Associate Programs Officer - Asian Development Bank - Manila, Philippines

Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Div, CWRD, Central and West Asia Department

Closing Date: 19 November 2012 , 5:00 p.m. (1700 Manila Time, 0900 GMT)

Job Purpose:

Support the activities under the various regional cooperation and integration initiatives in Central and West Asia, under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. Contribute to, and support development of, country partnership strategies (CPS) and country operations business plans; support the preparation of knowledge products and events in CWRC; assist in the implementation of technical assistance project(s) in support of knowledge management (KM) in the Division; manage the various consultancies on CPS thematic assessments and knowledge work in the Division; and other tasks as may be needed to ensure that CPS, country operations business plan (COBP) and KM work across the Division is carried out effectively and on schedule.
Work with clear policies and specific objectives with regular supervision.

Expected Outcomes

Under the guidance of a senior staff, contributes independently to the work unit by completing a variety of tasks assigned, covering all or a combination of the following functions:

Regional Cooperation and Integration Coordination

- Supports the activities under the various RCI initiatives in Central and West Asia, under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program. This will include:
- preparing background papers for CAREC and regional cooperation and integration (RCI) meetings and conferences
- coordination of ADB prepared knowledge products and capacity building activities, including those of the CAREC Institute
- preparing and managing the database of ADB financed projects in CAREC with regional dimension
- coordinating with other CWRD division on CAREC matters
- supporting the organization of CAREC Senior Officials Meeting and Ministerial Conference, seminars, conferences, including budget preparation, meeting documentations, and other logistical arrangements
- supporting the processing of RETAs to support CAREC initiatives in the department
- handling administration-related tasks of RETAs by analyzing budgets, contracts, progress reports, disbursement, etc.; drafting internal and external correspondences, such as memos for requests for supplementary financing, RETA extension, letters of agreement, and government concurrences; administering consultants' contracts and contract variations; processing RETA financial closing and completion reports; and monitoring and uploading of relevant documents to the Design and Monitoring Framework (DMF)
- supporting CWRC work with operations staff in the preparation and implementation of CAREC
Programming Responsibilities and Knowledge Work

- Contributes to, and supports development of, country partnership strategies (CPS) and country operation business plans;
- Supports the preparation of knowledge products and events in CWRC;
- Assists in the implementation of technical assistance project(s) in support of knowledge management in the Division;
- Manages the various consultancies on CPS thematic assessments and knowledge work in the Division;
- Performs other tasks as may be needed to ensure that CPS, COBP and KM work across the Division is carried out effectively and on schedule.

Educational Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business Administration and/or related fields; preferably with advanced training

Relevant Experience And Other Requirements:

Work Experience

• At least 6 years of relevant experience in regional cooperation and integration (RCI) and related areas, RETA and TA administration, and management, and secretariat coordination work for international foras.
• Experience in applying expertise in an international setting would be an advantage.

Technical Knowledge
- Working knowledge of policies and practices of bilateral donors, multilateral institutions and other international organizations in regional cooperation and integration (RCI) will be critical.
- Understanding of business processes, diplomacy and familiarity with operational strategies and procedures of a multilateral organization.
- Database management skills and knowledge of other IT solutions and applications used in a multilateral organization.
- Effective analytical and report-writing in English.
- Ability to work effectively and efficiently in areas beyond specifically assigned tasks.

People and leadership skills

• Able to effectively interact with staff at all levels within and outside the department.

- Able to establish and maintain productive contacts with appropriate officials of governments, development partner agencies and executing agencies, NGOs and private sector.
- Good interpersonal and communication skills are essential.
- Able to work with individuals from different cultural/national backgrounds.Strong oral and written communications skills.

Core Competencies:

Application of Technical Knowledge and Skills

• Applies updated advancements in own knowledge area to relevant tasks
• Applies knowledge and practical skills to independently perform some complex tasks
• Conveys the need to use updated project approaches

Client Orientation

• Delivers TAB contributions across a variety of products and services to meet the needs of different clients
• Proposes options to clients that may better meet their needs than current approaches
• Defines and delivers to agreed standards with clients

Achieving Results and Problem Solving

• Conducts detailed research and analysis to determine appropriate methods for addressing the causes of issues
• Self-monitors achievement of results according to work plans
• Identifies different stakeholder needs and desired outcomes when planning for outcomes
• Independently solves problems and makes recommendations

Working Together

• Maintains collaborative relationships within the Department
• Works effectively with diverse colleagues in own and other Divisions and Departments
• Flexibly alters positions and adjusts previously stated points of view to support the group consensus
• Follows through on team priorities in the absence of a team leader

Communication and Knowledge Sharing

• Checks with audience’s level of understanding and awareness of required follow up actions
• Consistently seeks and addresses feedback on own performance
• Creates knowledge products endorsed for wider distribution
• Independently amends and clarifies messages and documents

Innovation and Change

• Actively supports work improvement and/or organizational change by work and deed
• Develops and adopts change plans to support TAB initiatives on which one works
• Considers current and future client needs in proposing ideas
• Vocalizes early support for change
• Recommends inputs to new policies, systems and processes in immediate work area

Immediate Reporting Relationships / Other Information:

Supervisor: Designated International Staff and senior National Staff

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