Senior Power Engineer at African Development Bank

Job Description

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The AfDB’s mission reflects the aspirations of the entire African continent. It is firmly rooted in a deep understanding and experience of Africa. The Bank aims to be at the center of Africa’s transformation and to improve the quality of Africa’s growth, promote inclusive growth and spur the transition to green growth.

THE POSITION:

The Senior Power Engineer, reporting functionally to the Division Manager of PESD4 and administratively to the Country Manager of Ethiopia Country Office, will provide deep sectoral expertise and be responsible for the origination and portfolio management of the energy/power Projects and programs in both public and private sectors, i.e. identification, technical design, appraisal, implementation and supervision of projects / programs linked to lending and non-lending operations in the power sector. He / She will provide deep sectoral expertise related to the planning, technical structuring, financing and implementation of power and utility reform operations / programs across the project cycle and power value chain including power generation, transmission and distribution, and power sector reforms and regional integration. He / She will work in multi-disciplinary teams and contribute to the delivery of the New Deal on Energy for Africa / “Light-Up and Power Africa and relevant High 5 flagships and priorities, as required. He / She will liaise with national level stakeholders and maintaining close collaboration with regional hubs and other energy-related stakeholders in the Bank, while contributing to the appropriate management of technical knowledge and guidance towards building energy security as well as promotion of sustainable and affordable energy supply technologies and approaches.

KEY FUNCTIONS:

Under the overall supervision of the Manager for Power Systems Operations East Region (PESD4), the Senior Power Engineer will perform the following key duties:

Business Development and Pipeline Management

Contribute to the preparation of energy sector assessments and other upstream analytical and diagnostic work to inform Country Strategy Papers (CSPs), Regional Integration Strategy Papers (RISPs) and design of national and multinational projects that respond to the needs of Regional Member Countries (RMCs); provide support to the Country Office, Power Systems Operations East Region Division (PESD4, Regional Hub (RDGE) and the Power Systems Development Department (PESD) on policy dialogue with RMCs relating to energy sector and related issues; and provide back-up to country office to ensure provision of quality advisory support services to RMCs. Take a leadership role, along with staff of the Division PESD4, in the process of identification, preparation and appraisal of public sector energy operations related to the development of generation, transmission and distribution networks projects, electrification programs, and power sector reforms. Conduct review and quality assurance of project preparation and appraisal documents vis-à-vis technical, financial and economic requirements; including ensuring that Bank financed projects deliver positive impacts with regards to the objectives of the ‘Gender Strategy,’ and the ‘Jobs for Youth strategy’. Utilize knowledge and lessons learned from past and current portfolio to inform policy dialogue and new projects/indicative operation pipeline and programmes. Provide technical and advisory support related to power sector planning and power sector reforms; including liaising with client’s technical staff, project engineers and lenders’ engineers and participate in due diligence missions and other project meetings, as necessary. Provide technical advice/assistance to the RMCs and Bank teams in the origination, preparation, structuring and implementation of complex and innovative power system development projects and providing advisory support services that promote national and regional policies conducive to strong growth and development of the energy sector. In line with the objectives of the New Deal on Energy for Africa, engage with HQs, the Regional Hub energy teams, other development partners, project sponsors and developers and other key stakeholders in developing a pipeline of bankable energy infrastructure projects in collaboration and consultation with power utilities, the regional power pool and regional project delivery secretariats. Build and maintain good relationships with clients, especially regional independent power producers (IPPs) / public private partnership (PPP) developers and sponsors, power utilities, service providers, Banks, multilateral partners, regulators, government officials and regional energy sector institutions to provide advisory support services for complex transactions to facilitate realization of investment opportunities in the power sector. Work with staff in other Bank Complexes to build needed synergy for complex advisory services to clients, structuring and financial analysis of projects (both public and private). Ensure the delivery of economic and sector analytical work related to the development of national and regional power systems and the transformation of utilities.

Portfolio Management

Provide sector expertise for quality assurance in the preparation of terms of reference (TORs), requests for proposals (RFPs), and tender documents in line with the Bank’s procurement rules: e.g. recruitment and supervision of expert advisors (and Bank staff), execution of socio-techno-economic feasibility studies and utility performance diagnostic reports. Task-manage the Bank’s energy/power portfolio in the assigned country(ies) and carry out all regular portfolio management activities, including conducting supervision and field inspections, and interaction with Project Implementation Units (PIUs) and relevant government departments to guide, monitor and follow-up on implementation issues, review quarterly project progress reports, audit reports, procurement processes and complaints, among others, to ensure compliance with Bank policies, directives and guidelines. Support Bank effort in implementing fast-track approaches to accelerate Project Implementation Agreement negotiations, including Power Purchase and Power Sales Agreements and Power Wheeling Agreements, for large-scale regional power infrastructure projects. Review proposals and communications sent to the Bank by its partners, clients and RMCs; and take appropriate action, including issuing of technical opinions on government / client submissions to the Bank, drafting of responses and/or reports / representation of the Bank in various forums and internal or external follow-up. Ensure healthy portfolio management, prepare and conduct timely review and quality assurance of project completion reports.

Knowledge Production and Coordination

Provide technical and advisory support to national and regional institutions in developing high quality power sector development plans, energy sector studies and performance benchmarking strategies, including efficient joint and coordinated approaches to intra- and inter-regional investment planning of power infrastructure projects. Support RMCs and the regional power pool in development of policies, laws and regulations that promote development of transparent, predictable and stable energy markets; and, in collaboration with relevant Bank colleagues, design appropriate technical assistance and capacity building programs to address identified skills and competence gaps. In collaboration with other development partners and non-government institutions, foster and contribute to efforts to advance the RMC’s energy agenda. Represent the Bank in Sector Donor Group meetings in the country and provide leadership role at the Sector Working Groups in order to advance the Bank’s Energy Sector objectives effectively. Participate in meetings and conferences of RMCs, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and their technical power development secretariats to influence regional energy policy issues and regulatory changes in line with Bank objectives and strategies. Contribute to the preparation of policy statements, papers, briefs and various reports on energy sector issues and related areas such as Environment & Climate Change. Undertake any other tasks as the Division Manager PESD4 and/or the Director PESD may assign.

COMPETENCIES (Skills & Knowledge):

Hold at least a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related fields with a focus on energy, and relevant professional certification(s). Have a minimum of five years of relevant professional working experience in power sector planning, utility operations, project development and implementation, and practical experiences in management of a diverse portfolio of power projects (including procurement, contracts management and disbursement of resources). Experience in undertaking project cycle activities particularly investment planning, and project identification, preparation, appraisal and supervision across the power value chain (including generation, transmission, distribution and electrification, etc.) Have broad range of experience in, energy sector regulation, power utility performance benchmarking, monitoring & evaluation. Proven ability to work within diverse teams of cross-functional and multi-national professional staff and utilize the talent and expertise of team members in a productive way. Demonstrated ability for strategic thinking skills allied with an ability to translate strategic concepts and direction into the implementation of workable and sustainable policies regulations and energy sector programs / projects. Good listening skills with demonstrated ability to present and win support for ideas as well as make effective and timely decisions Proven ability to formulate and execute plans to achieve stipulated work objectives and performance targets, with minimum supervision from the Manager. Demonstrate effective communication and corporate negotiation skills, proven to yield positive outcomes with senior counterparts, both internal and external; and understanding of when and how to apply diplomacy, influence, maintain a hard line, make or break contacts, unwritten lines of influence and conduct oneself professionally. Professional experience or familiarity with the work and strategies, policies, procedures and practices of a similar multilateral or bilateral development finance institutions. Networking ability required to build successful relationships and partnerships with a broad range of clients, internal and external, for effective delivery of results. Prudence and skill in identification of such relationships and partners based on meeting the needs and long-term interests of clients within and outside the institution. Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other. Competence in the use of standard Microsoft office applications (Word, Excel, Access, Project and Power Point).