Deadline: 14 August, 2021

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is seeking to fill the role of Power Systems Engineer.

Established in 1964, the AfDB is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent.

Responsibilities

• 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 country office, regional power operations division, Regional Hub (RDGE) and the Power Systems Development Department (PESD) on policy dialogue with RMCs relating to energy sector and related issues; and provide backup to country offices to ensure provision of quality advisory support services to RMCs
• Take a leadership role, along with staff of Regional Power Operations Division in the process of identification and preparation of private and public sector energy operations related to the development of generation, transmission and distribution network projects, electrification programmes, 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 bank financed projects deliver positive impacts with regard to the objectives of the ‘gender strategy’, and the ‘jobs for youth’ strategy
• 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 support to the RMCs and bank teams in the origination, preparation, structuring and implementation of complex and innovative power system development projects and provide 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 RDGE 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/public-private partnership 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 and financial analysis, and to facilitate realisation of investment opportunities in the power sector
• Work with staff in other energy complex to build needed synergy for complex advisory services to clients
• Ensure the delivery of economic and sector analytical work related to the development of national and regional power systems and the transformation of utilities
• 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
• Task-manage the bank’s energy/power portfolio in the assigned countries and carry out all regular portfolio management activities, including conducting supervision and field inspections, and interaction with project implementation units 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 a fast-track approach in accelerating project agreement negotiations, including power purchase and power sales agreements and power wheeling agreements, for large-scale regional power infrastructure projects
• Review the various 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 review and quality assurance of project completion reports
• 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 programmes to address identified skills and competence gaps
• Participate in meetings and conferences of RMCs, the regional economic communities 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 other areas relevant to the energy, environment and climate change department

Requirements

• Master’s degree, minimum, in Electrical Engineering or a related electrical discipline and a relevant professional certification(s)
• Six years, minimum, of relevant professional experience in the power sector planning, power utility operations, power sector project development and implementation
• Broad range of experience in at least two of power generation (thermal or renewable), transmission, distribution, retail/vending (including power systems planning, sector regulation, project design, construction, operations and maintenance, and performance monitoring and evaluation
• Proven ability to work within diverse teams of cross-functional and multinational professional staff and utilise the talent and expertise of team members in a productive way
• Highly developed strategic thinking skills allied with an ability to translate strategic concepts and direction into the implementation of workable and sustainable policies and regulations and energy sector programmes
• 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 the desired work objectives, with minimal supervision from the manager
• Understanding of sovereign and non-sovereign project cycles (from origination to project closure) and financing structures, including alignment with least-cost national/regional master plans and project identification, development, design, due diligence, risk assessment/allocation and implementation/management strategy
• Effective communication and corporate negotiation skills
• Up-to-date knowledge of power infrastructure capital costs and operating parameters of diverse generation, transmission, distribution and retail/vending technologies and business models (including IPPs/PPPs and/or distribution concessions)
• Familiarity with strategies, policies, procedures and practices of bilateral and multilateral development institutions
• Networking ability to build successful relationships and partnerships with a broad range of clients, internal and external, for effective delivery of results
• Good understanding of corporate/project finance, procurement procedures and contracting models, contract negotiations (including IPP/PPP contracts)
• Good understanding of the bank/international DFI’s environmental and social policy requirements
• Excellent project management and contract administration skills
• Clear understanding of the drivers and barriers to the success of power utilities in complex regulatory, socio-economic and political environments
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in French or English
• Competence in the use of standard Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Access, Project and PowerPoint) and familiarity with development finance corporate applications/tools

To apply and for more information, click here.

Photo source: AfDB Projects