Senior Programs Officer

Overview

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Manila, Philippines and is composed of 68 members, 49 of which are from the Asia and Pacific region. ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. ADB combines finance, knowledge, and partnerships to fulfill its expanded vision under its Strategy 2030.

ADB only hires nationals of its 68 members.

The position is assigned to the Office of the Director General (SAOD) within the South Asia Department (SARD). SARD is responsible for leading the engagement and overseeing the implementation of ADB’s strategic agenda in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka by providing strong partnerships with clients; coordinating ADB’s capabilities to design and deliver integrated strategies, transformational programs and projects; and promoting the optimal use of ADB’s funds, knowledge, advisory, resource mobilization, and convening services.

To view ADB Organizational Chart, please click here.

Job Purpose

The Senior Programs Officer provides statistical, analytical and research support services, particularly in the compilation and preparation of data and other information in the areas of country programming, coordination of lending and non-lending operations with Sectors Group, and overall coordination work. The position includes operations monitoring and resource management; maintaining updated records for Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR), Concessional Ordinary Capital Resources (COL), and Asian Development Fund (ADF) allocations and various technical assistance (TA) resources. The position ensures timely delivery of the department’s work program; and coordinates with other Departments/Offices/Sectors Group and Resident Missions (RMs) on all operational matters.

The incumbent will report to designated international staff and may supervise administrative staff.

Responsibilities • Provides numerical analysis in the formulation of SARD's operations resource parameters and the 3-year operational planning figures for the Work Program and Budget Framework (WPBF); monitors and reports the achievements against targets. • Provides inputs to SARD's submission for the General Capital Increase (GCI) working paper providing estimated level of demand for specified periods for OCR resources for the major sectors and themes consistent with Strategy 2030. • Prepares background materials on the status of SARD operations in support of the Regional Management Team (RMT) activities. • Monitors SARD's lending and non-lending program/resources and its deliverability against projected levels; assists in the prioritization exercises for country-wide allocation purposes; regularly coordinates with Controller's Department (CTL) and Strategy and Policy Department (SPD) in monitoring SARD's TA savings and assists in reviewing TA resources vis-à-vis availability of TA funds. • Monitors the Board calendar and coordinates with the Office of the Secretary to secure Board dates for all Board discussions, Informal Board Seminars and other briefings as needed. • Coordinates with SPD, the Budget, People, and Management Systems Department (BPMSD) and Vice President’s office in providing status updates of SARD's operations for the periodic Quality Assurance Meetings, Board Planning Meeting, Budget Review Committee Meeting, and other management operations review meetings, as required. • Monitors SARD's utilization of Asian Development Fund (ADF), Concessional Loan (COL), Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR), TA Special Fund (TASF) and trust fund resources and coordinates with SPD in monitoring SARD's concessional program against available concessional resources and its compliance with the concessional assistance (CA) policy. • Alerts concerned staff in undertaking challenging issues on resource headroom, compliance with CA policy, and utilization of ADF grants, COL allocation, countercyclical support facility and other modalities/instruments available, in particular during times of crises (e.g., economic crises, pandemics, or disasters triggered by natural hazards). • Provides support to the development of the Country Partnership and Strategy (CPS), the Indicative Country Pipeline Monitoring (ICPM), and the conduct of various country consultation and mid-term review activities by collecting data, verifying their validity, preparing background materials and statistical reports on specific country and sector programs. • Manages and coordinates SARD's business processes for lending and non-lending operations by providing guidance on ADB policies, staff instructions, and internal guidelines; mentors and supports administrative staff to develop or improve their capacity. • Serves as data representative/subject matter expert in improving ADB internal systems by providing consolidated departmental inputs during consultation sessions, design thinking workshops, and group meetings, among others; and supports the review and concurrence of project deliverables, where applicable. • Manages SARD's eOperations, the management and operations dashboard database for lending and non-lending operations, including cofinancing in coordination with other departments/offices/sector groups and RMs; supports the roll out of the Sovereign Operations (SovOps) system. • Advises and supports the Department on quality assurance matters, as needed. • Performs other duties as may be assigned and reflected in the incumbent’s workplan.

Qualifications

Relevant Experience & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in economics, business administration, or a related field, preferably with master’s degree or equivalent; • At least 8 years of relevant professional experience; and at least 4 years of supervisory experience. • Ability to draft written inputs in support of Department’s work. • Demonstrates knowledge of program work including understanding of an international development organization’s operational processes and procedures and advanced knowledge and understanding of the concepts and frameworks used in compiling economic data. • Ability to undertake background research and analysis on difficult but well-defined tasks, collect and organize required data and information, apply appropriate computer skills in analyzing and developing the data, and prepare notes, papers and sections of reports. • Understanding of the interactions between different ADB work areas and relevant workflows and their purposes. • Strong analytical thinking with ability to analyze relationships among several parts of a problem or situation. • Ability to guide junior staff to facilitate work planning, delivery, and quality review. • Ability to liaise and work effectively with staff from other departments/offices and work collaboratively with teams as a constructive team member. • Strong oral and written communications skills. • Please refer to the link for ADB Competency Framework for National Staff Level 3.

General Considerations

The selected candidate is, if new to ADB, appointed for an initial term of 3 years.

ADB offers competitive remuneration and a comprehensive benefits package. Actual appointment salary will be based on ADB’s standards and computation, taking into account the selected individual’s qualifications and experience.

ADB seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities to work in an inclusive environment. ADB encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. Women are highly encouraged to apply.

Please note that the actual level and salary will be based on qualifications of the selected candidate.