AD, Senior Political Counsellor at EBRD

Purpose of Job

The Senior Political Counsellor is responsible for assessing progress in democratic transition of the EBRD’s countries of operations in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa and their compliance with the Article 1 of the AEB and other political aspects of the Bank’s mandate. S/he monitors, analyses and reports on political developments in a number of EBRD recipient countries and sub-regions falling under her or his respective portfolio;  plays an important role in  preparing Country Strategies and relevant policy documents; provides advice to the senior management and the Board on the political and diplomatic perspectives of the  Bank’s activities; assesses country-level political risk,  supports high-level political dialogue with the Bank’s countries of operations and liaises at a high level with members of the governments, political leaders and inter-governmental organisations active in the transition region

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Monitor and analyse political developments in assigned countries (Sub-Saharan Africa region), using a wide range of remote and in-country sources in order to assess compliance with the Bank’s Article 1 mandate.
• Prepare political and political economy assessments for the Country Diagnostics, Country Strategies and Country Strategy Updates, which will set the appropriate context for the Bank’s investment and policy engagement.
• Advise President/Senior Management as well as the Board of Directors on political developments in the region of operations and prepare written briefs as needed in order to steer high-level political and policy dialogue, identify political economy factors affecting the Bank’s operations, gauge political and operational risk, and facilitate the Bank’s operations in the recipient countries.
• Liaise with high-level officials in the governments and other bodies in member countries relevant to the political aspects of the Bank’s activities, maintain political dialogue and serve as a focal point for contact with relevant government departments/institutions (i.e., foreign affairs, regional affairs, national parliaments).
• Maintain links with relevant inter-governmental organisations with strong interest and presence in EBRD region (UN and its agencies and relevant regional organisations).

Qualifications & Skills / Experience & Knowledge

• Advanced degree in a relevant field, such as politics, diplomacy, international relations or political economy; Ph.D. preferred.
• Extensive hands-on experience in  a number of EBRD recipient countries.
• In-depth knowledge of the politics, history and culture of a significant group of countries in the EBRD region.
• Sophisticated diplomatic skills required for regular contact with high-level national and international officials
• A good understanding of political economy issues in the transition region
• Ability to operate independently at a senior level in political, diplomatic and business environments; extensive high level political contacts.
• Excellent communication and report writing skills in English at the standard required for official documents.
• Strong partnership skills.