terms of references (TORs) of studies; assist Sierra Leone in recruiting consultants; and review/approve their reports;

- Determining project components, costs and implementation modalities, grant/loan amounts and conditions;

- Identify needs for co-financing of projects and initiate dialogue with locally represented donor agencies;

- Ensure that projects operationalize an integrated approach to sustainable development;

- Contribute to drafting project cycle reports;

· Facilitate the Launching and Loan Administration of social projects in Sierra Leone, namely:

- Facilitate organization of Loan Negotiations and Signing of Loan Agreements;

- Ensure that Loan Conditions are fulfilled;

- Propose projects to be included in the Pipeline and Lending Program.

· Supervise the implementation of social projects financed by the Bank Group in Sierra Leone:

- Advise Project Implementation Units (PIUs) on procurement of works, goods and services issues and ensure that PIUs comply with related Bank Group rules and procedures;

- Review design and tender documents, and recommend their approval by the Bank;

- Review disbursement applications and advising PIUs on disbursement related issues;

- Ensure that PIUs submit relevant reports regularly.

· Participate in various Social Sector Working Group activities and related donor-coordination meeting such as Multi-Donor Budget Support (MDBS), key country processes and initiatives, including budget, public expenditure reviews, and poverty reduction strategy; workshops and seminars on social aspects; all with a view to inform and advise the Resident Representative and the Management of the Bank on appropriate measures to take.

· Assist in the Preparation of Project Completion Reports (PCRs).

Selection Criteria:

· At least a Master’s Degree or equivalent in Social Sciences in one of the following disciplines: Education, Health, Gender, Population, Social Protection, Poverty Reduction with concentration in Economics, Planning or Business Administration;

· At least 5 years of relevant experience in planning and administration of social services, or social project development/management;

· Strong research/analytical skills in one of the following areas: social development policy formulation, project management, or donors coordination, with ability to strategically and rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from varied sources into conclusions and recommendation;

· In-depth knowledge of social, political and development issues in the country;

· Good communication and interpersonal skills;

· Competence in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);

· Ability to communicate and write effectively in English, with knowledge of French an advantage.

Terms of Employment: Three years on a fixed-term contract with possibilities of renewal based on performance. Interested applicants are invited to visit the Bank Website http://www.afdb.org for detailed description of duties and required qualifications as well as procedure for applications. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Please send your application and CV, clearly stating the position no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, 9^th January 2008 to:

The Resident Representative

African Development Bank Group

Sierra Leone Country Office (SLFO)

Bishop Building

No 13 Lamina Sankoh Street

Freetown, Sierra Leone

Email: Recruitslfo@afdb.org

Contact: Mrs. Margaret KILO,

Resident Representative

Tel. +232 76 541 328

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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