Principal Investment Officer – PL4  

THE BANK:

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is the premier pan-African development finance institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 81 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten-Year Strategy (2024 – 2033) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major priority areas (High 5s) all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa have been identified for scaling up, namely: energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.

THE COMPLEX:

The Vice Presidency for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization is central to the Bank’s mission of developing the private sector, improving infrastructure and accelerating industrialization. The main functions of the Complex are to: (i) strengthen the enabling environment for private sector and financial sector development conducive to inclusive growth and sustainable development; (ii) support the development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure, including cities and urban development; and (iii) place renewed emphasis on industrial and trade development in support of structural transformation across Africa. The Complex leverages knowledge, co-financing, and partnerships to attract private capital and work with governments on delivering the Bank’s development agenda.

THE HIRING DEPARTMENT:

The primary role of the Financial Sector Development Department (PIFD) is to help the Regional Member Countries (RMCs) increase the reach, depth, and breadth of their financial systems, while safeguarding financial stability. The Department has four long-term objectives: (i) development of a vibrant private sector through inclusive access by households and enterprises to financial services; (ii) strengthening market participants; (iii) developing efficient capital markets, and (iv) deepening regional financial integration.

Together with other Industrialization, Infrastructure and Private Sector Complex departments, PIFD is responsible for implementing part of the Bank’s Strategy to develop vibrant, innovative, robust and competitive financial systems in both the public and private sectors of RMCs. PIFD plays a transversal role across the Bank’s High 5 priority areas by applying its financial deepening and access tool kit. Fundamentally, the scalability and policy momentum inherent in the High 5 agenda create an important opportunity for expanded relevance of the PIFD core tools: flexible financing instruments and delivery frameworks for financial inclusion, smart resource mobilization and capital markets development. PIFD leverages partnerships to facilitate greater development impact in Africa’s financial sector.

THE HIRING DIVISION: 

The Financial Inclusion and Intermediation Division (PIFD.1) focuses on promoting innovative financial and non- financial products and services that are responsive to the needs of the Bank’s clients in order to boost and increase access to finance and financial services by private enterprises including SMEs, as well as other underserved sectors and populations. The Division’s work involves (i) financial intermediation and related operations to enhance the capacity of FIs to support the Bank’s priority areas; and (ii) financial inclusion activities that facilitate access to finance and financial services for underserved segments such as SMEs, women and youth.

THE POSITION:

As part of the Financial Inclusion and Intermediation Division, the Principal Investment Officer serves as an integral member of multidisciplinary teams of highly qualified professionals. He/She will work with other experts across the Bank to enhance the capacity of FIs (banks and non-banks alike) to support priority sectors and market segments aligned with the Bank’s strategy. The jobholder will identify business opportunities, coordinate the processing and closure of approved transactions to maximize the impact of the Bank’s operations through execution of innovative, developmental, and commercially viable investments. The position will be located in the head office of the Bank in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire and involves frequent travel.

The overall purpose of this job will be to lead the origination, processing, approval and financial closure of financing projects, grants and technical assistance projects for banks, non-bank financial institutions, fintechs, regional and national regulatory institutions etc. The incumbent will work within broad policies and objectives with limited supervision of critical tasks.

KEY FUNCTIONS: 

Under the supervision of the Division Manager, the Principal Investment Officer will perform the following duties:

1. Build and maintain strong relationships with other departments in the Bank, as well with fintechs, non-bank financial institutions, financial institutions, multilateral partners and regulatory/government agencies to develop projects.
2. Develop a strong pipeline of good quality (digital) financial inclusion projects by anticipating market trends and employing sector/regional knowledge
3. Coordinate and manage the necessary due diligence process of projects.
4. Undertake financial and risk analysis of projects.
5. Prepare project appraisal reports for presentation to the department, various review committees, and finally to the Board of Directors for approval
6. Liaise and coordinate with other colleagues to continuously originate a steady pipeline of good quality investment projects for the Bank.
7. Prepare and process through to approval, disbursement and implementation of technical assistance proposals aimed at building the capacity of financial institutions, fintechs, regulatory and regional agencies involved in enhancing financial intermediation and inclusion.
8. Contribute to policy dialogue on financial sector issues in RMCs, including undertaking assessments of or supporting studies on institutional, regulatory and policy
9. Contribute to developing projects that increase financial access and strengthen financial infrastructure, payment systems and instruments involving regulatory agencies, regional institutions, governments and fintechs among others.
10. Work with regional teams/country offices to design and implement financial sector development support programs and projects.
11. Undertake portfolio management of financial inclusion projects during the project implementation cycle.

COMPETENCIES (including desirable skills, knowledge and experience):

1. A minimum of a master’s degree in accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration or in any other relevant discipline).
2. A minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience in the financial sector, including hands-on experience in financial analysis, credit risk analysis, client relationship management, and structuring loan and other debt instruments.
3. Experience in the structuring of sovereign operations, technical assistance and capacity building projects, and supporting the development of fintechs and other financial inclusion projects is highly desirable.
4. Experience in undertaking project supervision and portfolio management of technical assistance and capacity building projects, payments systems, private equity funds and grants will be an advantage.
5.  Experience in developing solutions that help expand access to finance and to effective technical assistance for underserved markets and client segments.
6. Experience working in developing/emerging market economies, especially Africa
7. Strong verbal and written skills, including the ability  to develop, adapt and deliver presentations/materials to a variety of audiences.
8. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate and collaborate cross-functionally with different business partners within and outside organization.
9. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
10. Competence in the use of the standard Microsoft software applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and SAP.

THIS POSITION ATTRACTS INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT.

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