Sub-Saharan Africa is the largest and most complex region in the Bank, spanning 47 countries (including 34 of the world’s poorest countries) with a population approaching 800 million. While it was badly hit by the global financial and economic crisis, the continent has been on the rebound since 2010. Beyond growth, making headway against poverty will require a focus on job creation with Africa’s youth entering the labor force at an estimated 7-10 million annually. A new Africa strategy is under implementation. It has two pillars - competitiveness & employment and vulnerability & resilience - and a foundation of governance & public sector capacity. It will be implemented through partnerships, knowledge and financing. The core values guiding our work are passion for our mission of sustainable poverty reduction, putting the needs of the client at the center of our activities, trust and respect, intellectual rigor and curiosity, honesty and integrity, teamwork, and openness to learning.

AFCW1 is the Country Management Unit (CMU) within Africa Region that covers Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Country Director and Senior Operations Officer for AFCW1 are based in Accra, with a Country Program Coordinator based in Washington DC. Collectively they provide strategic direction for, and oversee implementation of, a partnership set out in the World Bank Group Country Partnership Strategy for Ghana, which includes a large program of Analytical and Advisory Activities as well as Trust Funds.

While this is local hired, the position is opened to "cross country assignment" or "third country national".

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities:
 
The Senior Operations Officer (SOO) will be based in Accra, Ghana with primary responsibility for supporting the Country Director (CD) and Country Program Coordinator (CPC) for the management of the lending program and the supervision of the existing portfolio, the design and execution of AAA work and management of a substantial trust fund portfolio. The incumbent would also be expected to contribute to the implementation of the Country Partnership Strategy and management of the relationship with key Development Partners (DPs). The SOO will also assist the CD in the general administration of the country office.

Overall Responsibilities: The SOO will be expected to provide operational support/guidance and quality assurance on cross-cutting dimensions to task teams and the CMU management (CD, CPC and Sector Leaders) including advice on the implementation of operational policies and guidelines and the use of instruments. The SOO will also support the CD, CPC and the Sector Leaders to help track overall project implementation performance and facilitate resolution of portfolio problems.  The SOO will maintain up-to-date information on IDA and trust fund portfolio performance for Ghana in close collaboration with the CPC based in Washington. The SOO will be a member of the CMU Management Team that includes senior staff, which meets frequently to share information and resolve all relevant operational and administrative issues in the country office.

Specific duties include:

Portfolio Management

•   Portfolio Action Plan. Lead the implementation of the Portfolio Action Plan as formulated in the Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR), with special focus on portfolio-wide actions in the areas of FM, procurement and M&E.
•   Management of Deliverables. Lead the preparation of a Monthly Portfolio Report that is shared with the government and the Country Team. Regularly monitor and facilitate meeting the deadlines on key deliverables for closing activities/projects (ICR), delivery of projects in the pipeline as well as regular Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs).
•   Portfolio Reviews. Organize and lead weekly or bi-weekly Country Portfolio Performance Meetings with the Core Portfolio Team (that comprises FM, Procurement and safeguards specialists), project TTLs and sector leaders to discuss and find solutions to the ongoing concerns and to anticipate potential future problems/bottlenecks. Flag implementation problems for the attention of clients and Bank management, and take the lead in and provide support to project teams in resolving systemic portfolio issues. Follow-up with government on recommendations in close consultation with the CD and Sector Leaders.
•   Trust Fund Monitoring. Ensure that all proposals to establish a trust fund, or to award a grant under a programmatic trust fund, for activities involving Ghana, are subject to a structured review and clearance process within the CMU, having regard to the proposal’s relevance to the CPS; links to the existing portfolio of lending and AAA; and administrative budget implications. Provide timely guidance to staff working on Ghana on the management of trust funded proposals for Ghana. As part of portfolio management the SOO will be responsible for monitoring trust funded activities, to review their performance as part of the overall portfolio and also to track trust fund specific indicators, such as closing dates, and terms of administration agreements.
•   Quality Oversight. On a regular basis, provide timely technical and operational leadership and advisory support/guidance the CD as well as the project teams throughout the project cycle (identification, design, appraisal, implementation, and evaluation) to PCNs, QERs, ROCs, ICRs, AAAs, TFs, etc. Participate in meetings, facilitate and/or provide guidance to the teams regarding issues pertaining to the portfolio quality (e.g., lifting of suspension, closure of lapsed/overdue loans/TFs, etc.). Facilitate resolution of cross-department and cross-sectoral problems. Support quality enhancement, risk management and implementation issues, in collaboration with the CD, Sector Leaders and the CPC.
•   Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs). Review, comment on and propose clearance to the CD on ISRs, and act as an alternate approver in his absence.
•   Operational Support. Advise the country team on operational policies, instruments, and procedures and on complex operational issues. Provide continuous case-by-case assistance to the FM, procurement and safeguards specialists on as-needed-basis. Interact directly with the Sector Leaders on daily work program issues, and provide operational support for problem or risky operations. To the extent possible, participate in operational missions and meetings and assist teams in resolution of difficult issues.
•   Training. Lead the development of key training programs for the client at a portfolio level on fiduciary, safeguards, and the governance and anti-corruption work, drawing on fiduciary, safeguards and governance specialists.
•   Mentoring. The SOO will be expected to work closely and mentor junior/ACS staff on issues of portfolio management and monitoring.

Support to CD and CO

•   Support to CD. Be one of several senior staff who may act for the CD when he/she is absent.
•   Review, comment on, and clear all out-going correspondence; manage in-coming correspondence; review/comment/clearance of all operational requests (PIDs, AISs, etc.).
•   Resource Management.  Monitor the utilization of WPA resources, including providing periodically updated information to TTLs for budget monitoring at task level. Monitor the utilization of CMU resources during FY including reallocation of CMU budget towards operational uses/projects. Assist CD and CPC in developing annual WPA for the Ghana Program and assist in discussions with the sector leaders/units leading to the timely finalization of the WPA allocations.

•   Office Management.  Facilitate/co-chair various committees that support and facilitate the resolution of administrative matters in the country office (e.g., ACS arrangements/reassignment, ACS training, spot awards, IRS relocation, etc.), office management/administration matters (e.g., selection of office security, office maintenance, cafeteria providers, etc.); security matters (e.g., designing of the Emergency Response and Business Continuity Plan for CO); and VIP visits.

Country Strategy Implementation

•   Support the CD, CMs and CPC in implementation of the Country Partnership Strategy and provide assistance in preparing CPS Progress Report and Completion Report.

Donor Collaboration

•   As part of the overall portfolio management responsibility, the SOO will be expected to assist the CD in strengthening Bank’s partnership with the donor community. The incumbent will also be expected to work closely with the Sector Leaders and TTLs and, on as needed basis, facilitate/participate in formal and informal meetings with key donors (e.g., DFID, EU) regarding stronger collaboration between the Bank and DPs.

Selection Criteria:

•   Project Management - Demonstrates in depth knowledge and understanding of the project management concepts, as they relate to the implementation of complex, multi-functional projects in varied geographical and economic conditions
•   Bank Instruments, Policies, Procedures, and Systems - Recognized by peers and/or managers for providing high quality, pragmatic advice to teams on the appropriate use of Bank policies, procedures and instruments and financing mechanisms.
•   Portfolio Management (OS) - Leads the monitoring of country/sector strategy and work program; flags implementation issues for attention of clients and Bank management and takes a leading role in resolving these.
•   Analytical and Technical Skills, Operational Strategy Development & Advice - Recognized by peers and/or managers for ability to identify and pro-actively solve operational issues and problems.
•   Country Strategy - Recognized proficiency in playing a central role in and make substantive contributions to the strategy formulation process and related products.
•   Country Program Management - Contributes to preparation, including the story line, of the CMU's annual reporting, budgeting, and business planning, focusing in particular on the Region's performance indicators.
•   Country Operations Knowledge and Application - Ability to providing high quality advice to teams on the appropriate use of Bank policies, procedures and instruments.
•   Stakeholder Engagement - Ability to advance and make substantive contributions to the country dialogue.
•   Country Team Management - Ability to coordinate mechanisms to ensure CMU responsiveness to country team members, including an ability to respond substantively to challenging queries and efficient and effective procedures for routine workflow.
•   Corporate Insight (Organizational Agility) - Ability to represent effectively the country program in interactions with the Board, donors, and shareholders in IDA and IBRD.
•   Operational Project Management - Demonstrates in depth knowledge and understanding of project management tools & methodologies, as well as of Bank instruments and processes related to project preparation & implementation, resource management, and stakeholder communications.
•   Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
•   Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
•   Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
•   Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

General Competencies

•   Ability to operate effectively in a matrix management environment, both as a team leader and team member.
•   Ability to lead a team of professionals in the execution of major projects.
•   Ability to coach, mentor and develop more junior staff.
•   Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
•   Effective verbal and written communications skills.

Qualification Required & Experience

•   Minimum Education: MA/MS (In relevant discipline.)
•   Minimum Years of Relevant Experience: 8

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Click Here To Apply Online

Closing Date: 16 June, 2013