World Bank Group: Recruiting for Senior Operations Officer – Dakar, Senegal at IFC

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors. We currently have vacancy for the below Position.

Title: Senior Operations Officer – Dakar, Senegal
Job Stream: Technical Assistance & Advisory Services
Location: Dakar, Senegal
Close Date: 05-Mar-2011
Background / General description:

This is a two-year coterminous appointment. Improving the investment climate in Africa is one of three core priorities of the IFC/World Bank Group strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group (CIC) comprises staff based in the offices of Nairobi, Dakar and Johannesburg and across the continent, working with a team of product specialists in Washington, DC and Istanbul. 

The Investment Climate Advisory Services have been implementing reform programs in Sub-Saharan for almost a decade, and have scaled up significantly in recent years. The programs focus on a range of investment climate reforms, including business registration and licensing, investment promotion, inspection reform, business taxation, trade logistics, regulatory governance and special economic zones. The team s objective is for Africa to become the region achieving the most investment climate reforms. One of the key reform initiatives to improve investment climate in West and Central Africa is the legislative reforms of OHADA. CIC has been assisting the secretariat of OHADA the past few years to modernize the OHADA laws, called Uniform Acts. The first two laws – General Commercial Law and Secured Transaction Law – were revised in December 2011 after three years of negotiation, and the team is committed to assist the OHADA Secretariat and member states to bring the same improvement to the remaining six laws.

The project is at the center of World Bank Group wide collaboration, feeding into the IDA lending for OHADA, planned to be launched in 2012. Currently, the CIC OHADA initiative is managed out of IFC Dakar office under the overall leadership of a CIC Regional Program Manager for West and Central Africa. The team, concentrated in Dakar, is dedicated to work with the OHADA Secretariat to revise Uniform Acts. Field based resources are spread across the region, in order to design and implement projects and to follow up on the legislative changes made at the OHADA level. CIC is looking to fill the position of Investment Climate Specialist, leading the technical assistance to the OHADA Secretariat and to revise OHADA Uniform Acts in collaboration with the World Bank and other donors.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The officer will lead delivery of the technical assistance to the OHADA Secretariat under the day to day technical guidance from a CIC Regional Program Manager for West and Central Africa based in Dakar, with an official reporting line to the Manager of Investment Climate Advisory Services for Africa based in Nairobi. The scope ofactivities will include the following:
Take overall responsibility for the design and implementation of technical assistance to the OHADA Secretariat to revise OHADA Uniform Acts;
Take lead responsibility for the management of the working relationship with the OHADA Secretariat, members of OHADA Council of Ministers, and other stakeholders in consultation with the IFC Resident Representatives;
Coordinate fund raising activities with Donor Relations team;
Develop and monitor the budget for the programs and review and report on monthly budget reports and provide timely reports to management on the program, and explain all significant variations from budget. Prepare all necessary donor reporting;
Authorize all payments for work on the program, which are not approved by one of the product leaders for subsequent approval by the manager concerned, certifying that the work claimed has been performed in accordance with the budget, work program and the WBG procedures;
Coordinate and backstop all reporting on activities, outputs, outcomes and impact achieved by the program overall and components of it;
Ensure that all necessary program documentation, request letters, implementation updates etc is filed in iDesk, as per current instructions;
Recruit, and manage the performance of STCs;
Develop positive working relationships with other units of the World Bank Group to support the delivery of the IC programs in conformity with IFC s strategy and the overall WBG program.

Selection Criteria:

Advanced degree in law, economics, business, public policy or a related field;
Extensive knowledge of OHADA Uniform Acts is essential;
Established network with the key stakeholders engaged in OHADA reforms is essential;
Thorough knowledge of investment climate policy issues, economic, political and social facts in OHADA member countries;
Minimum 8 years professional experience, preferably of working in complex multi-sectoral teams;
Effective inter-personal skills, leadership, team player, ability to maintain excellent client and donor relations;
Prior experience in working in World Bank offices in Africa is a plus;
Experience in developing and managing technical assistance, advisory services, and consultancy programs;
Strong advocacy skills, ability to interface effectively with public and private sector leaders;
Work experience in West and Central Africa;
Fluent in English and French.

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