Senior Portfolio Advisor

The Senior Portfolio Advisor provides authoritative advice on operational matters related to the divisional portfolio and contributes to relevant corporate processes to enhance the efficiency of IFAD-funded operations. The role involves policy advice, country programme support, knowledge management, results monitoring, and managerial functions, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected situations in the Near East and North Africa region.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to relevant corporate processes to enhance the Fund's business model, focusing on efficiency of IFAD-funded operations.
• Support the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) in developing and revising operational policies and procedures.
• Promote use and compliance with operational policies and procedures by country teams within the division.
• Coordinate divisional efforts to ensure compliance with IFAD Supervision and Implementation Support (SIS) policy and guidelines.
• Coordinate divisional self-assessment work culminating in the yearly Portfolio Stocktaking exercise.
• Provide authoritative advice to country teams on project results-based management.
• Provide advice to the Regional Director and Heads of Multi-country Offices (MCOs) planning exercises.
• Provide demand-based authoritative advice on operational requests such as extensions, suspensions, cancellations, additional financing, restructuring.
• Monitor portfolio performance and work with Country Directors to develop and implement project performance improvement plans for projects-at-risk.
• Ensure quality review of supervision mission and project completion reports, including clearing reports in the Operational Results Management System (ORMS).
• Identify and mitigate risks in operations and report on these risks to the Regional Director and relevant committees.
• Work closely with the Senior Regional Economist to feed lessons learned into project designs.
• Provide field support during supervision, implementation support, and design missions as required.
• Work with PFM and FCD to expedite withdrawal application processing and loan administration tasks.
• Oversee, monitor and coordinate IFAD's private sector and equity investment portfolio, providing advice on investment solutions and portfolio quality.
• Engage in peer-to-peer knowledge management and share best practices for the benefit of country programmes.
• Document and analyze implementation-related issues common across country programmes.
• Design and deliver needs-based training modules to improve results-based management performance.
• Coordinate monitoring and reporting processes on the regional portfolio management, performance and results.
• Organize and oversee portfolio data analysis, performance reports, portfolio reviews, and stock takes.
• Coordinate divisional quality assurance processes for SIS, mid-term review, project completion reports, data/results reporting, and timely submission and disclosure of reports.
• Provide input to new Country Strategic Opportunities Programmes (COSOPs) and loan/grant designs based on portfolio performance lessons learned.
• Coordinate divisional contributions to the corporate Results Measurement Framework (RMF).
• Provide advice on implementation matters including Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) and results reporting.
• Collaborate with the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) and other key partner departments on initiatives and strategies.
• Assist the Divisional Director in assigned tasks, acting with honesty, fairness, impartiality and sensitivity.
• Coordinate complex processes and provide technical advice on divisional functions and responsibilities.
• Coordinate development, implementation and evaluation of assignments and initiatives.
• Coordinate preparation and implementation of divisional high-level events ensuring protocol and visibility.
• Serve as a change agent and role model for transformation.
• Ensure integrity, transparency, and equity in management of IFAD resources including people management, resource management, and knowledge management.
• Provide operational support to NEN country programmes in fragile and conflict-affected situations including monitoring and analyzing fragility and conflict situations.
• Integrate fragility and conflict sensitivity into programme and project design, implementation, and monitoring.
• Advise programme delivery teams to address weak capacity and institutions in design and delivery of operations.
• Monitor evolving regional and country contexts and associated risks to the portfolio.
• Engage with Country Teams on strategies fitting the humanitarian-development-peace nexus addressing roots of conflict and fragility.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree in Rural Development, Finance, Economics, Public Policy or related studies from an accredited institution.
• At least eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience, including two (2) years in a multi-cultural, international organization, rural development/financial institution or government service, in the area of implementation and supervision of rural development programmes.
• Demonstrated capacity to understand the political economy and local context of fragility and forced displacement situations.
• Familiarity with fragility and conflict policies, tools, and instruments.
• English language proficiency at level 4 (Excellent).
• French language proficiency at level 4 (Excellent).
• Arabic language proficiency at level 4 (Excellent) is highly desirable.
• Ability to leverage IFAD knowledge and/or communication materials to maintain and promote constructive dialogue around IFAD`s vision and strategic priorities to external actors.
• Outstanding ability to analyse and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations.
• Know-how in managing performance, learning management, establishing learning plans and ensuring staff supervised meet their development needs while meeting the needs of IFAD.
• Identification of key-priorities, ability to work with others, coordinate and structure work to meet deadlines and adjustment of workplan/resource allocation when needed, identification and management of project-related risks.
• Know-how in identifying and assessing of potential legal, reputational, ethical risks and liabilities in relation to the Fund's activities; contributing strongly to the division as second line of defence function; demonstrating ability to manage these risks by advising senior management on contingency and mitigation strategies.
• Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with others (e.g. visitors, clients, callers, etc.), including senior individuals (e.g. high-level meeting participants).
• Ability to conduct sound political analysis and understand complex environments, providing options and advice.
• Ability to negotiate on behalf of IFAD and drive for creative and pragmatic solutions in complex negotiations with key partners, both public and private sector.
• Outstanding ability to synthesize and simplify complex technical information for a variety of (non-technical) audiences.
• Clear, succinct and convincing written communication in the language needed for specific role; highly professional, balanced and persuasive.

Skills

• Financial Institutions Experience
• Political economy understanding
• Fragility and Conflict Policy
• Performance Management
• Learning Management Support
• Risk Identification and Management
• Legal and Reputational Risk Assessment
• Contingency Planning
• Political Analysis
• Negotiation Skills
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
• Knowledge Management
• Results Monitoring
• Written Communication
• Multilingual Proficiency English
• Portfolio Management
• Strategic Advice
• Rural Development Project Implementation

Languages

English, French, Arabic