Senior Project Officer

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Close relatives¹ of ADB staff, except spouses of international staff, are not eligible for recruitment and appointment to staff positions. Applicants are expected to disclose if they have any relative/s by consanguinity/blood, by adoption and/or by affinity/marriage presently employed in ADB.

¹Close relatives refer to spouse, children, mother, father, brother and sister, niece, nephew, aunt and uncle

Staff on probation are not eligible to apply. Applicants for promotion must have served at their position for at least one year and must have normally served at their personal level for at least two years immediately preceding the date of the vacancy closing date. Applicants for lateral transfer must have served at their position and personal level for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the vacancy closing date (reference A.O. 2.03, paragraphs 5.8 and 5.9).

In the event that the staff appointed to a new category (i.e. from AS to NS, or from NS to IS) is rated at 2 or lower in the first two performance reviews after appointment at the new level, they will return to the level occupied immediately prior to their appointment in the new category.

This vacancy is a local staff position. It is open only to nationals and residents of Bangladesh.

Overview

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Manila, Philippines and is composed of 68 members, 49 of which are from the Asia and Pacific region. ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. ADB combines finance, knowledge, and partnerships to fulfill its expanded vision under its Strategy 2030.

ADB only hires nationals of its 68 members

The position is assigned in the Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) within the South Asia Department.

To view ADB Organizational Chart, please click here.

Job Purpose

An emergency project for the displaced people from Myanmar has been approved by ADB and will require an office to run its activities. The position will contribute to the Bangladesh Resident Mission (BRM) workplan, including handling loan/technical assistance (TA) processing and administration, portfolio management, sector work, and other general sector activities, covering public sector operations, with focus on multisector emergency assistance project, and will take the lead role in the processing and administration of assigned loans and TAs. The incumbent will report to designated international staff and may supervise administrative staff.

Responsibilities

Project & TA Preparation and Appraisal
• Provides support to fact-finding and appraisal missions, including but not limited to review of project/program designs and cost estimates, liaison with government officials, data and project/program costing, implementation arrangements and related technical issues.
• Participates in successful formulation and processing of ADB-financed loan and TA projects.

Project & TA Administration
• Where assigned to assume the lead role in the processing and administration of specific loans and TAs, actively takes initiative and responsibility to engage with RM, HQ, government agencies, development partners, private sector partners, and other stakeholders to facilitate the successful administration and monitoring of ADB-financed loan and TA projects.
• Provides team leadership (where assigned as lead) by facilitating work planning, delivery and reviews with the team.
• Monitors the progress of assigned projects and prepares project performance reports.
• Prepares and updates forecasts of contract awards & disbursements, identifying factors responsible for shortfalls and expediting achievement of target levels where possible.
• Identifies issues and takes actions to address them through interactions with executing agencies (EAs), contractors, consultants, and project beneficiaries; prepares measures to address the issues and implementing the measures.
• Prepares internal procurement papers, review of procurement documents including draft designs and cost estimates, and papers for extension of loan closing dates, reallocation of loan proceeds, changes in scope and implementation arrangements, and other project administration tasks.
• Provides advice to government ministries, EAs and sector entities on ADB guidelines on procurement, recruitment of consultants, preparation of tender documents, etc. to ensure effective implementation.
• Assists EAs in the areas listed above for project administered by various sector divisions in the HQ.
• Prepares project completion reports and TA completion reports as assigned.
• Leads Project Review or Country Portfolio Review missions as required
• Provides support for or conducts policy dialogues with government on policy matters and institutional issues.
• Maintains close cooperation with other international donors and undertakes meetings and consultations with them, especially in areas relating to donor coordination and harmonization in sector work. Participates actively in related local consultative subgroup meetings.
• Contributes to tripartite portfolio reviews, country portfolio review missions, and monitors overall performance of the portfolio of ADB projects in the sector.

Sector Work
• Contributes to sector work in the field by assisting in conducting research, updating information on the assigned sector, analyzing financial, institutional or economic issues, and preparing reports on the subjects.
• Prepares sector assessments within the context of development aid effectiveness and national sector strategy to be utilized for programming purposes.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge base of future government plans and approval processes, organizational structure and policies relevant to the assigned sectors.
• Prepares inputs for sector database for portfolio management.

Other Operational Support
• Helps to organize, contributes to, supports, and participates in meetings, conferences, seminars, and workshops.
• Organizes and conducts workshops for EAs, as appropriate.
• Produces reports, as required, on the tasks undertaken in relation to the above.

Qualifications

Relevant Experience & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, economics, finance, business administration or other relevant field preferably with Master’s degree or equivalent;

• At least 8 years of relevant professional experience in one or more sectors (transport, energy, or urban) and at least 4 years of supervisory experience;
• Experience & knowledge of various stages of the project cycle (project planning / feasibility analysis / detailed design / project implementation / construction supervision / contract management) is desirable;
• Sound knowledge of government administrative systems and procedures;
• Familiarity with accepted best practices of procurement and disbursement processes; and
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English is required.
• Please refer to the link for ADB Competency Framework for NS3.

General Considerations

The selected candidate, if new to ADB, is appointed for an initial term of 3 years.

ADB offers competitive remuneration and a comprehensive benefits package. Actual appointment salary will be based on ADB’s standards and computation, taking into account the selected individual’s qualifications and experience.

ADB seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities to work in an inclusive environment. ADB encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Please note that the actual level and salary will be based on qualifications of the selected candidate.