Chief Procurement Specialist (Policy)

Position title: Chief Procurement Specialist (Policy)
Grade: PL-3
Position N°: NA
Reference: ADB/10/045
Publication date: 21/04/2010
Closing date: 11/05/2011

Objectives
The Procurement and Financial Management Department reports to the Vice President, ORVP. The Department supports Sector Departments in Project Cycle activities, while monitoring compliance. In addition, it is responsible for engaging and formulating Procurement and Financial Management (PFM) policies, guidelines and rules, as well as gathering statistics relating to procurement, and maintaining the Bank database on Consultants.
It is also expected to undertake analytical and diagnostic work on the Continent, to review Procurement and Financial Management capacities in the countries, and to suggest measures for improvement of their capacities. The Department is mandated to provide training to Borrowers and to Bank staff on all Procurement and Financial Management issues. It is required to review the Bank Staff responses to complaints made by dissatisfied Borrowers, as well as Bidders, and to give objective and unbiased advice to the Procurement Review Committee.
Duties and responsibilities
The ORPF Staff Members that are responsible for policy matters shall report to the Director, ORPF. They shall be responsible for the formulation of policies with respect to Procurement and Financial Management, the development, compilation and revision of Rules and Procedure, Guidelines, and Training Materials for Procurement and Financial Management, and the compilation and revision of standard bidding documents for use by Borrowers.
They shall assist and advise organizational units of the Bank in the Procurement of Goods, Works and Acquisition of Consulting Services financed under the Administrative or Capital Expenditure Budget, and Bilateral Trust Funds, assist in the establishment, harmonization and improvement of the Rules and Procedures, consistent with effective project management for the Bank’s projects.
The role and responsibilities of the Chief Procurement Specialist (Policy) shall be to provide guidance and assistance in carrying out the following tasks:

• Development, formulation and revision of rules and procedures, procurement guidelines, manuals, presidential instructions, guidance notes on various issues for use in carrying out procurement functions with respect to procurement;
• Compilation and revision of standard bidding documents for use by Borrowers;
• In designing and revising of procurement didactic material on Bank Rules on procurement and on business opportunities for carrying out the Bank‘s institutional training and conducting procurement Business Opportunity Seminars, outside the Bank in Member Countries;
• In facilitating seminars for potential bidders on Bank Rules and business opportunities;
• In analysing the Bank’s experience in terms of examining the various lessons learned from applying the policy and guidelines at the Bank staff level as well as that of member countries;
• In analysing the observations made by the different departments and units of the Bank on the key innovations envisaged in the policy documents, guidelines and Presidential Instructions and to make related recommendations;
• Ensuring Good Governance in project cycle activities including; improvement and insurance of compliance with procurement procedures; enhancement procurement policies; and streamlining of procurement policies and procedures; and definition of mechanisms to enforce the procurement policies and procedures;
• Improvement and reinforcement of continuous dialogue, interaction and communications with Clients and Partners including co-ordination of the Bank’s procurement activities with other International Financing Institutions and international professional bodies in ensuring transparency;
• Treatment of complex Procurement issues and Complaints as stipulated in relevant Presidential Instructions and serve as Secretariat of the Procurement Review Committee (PRC);
• Review of Country Procurement Assessment Reviews (CPARs), and other diagnostic reports for sufficiency and using the lessons learnt to modify procurement policies and procedures;
• Conducting random Independent Project Procurement Audit on complex on-going projects in order to extract lessons to guide future structuring of Bank procurement modalities under projects.
• Conducting procurement post reviews on procurement procedure carried out by the organizational units of the Bank in the procurement of goods, works and acquisition of consulting services financed under the Administrative or Capital Expenditure and Bilateral Trust Funds;
• For representation of the Bank at international conferences on procurement
• Analysing the recruitment procedures used in hiring of consultants for internal use and performance for the consultants

Selection Criteria
Including desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• At least a Master’s/ Post-graduate degree (or its university equivalent) with a major in a relevant discipline e.g.; Engineering, Architecture, Procurement, Law, Management, Commerce or related field.
• At least 7 years of relevant and progressive experience in the formulation and implementation of procurement-specific policies, programs and projects in African or other developing countries.
• Proven familiarity with and experience in the practice of procurement of goods and works and the acquisition of consultancy services under donor funding conditions.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software (Word, Excel, Access, MS Projects and PowerPoint); knowledge of SAP desirable.
• Ability to communicate and write effectively in French and/or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language

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.

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