Portfolio Advisor, Nairobi

Vacancy announcement number:      10/17/P
Date of issue:     12 July 2010
Deadline for applications:     11 August 2010
Position Title:     Portfolio Advisor
Organizational unit:     East and Southern Africa Division - Programme Management Department
Level:     P-5
CCOG Code     1.A.01
Duty station:     Nairobi
Date of entry on duty:     As soon as possible
Duration of assignment:     3-years fixed term

Organizational Context:
IFAD is an International Financial Institution and a Specialized United Nations Agency whose mission is to enable poor rural people to overcome poverty. IFAD's headquarters is in Rome, Italy, and its staff work with poor rural people and their governments, communities and organizations in more than 80 countries to develop and finance programmes and projects aimed at improving poor rural people's livelihoods and increasing agricultural productivity and incomes. IFAD's Programme Management Department (PMD) is responsible for the overall lending programme of the Fund and its Eastern and Southern Africa Division is covering 21 countries in Sub Sahara Africa. The division has established a regional office in Nairobi, Kenya performing loan administration and technical support functions and housing the Kenya country programme operations.

Duties and responsibilities:
Under the strategic, policy and management guidance of the Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Division and working as part of a regional team with the Regional Economist, Financial Management Officer, Knowledge Management Officer and Country Programme Managers, the Portfolio Advisor will head the Regional Office in Nairobi, and as such be the interface between Nairobi- and Rome-based staff, playing a pivotal role in implementing the new operating model approach to ensure effective country programmes, project design and supervision/implementation support, and knowledge management, innovation, policy dialogue and partnerships. Particular emphasis will be placed on providing authoritative advice and support to Country Programme Managers (CPMs) and their country teams in their work of managing processes associated with loan administration and supervision and on contributing to the division's efforts to contribute to the corporate management result of realising impact and results. Specifically, the incumbent is expected to:
    * Manage the Nairobi Regional Office, providing effective leadership and motivation to regional office staff.
    * Build successful partnerships at the country level and with IFAD collaborators and IFAD staff to ensure results and impact of IFAD programmes.
    * Provide advice, on request of concerned CPM, on project design, participating in project design teams with the aim of ensuring both effective management arrangements for projects, and project designs that lead to early start-up and effective implementation.
    * Provide, on request, advice to CPMs on implementation support missions; provide input in areas of technical expertise to the mission aide memoire.
    * Review project Monitoring and Evaluation Systems in order to ensure improvement through integration of recommendations.
    * Monitor and analyse loan administration performance in collaboration with the Regional Loan Officer/Financial Management Officer, and overall portfolio implementation performance in collaboration with the Regional Economist.
    * Provide support and advice to CPMs in review of project procurement documents and in managing the fiduciary aspects of project supervision.
    * Assess needs and identify training options for CPMs and project staff in support of improved project implementation, supervision/loan administration.
    * Share, both through formal training and hands-on practice, experience and knowledge in supervision and implementation support to mainstream good practice within the division, aiming at improving efficiency and effectiveness as well as impact and results. Share and exchange lessons learnt with other regional divisions and within IFAD.

Education and experience:
    * Advanced university degree in Rural Development, Finance, Economics, Public Policy or related studies.
    * At least 10 years' professional management experience, including operational experience with international organizations, rural development/financial institutions or government services, in the area of design, implementation, loan administration, procurement and supervision of rural development programmes.
    * Extensive operational experience in (project) management, supervision, loan administration and procurement, preferably with a bi/multi-lateral funding institution.
    * Proven commitment to solving the problems of the rural poor.

Technical and functional competencies:
    * Analytical skills - has analytical ability and thorough understanding of socio-economic issues as well as the capacity to lead specific analytical work.
    * Leader and Team Worker/Builder - possesses excellent management skills, and is able to deploy these in a multicultural setting; has the capacity of leading teams and inspires them to work together to achieve stretching objectives;
    * Developer and Innovator - seeks new challenges, learns, shares and acquires competencies and generates innovative solutions
    * Excellent Negotiator and Communicator - combines professional technical and managerial excellence in establishing and fostering professional relationships and builds networks.
    * Model of integrity, trustworthy and confident
    * operates with integrity and interacts in ways that engender trust and confidence.

Languages:
    * Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; including the ability to set out a coherent argument in presentations and group interactions.
    * Good working knowledge of French would be an asset.
    * Working knowledge of Portuguese, as another working language of the region, is an advantage.

Other information

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD, and may be assigned by him/her to any of the activities of IFAD, including field assignments and/or rotation within IFAD.
IFAD reserves the right to appoint a candidate at the appropriate level commensurate with academic qualifications, experience and competencies.
Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by completing IFAD's Personal History Form and by sending their applications to the Human Resources Division, Via Paolo di Dono 44, 00142 Rome, Italy, Fax +39-06-5043463, Email vacancy@ifad.org. Applications from women candidates are particularly encouraged.
Candidates must indicate clearly the Vacancy Number and are kindly requested not to send their application via multiple routes. Any application received by IFAD after the closing date will not be considered. In the interest of making most cost effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.

Closing Date: Wednesday, 11 August 2010