Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 81 member states, including 54 Regional Member Countries in Africa. The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten Year Strategy (2023 – 2032) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas (High 5s), all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for scaling up, namely light up and power Africa; Feed Africa; Industrialize Africa; Integrate Africa; and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa.
THE COMPLEX
The Board of Directors provides oversight and strategic direction to the African Development Bank Group. It is composed of Executive Directors who are representatives of the African Development Bank member countries. Specifically the Board is responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the Bank, and carries out the following functions: (1) determine the general structure of the Bank’s services; (2) approve the financing policy and take decisions concerning loans, guarantees, equity investments and fund loans by the Bank; (3) determine the interest rates of loans and guarantee commissions; (4) approve the Bank’s operations program and administrative budget; (5) prepare the work of the Board of Governors; and (6) submit accounts and annual reports, as well as the administrative budgets for the approval of the Board of Governors. The Board does its work through a series of permanent Committees that review and discuss policy and program documents and make appropriate recommendations to the whole Board. The Independent Development Evaluation Department (IDEV); Independent Review Mechanism (BIRM); Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board (BSAB); and the Administrative Tribunal (BATR) report to the Board.
THE HIRING DEPARTMENT
The over-arching mission of the African Development Bank’s Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV) is to enhance the development effectiveness of the Bank in its regional member countries through independent and influential evaluations, oversight over self-evaluation processes and products, and proactive engagement in evaluation partnerships and knowledge-sharing activities. The core mandate of IDEV is to conduct independent evaluation studies, provide relevant lessons, develop and harmonize standards and practices, support evaluation capacity development together with partner agencies and attest to the validity of both processes and the results of African Development Bank’s self-evaluation activities. IDEV also collaborates and exchanges information with bilateral and multilateral development agencies’ evaluation departments and undertakes joint evaluation of co-financed projects and programs.
IDEV has three divisions; IDEV1, IDEV2 and IDEV3. IDEV1 and IDEV2 divisions focus on undertaking evaluations. IDEV3, the Knowledge Management, Outreach, and Capacity Development Division, is responsible for knowledge management, dissemination and outreach activities around IDEV evaluations, and for supporting the development of evaluation capacities both in the Bank and in its Regional Member Countries.
THE POSITION
The Principal Knowledge Management Officer leads on the management and dissemination of knowledge from IDEV evaluations, among others through knowledge and communication products and the organization of events, ensuring that such knowledge meets the needs of evaluation stakeholders.
The objective of the principal knowledge management officer is to contribute to the delivery of the division work program by leading on the knowledge management, outreach and dissemination of evaluations conducted by IDEV.
This includes supporting evaluation teams in fostering engagement with stakeholders throughout the evaluation process, and in retrieving, compiling and presenting evaluative knowledge in ways that are useful for meeting various knowledge needs. The incumbent also supervises consultants and provides guidance to more junior colleagues.
KEY FUNCTIONS
Under the supervision and guidance of the Division Manager, IDEV.3; the key duties and responsibilities of the Principal Knowledge Management Officer are to:
- Lead the development, implementation and evaluation of strategic, tactical and operational stakeholder engagement strategies aligned with the Work Program of IDEV.
- Conduct and update knowledge needs assessments of Bank operations staff, Management, Board members and other clients. Develop strategies to meet those needs, identifying and requesting resources as necessary.
- In collaboration with evaluation teams, plan and lead the implementation of integrated stakeholder engagement plans and initiatives to improve and enhance the perceptions and experiences of Bank operations staff, Management, Board members and other clients as necessary.
- Manage stakeholder mapping, prepare communications for stakeholders and respond to stakeholder enquiries. Provide briefings and support to evaluation teams for meetings with stakeholders.
- Lead specific stakeholder outreach initiatives, dialogue and other forms of engagement to understand key concerns and issues and inform review and enhancement of IDEV evaluation dissemination activities.
- Determine and develop the knowledge management and dissemination strategy for IDEV.
- Contribute to the implementation of the KM strategy by supporting evaluation teams throughout the evaluation process (providing KM expertise, acting as a peer reviewer and providing constructive comments on approach papers, inception reports, (draft) evaluation reports and other evaluation products as required) and planning and undertaking outreach and dissemination of evaluation findings in various ways. Provide advice on the most effective evaluation dissemination methods and approaches, drawing on good practices from other IFIs.
- Plan and oversee the production and dissemination of knowledge products from evaluations, and the organization and facilitation of meetings, seminars and other internal and external events to disseminate evaluation findings and results.
- Facilitate a process through which the main users of evaluations deepen their understanding of evaluation findings and lessons. Coordinate with the Knowledge Management Officer and Communications Officer to ensure the availability and accessibility of information to enhance awareness and capacity among key stakeholders.
- Coordinate with the Knowledge Management Officer and Communications Officer to synthesize lessons and encourage uptake of best practices and knowledge on stakeholder engagement.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships and communication channels with clients within and outside the Bank to ensure the widest possible dissemination of information about evaluation results. Develop and manage relationships with other development agencies and inform IDEV and Bank operations staff on their knowledge management activities.
- Provide oral and written responses and briefings for queries.
- Contribute to the IDEV website, help desk, and Evaluation Matters magazine.
- Represent IDEV in initiatives, meetings and conferences related to his/her duties.
- Propose the knowledge management activities to be included in the three-year IDEV work programme.
- Report on activities achieved during the year to be considered in the IDEV Annual Report.
- Perform any other assigned tasks.
COMPETENCIES (skills, experience and knowledge)
- Holds at least a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, Social Sciences, or related field. A certification or degree in knowledge management is desirable.
- A minimum of six (6) years’ experience in international development.
- Knowledge of the Bank’s and IDEV’s mandate, strategic priorities, policies and operations
- Ability to plan, manage and lead projects, to guide and provide expert advice to project teams
- Thorough knowledge of concepts, methodologies, tools, features, implementation, developments and trends in knowledge management and communication;
- Experience with and capacity to work with multiple stakeholder across a wide range of disciplines;
- Ability to capture and communicate key messages succinctly, both orally and in writing
- Ability to package and present information according to the needs of the audience
- Excellent research, writing, reporting and presentation skills
- Experience using different dissemination channels, including social media
- Skills and experience in organizing events or coordinating activities
- Knowledge and experience in developing relationships with professional associations and country clients
- Experience with knowledge management and communication
- Experience in participatory approaches and stakeholder engagement
- Experience in leading or contributing to institutional/culture change
- Experience having successfully led small teams
- Experience have successfully led communications/outreach campaigns
- Ability to maintain overview with strong attention to detail
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (orally and in writing)
- Capacity to develop strong working relationships with a variety of people
- Demonstrable ability to work collaboratively as a professional, strong team player with a respect for others and the ethical requirements of the job
- Ability to communicate effectively (in writing and orally) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other. Proficiency in both languages is desirable.
- Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office Suite applications (Word, Excel, and Power Point); experience with various online communication channels and dissemination approaches is an added advantage.
THIS POSITION IS CLASSIFIED INTERNATIONAL STATUS AND ATTRACTS INTERNATIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT.