Short Term Staff – Trust Fund Operation and Partnership Assistant at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

Job Title: Short Term Staff – Trust Fund Operation and Partnership Assistant

The Complex

• The Vice-Presidency for Finance oversees the financial management of the Bank Group.
• This encompasses the Bank Group’s treasury activities including borrowings from the capital markets and investment activities; controllership functions including financial reporting and loan administration; strategic resource mobilization the strengthening of the non-statutory financial resources and instruments; and the overall asset/liability management for the Bank Group.

The Hiring Department

• As part of the Finance Complex, the Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Department has fiduciary responsibility for strategic concessionary finance resource mobilization, as well as donor relationship management and reporting, with the aim to compliment and leverage the financial resources and instruments of the African Development Bank Group. 
• The department is comprised of two divisions whose primary, joint role is to increase the pool and types of funding available to the Bank Group’s Regional Member Countries, particularly for transformative projects in line with the Bank’s Ten-year strategy and High Five priorities.

FIRM.2 Division:

• Leads the institution’s partnership with emerging shareholder countries (e.g., China, Korea, Brazil) and their bilateral aid agencies; multilateral bodies including the European Union, the United Nations, and African Union; and non-sovereign partnerships such as corporates and philanthropic foundation.
• Leads the strategic negotiations for the setting up of financial vehicles and institutional frameworks, necessary for the institution to accept external resources, including all co-financing facilities and trust funds financed by external partners.
• Oversees fiduciary management of the institution’s bilateral, thematic trust funds and special funds; that is, mobilize, allocate, monitor, and support the management of non-statutory capital ensuring compliance with the African Development Bank Group’s rules and the commitments taken upon the replenishment negotiations, as applicable.
• Monitors and manages relationships with existing and new partners, serving as the secretariat for the review committee for new partnerships (i.e., Standing Committee on Partnerships).
• Identifies innovative ways to partner with non-traditional donors and leverage new resource mobilization tools and approaches (e.g., Project Specific Vehicle, etc.) to evaluate their potential applicability and viability for the institution.
• Researches and positions the institution to respond to emerging thematic resource mobilization trends. Assists other organizational units of the Bank Group to identify resources for their initiatives (i.e., Jobs for Youth Program, Climate Action Window), including through the coordination of the resource mobilization experts sitting within other Bank Group business units. 
• Houses innovative financial products and risk mitigation instruments which catalyze private capital to finance development in Africa (e.g., Private Sector Credit Enhancement Facility) under a blended finance approach.
• Reports globally on the use of resources placed in trust at the African Development Bank Group to management and to outside parties, as required.
• Develops and disseminates to internal and external audiences’ trainings, capacity building, guidance papers and policy documents on resource mobilization at the African Development Bank (e.g., member to MDB Roundtable on Trust Funds and Co-Financing, Business Opportunity Seminars).

The Position

• To achieve these objectives, Trust Fund Operation and Partnership assistant has an important supportive role with major duties hereunder detailed.

Responsibilities
Under the Supervision of the Division Manager, the Trust Fund Operation and Partnership Assistant will perform the following:
Financial management of resources of the Division:

• Lead the preparation and the management of the administrative budget of the Division, including the monitoring and review of expenditure and bring issues to the attention of management.
• Regularly assess the Division’s budget needs to identify gaps and recommend resource re-allocations or requests to management.
• Support the hiring and contractual management of consultants of the Division.

Support to trust funds’ portfolios monitoring and compliance:

• Track status of projects: flag the ones who are delayed, eligible for cancellation, etc. Liaise with project task manager and recommend remedial actions as needed.
• Track partnership arrangements end date and alert the relevant relationship manager for the need to extend the partnership arrangement. 
• In close collaboration with trust fund coordinators and the data analyst, extracts data from the Trust Fund Management System (TFMS/SAP) and other SAP systems and use trust fund agreements to develop and maintain, for each trust fund, a compliance dashboard, which will track on a quarterly basis, the timely execution of commitments either linked to the internal policies and guidelines or to the contractual arrangement with donors.
• Update data in the trust fund management system on a continuous basis regarding project information such as approved amount, task manager name, project status, submission of Activity Progress Reports (APRs) and Project Completion Reports (PCRs), etc.
• Track the timely delivery of commitments, either linked to the internal policies and guidelines or to the contractual arrangement with donors, such as, but not limited to submission of financial statements, APRs, PCRs, etc. Flag commitments that have not been met and liaise with trust fund managers or task managers for remedial actions as needed. Produce a quarterly compliance report based on the finding of commitments tracking.
• For vehicles under FIRM’s oversight, gather documents (including Work Programs & Budgets, Financial Statements, Operational Reports, Calls for Proposals, PENs, PARs, and PCRs) by collaborating with resource mobilization officers and trust fund managers and accessing multiple systems (DARMS, BPPS, SARS, SAP, SharePoint), then store them in a structured FIRM archiving system.
• On a quarterly basis, compare financial information in trust fund management system with the one in financial statements. Flag any discrepancy between trust fund management system and financial statements and work with relevant colleagues to reconcile the data.
• For each trust fund, maintain an updated project portfolio file including completed projects and active projects with relevant information such as approved amount, approval date, end date, etc.

Support to partnership’ establishment and resources management:

• Based on the terms of arrangements, assist in setting-up new trust funds in the trust fund management system.
• Support trust fund managers and beneficiaries by providing technical assistance in the use of the trust fund management system.
• Contribute to the management of projects/activities budgets by ensuring that funds are availed to beneficiaries for commitment; when projects/activities are completed or cancelled, ensure that remaining balance return to the trust fund. 
• Monitor trust funds resources spendings overall, including but not limited to administration fees, consultant fees, monitoring and evaluation, travels and communication costs, and other costs to ensure that they are within approved budgets and standards, and flag outliers.
• Support the management and coordination of trust funds and the project specific vehicle managed by the Division, including the related portfolio of projects, to ensure there is always strict compliance with the policies, guidelines and procedures of the Bank.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the Partnerships platform, including a dashboard, by contributing to business specifications, providing data, conducting testing, and other related tasks.
• Contribute to the production of reports, presentations, as well as data analysis on partnerships.
• Contribute to the organization of regular internal and external outreach events, such as Brown Bag seminars and Business Opportunities Seminars, to enhance knowledge sharing and stakeholder engagement.
• Support the Secretariat of the Standing Committee on Partnerships, ensuring effective coordination and documentation of partnership-related activities.
• Maintain and update a database of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and cooperation agreements between the African Development Bank Group and its partners.
• Contribute to the development and dissemination of communication products, including digital materials, to enhance visibility and outreach of FIRM initiatives.
• Act as a Focal Point and liaise with TCIS on all issues related to SAP Trust Funds Management System and FIRM’s shared systems

Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge)

• Hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in financial control, accounting, finance, economics, statistics, or a related field; 
• Have a minimum of six (6) years of relevant and practical experience in a multicultural environment such as a multinational.
• Proof of citizenship or evidence of permanent residency or work authorization in the proposed country of employment.
• Problem-solving: Apply operational knowledge to solve problems and find solutions for the client (internal and external) and organization.
• Strong analytical skills: track record of collecting, consolidating and analysing data for decision making.
• Proven track record in producing monthly or quarterly finance and/or compliance related reports for senior management attention.
• Be able to multitask, excellent problem-solving skill and attention to detail.
• Effective communication; highly client oriented, good team working and relations, and demonstrable commitment to delivering excellent customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: Ability to work and cooperate with others from diverse background and therefore operate effectively in a multicultural organization.
• Be able to work under pressure and to prioritize in the dynamic setting of an international setting.
• Proven experience in preparing and managing budget and working with financial software.
• Ability to handle speedily and efficiently internal and external requests.
• Ability to manage simultaneous and shifting demands, priorities and tight deadlines.
• Good innovative and creative approaches to activities to enhance performance and create added benefits for the clients and the organization.
• Demonstrates exceptional problem-solving capabilities and sound decision-making under high-pressure conditions.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with stakeholders across all levels, promoting collaboration and shared success.
• Experience in building document management systems would be an additional advantage.
• Good written and oral skills in French or English with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access). Knowledge of SAP is an added advantage.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is 19th May, 2025. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION” It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Website:
Official Job Website: https://www.afdb.org/en/about-us/careers