Job: Senior Operations Officer

Location: Bamako, Mali 
Deadline: Thursday, 17 October 2013 

Description

Background / General description:

The World Bank's Country Management Unit (CMU) covering Chad, Guinea, Mali and Niger (AFCW3) is in charge of country dialogue, strategy formulation, business development, portfolio management and development results monitoring. The country unit is managed by a Country Director based in the World Bank Country Office in Bamako and it includes offices in N'Djamena, Conakry and Niamey and an anchor unit in Washington D.C.

The Senior Operations Officer (SOO) will be based in the country office in Bamako and will work within the CMU under the Country Director (CD). The SOO reports to the CD or a designee within the CMU and works closely with the Country Program Coordinator in the anchor unit in Washington, D.C. The SOO is primarily responsible of the Mali program but will coordinate with, and if needed provide support to colleagues in other AFCW3 Offices. The Bank team is co-located and works closely with the IFC and cooperates with MIGA as well.

Mali current portfolio is composed of 20 projects comprising 15 IDA operations, including 5 regional projects and 5 Trust Funds financed projects. The ongoing IDA commitment amount to USD747 million; of which 460 million remain undisbursed. The portfolio is dominated by investments in agriculture and energy (those two sectors absorb more than 50 percent of the current IDA commitments). The remaining envelope benefits mainly governance and public sector management, human development, infrastructure development and transport.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 2 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The SOO will be expected to provide operational support/guidance and quality assurance on cross-cutting dimensions to task teams and the CMU management including advice on the implementation of operational policies and guidelines and the use of instruments. The SOO will also support the CD and CPC to help track overall project implementation performance and facilitate resolution of portfolio problems. The SOO will maintain up-to-date information on IDA and trust fund portfolio performance for Mali in close collaboration with the CPC based in Washington.

Specific duties include:

1. Country Strategy Implementation:

Support the CD, CMs and CPC in strategy formulation and implementation; provide assistance and guidance from program design to completion and evaluation.

2. Pipeline and Portfolio Monitoring

In coordination with the CPC, monitor the project portfolio and operational performance, quality and trends, including ensuring compliance with Bank policies, reviewing Implementation Status Reports, ensuring that project ratings are realistic, and working with teams to develop and implement action plans to improve implementation and resolve problems. Responsible for quality control functions, portfolio monitoring including preparation of monthly portfolio monitoring tables. Monitor implementation of recommendations from the periodic Country Portfolio Performance Reviews (CPPR), with special focus on portfolio-wide actions in the areas of FM, procurement and M&E.

The SOO will take the lead on the following:

Portfolio Reviews. Organize and lead regular Country Portfolio Performance Meetings with the Core Portfolio Team (that comprises FM, Procurement and safeguards specialists, project Team Leaders and sector leaders) to discuss and find solutions to the ongoing concerns and to anticipate potential future problems/bottlenecks. Flag implementation problems for the attention of clients and Bank management, and take the lead in and provide support to project teams in resolving systemic portfolio issues. Follow-up with government on recommendations under overall guidance of the CD.

Trust Fund Monitoring. Ensure the quality assurance of TF proposals to ensure that all TF proposals within AFCW3 are subject to a structured review and clearance process within the CMU.

Management of Deliverables. In coordination with the CPC, monitor the deadlines on key deliverables for closing activities/projects (ICR), delivery of projects in the pipeline.

Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs). Review, comment on and propose clearance to the CD/CPC on ISRs.

3. Quality assurance

Quality Oversight. On a regular basis, and in coordination with the CPC, provide timely technical and operational leadership and advisory support/guidance the CD as well as the project teams throughout the project cycle (identification, design, appraisal, implementation, and evaluation). Risk management and implementation issues, in collaboration with the CD, Sector Leaders and the CPC.

Operational Support. Advise the country team on operational policies, instruments, and procedures and on complex operational issues.

4. Support to CD and CO

Review, comment on, and clear all out-going correspondence; manage in-coming correspondence; review/comment/clearance of all operational requests (PIDs, AISs, etc.).

Reporting, Briefing: Prepare a range of reports and briefs to regional and senior management including Spring and Annual Meetings briefs, trip briefs and ad hoc briefs, Provide input to regional reports and respond to requests from regional front office for information on Mali program. Maintain up-to-date information on portfolio performance and provide analysis on portfolio quality, implementation issue and areas needing attention.

In coordination with the CPC and the RM team, monitor the implementation of the WPAs, utilization of resources, including providing periodically updated information to TTLs for budget monitoring at task level. Monitor the utilization of CMU resources during FY including reallocation of CMU budget towards operational uses/projects. Assist CD and CPC in developing annual WPA for the Mali Program and assist in discussions with the sector leaders/units leading to the timely finalization of the WPA allocations.

Country Team Management: Participate as a key team member of important strategic products/activities, such as the CPPR and budget work-program monitoring, and facilitate the resolution of cross-cutting portfolio issues on an on-going basis.

Additional responsibilities; Guide and mentor other operational staff and provide inputs into the design of professional and operational training and development activities. Ensure close collaboration and information sharing among the four other country programs in AFCW3.

5. Client and Development Partner Relations:

As part of the overall portfolio management responsibility, the SOO will be expected to assist the CD in strengthening Bank's partnership with the donor community.

Selection Criteria:

Minimum Education: MA/MS (In relevant discipline.)

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience
• Ability to operate effectively in a matrix management environment, both as a team leader and team member.
• Ability to lead a team of professionals in the execution of major projects.
• Ability to coach, mentor and develop more junior staff.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with clients and colleagues.
• Effective verbal and written communications skills in English and in French.

Competencies

• Project Management - Demonstrates in depth knowledge and understanding of the project management concepts, as they relate to the implementation of complex, multi-functional projects in varied geographical and economic conditions
• Bank Instruments, Policies, Procedures, and Systems - Recognized by peers and/or managers for providing high quality, pragmatic advice to teams on the appropriate use of Bank policies, procedures and instruments and financing mechanisms.
• Portfolio Management (OS) - Leads the monitoring of country/sector strategy and work program; flags implementation issues for attention of clients and Bank management and takes a leading role in resolving these.
• Analytical and Technical Skills, Operational Strategy Development & Advice - Recognized by peers and/or managers for ability to identify and pro-actively solve operational issues and problems.
• Country Strategy - Recognized proficiency in playing a central role in and make substantive contributions to the strategy formulation process and related products.
• Country Program Management - Contributes to preparation, including the story line, of the CMU's annual reporting, budgeting, and business planning, focusing in particular on the Region's performance indicators.
• Country Operations Knowledge and Application - Ability to providing high quality advice to teams on the appropriate use of Bank policies, procedures and instruments.
• Stakeholder Engagement - Ability to advance and make substantive contributions to the country dialogue.
• Country Team Management - Ability to coordinate mechanisms to ensure CMU responsiveness to country team members, including an ability to respond substantively to challenging queries and efficient and effective procedures for routine workflow.
• Corporate Insight (Organizational Agility) - Ability to represent effectively the country program in interactions with the Board, donors, and shareholders in IDA and IBRD.
• Operational Project Management - Demonstrates in depth knowledge and understanding of project management tools & methodologies, as well as of Bank instruments and processes related to project preparation & implementation, resource management, and stakeholder communications.
• Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

More Info and Application