Recrutement d’un consultant individuel chargé de soutenir l’institutionnalisation de l’application de l’objectif pour fragilité

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GROUP

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Expressions of interests are being requested for an Individual Consultant to Support the Institutionalisation of the Fragility Lens Application

Brief description of the Assignment :

The main responsibility of the Consultant is to provide analytical and operational inputs to the implementation of the Bank Group’s fragility agenda. The consultant will support RDTS in planning, organising and coordinating its activities articulated around two main areas: (1) Institutionalisation of a systematic fragility lens application in the Bank Group’s diagnosis, operations and programmes; and (2) Rollout of the 2020 Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA) exercise and its derivative analytical and knowledge products.

Department issuing the request : Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS)

Place of assignment : Abidjan

Duration of the assignment : 6 months

Tentative date of commencement : January 6, 2020

Deadline for applications : December 13, 2019

How to Apply :

Interested candidates are invited to send their CV and letter of interest in a single PDF file (in English or in French) to r.benmessaoud@afdb.org and a.l.sanogo@afdb.org with the following email format.

File name : “[last name], [first name]” (e.g. Peterson, Anna)

Subject line : “RDTS Consultant – Fragility Lens Application”

TERMS OF REFERENCE

INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT

INSTITUTIONALISATION OF THE FRAGILITY LENS APPLICATION

1. BACKGROUND :

Over the past decade, Africa has seen enormous growth and transformation that has expanded opportunities and improved living conditions for millions of people. More than two-thirds of African countries have strengthened their quality of governance, improved basic services, and expanded economic opportunities. Yet, there are significant risks that this momentum could be undermined by important pressures— continuing patterns of exclusion and poverty, unemployment, high migration, rapid urbanization, climate change and poor management of natural resources—that threaten to overwhelm existing institutional capacities for managing political, economic, social and environmental challenges. These pressures are making every single African country more vulnerable.

The Transition States Coordination Office (RDTS) is responsible for leading and implementing the African Development Bank Group’s 2014-2019 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in its Regional Member Countries. It coordinates the Bank Group’s work—at analytical strategic and operational levels—on addressing fragility and building resilience, including activities of all fragility and resilience experts stationed in the various Regional Hubs and Country Offices.

2. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES :

Under the general supervision of RDTS Director, the main responsibility of the consultant is to provide analytical and operational inputs to the implementation of the Bank Group’s fragility agenda. The consultant will support RDTS in planning, organising and coordinating its activities articulated around two areas: (1) Institutionalisation of the fragility lens application, through a systematic mainstreaming of fragility considerations, in the Bank Group’s diagnosis, operations and programmes; and (2) Rollout of the 2020 Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA) exercise and its derivative analytical and knowledge products. Under these areas, he/she will be required to perform the following main tasks :

Mainstreaming resilience and fragility :

• Support ongoing RDTS efforts to engage in consultations with appropriate internal units for the mainstreaming of resilience and fragility considerations in the Bank Group’s diagnosis (Country/Regional Resilience and Fragility Assessments and Country/Regional Diagnostic Notes), strategies (Country Strategy Papers and Regional Integration Strategy Papers) and operations (Preliminary Evaluation Notes, Project Concept Notes, Project Appraisal Reports, Regional Operations Prioritisation methodology, Additionality and Development Outcomes Assessments and Readiness Review Reports) ;
• Translate the outcomes of the internal consultations into the formulation of clear, concise and comprehensive Operational Guidelines. These Guidelines shall define the annual CRFA implementation process, starting from data collection to the compilation and validation of final scores. Most importantly, the guidelines should spell out processes, systems, safeguards and responsibilities governing the application of the Fragility Lens within the Bank Group’s activities at strategic and operational levels. They define how the qualitative and quantitative findings of the CRFAs are explicitly mainstreamed in the documents cited above and translated into a fragility-sensitive programming ;
• Assist RDTS in institutionalising the CRFA Operational Guidelines and support their Senior Management’s approval process. Support a Bank-wide information sharing and awareness raising campaign with the Board of Directors, key management members, and operational and sectorial staff ;
• Contribute to the organisation of internal and external capacity building activities around the strategic and operational usage of the CRFA and its mainstreaming in the Bank Group’s activities for the benefit of key Bank Managers and Staff (Fragility Experts, Country Economists, Country Managers, Sectorial and Operations), Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and regional organisations.

Rollout of the CRFA and its Products :

• Support RDTS in coordinating the implementation of the 2020 CRFA exercise, including the organisation of the kick-off meeting, the collection of internal and external data metrics, the compilation of the CRFA scores, the technical validation of the 2020 CRFA dataset, and Senior Management’s approval for releasing the CRFA scores ;
• Work with the web development team (CHIS and RDTS) and contribute to the conceptualisation of the CRFA web portal. Continuously provide data engineering support in updating—when appropriate—the CRFA methodology in the technical manual and maintaining the CRFA database, both in Excel and in the online portal ;
• Provide quantitative and qualitative analytical inputs feeding into the preparation of the CRFA Report draft and help RDTS engage in a review process with key Bank’s stakeholders: Gender, Women and Civil Society Department (AHGC); Governance and Public Financial Management Coordination Office (ECGF); Climate Change and Green Growth Department (PECG); and Macroeconomics Policy, Forecasting and Research Department (ECMR) ;
• Assist RDTS in integrating feedback from the review process, editing, formatting, translating and printing the final CRFA Report. Support the process of validating the final report with the Communication and External Relations Department (PCER), Senior Management and the President cabinet prior the launch of the CRFA Report ;
• Support RDTS efforts to organise the CRFA Report launch events including preparation of presentations and talking points for Management and invitees as well as appropriate logistics and communication materials (information notes, agenda, brochures, flyers, posters, etc.) Further to the tasks described above, the Consultant shall carry out any other duties at the request of the RDTS Task Manager or the Director.

3. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS :

• Master’s degree in Economics, Statistics, International Development, Development Economics, International Relations, or related development fields ;
• A minimum of 5 (five) years of proven experience in policy and strategy issues with solid analytical qualifications, data engineering abilities, coordination capacities and organisational skills ;
• Good understanding of development economics and specificities of RMCs and their respective regional contexts and proven exposure to the Bank Group’s corporate functions and existing strategies, operations, processes and instruments would be strong assets ;
• Working experience with international/development organizations and knowledge of the African Development Bank Group’s strategic and operational approach to addressing fragility and building resilience in Africa is an added advantage ;
• Ability to critically analyse and compile information from different sources. Experience in using data-driven approaches to analyse, assess and make recommendations on policies, strategies and operations at country and/or regional levels ;
• Ability to handle stress due to multiple, simultaneous and shifting demands. Demonstrated record of operational effectiveness, capacity to deliver output in a timely manner, client orientation, problem solving, communication and teamwork ;
• Ability to communicate and write effectively preferably in both working languages of the Bank Group, French & English, and capacity to handle discussions with diplomacy and tact ;
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, Excel, Access and Power Point). Knowledge of database management systems is an added advantage.

4. ACCOUNTABILITIES :

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of RDTS Director and will report to the key RDTS staff upon the specific tasks undertaken.

5. DURATION AND LOCATION :

The consultant is expected to begin his/her mission preferably on January 6, 2020 for a duration of six (6) months, with potential extension. He/She will be based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. A regular full-time presence in the Bank’s offices is required. Field missions may occasionally be required as appropriate.

6. REMUNERATION :

Remuneration will be commensurable with experience, in line with the Bank Group’s guidelines on individual consultants’ remuneration. In addition, if the consultant needs to travel to take up this assignment, round trip economy class air-tickets—with the shortest route—will be provided. The consultant will be responsible for his/her personal health insurance at his own cost. The coverage shall include all medical expenses, including those resulting from illnesses or injuries that may happen during the assignment.