African Development Bank (AfDB) Jobs: Young Professional Program 2010

African Development Bank (AfDB) Group’s Young Professional Program (YPP) aims at attracting the best and brightest from its member countries – both regional and non-regional.

Through the Young Professional Program, the Bank Group will ensure continuity both in the management of projects and the provision of policy advice to its regional member countries.  Young Professionals have the opportunity to work across the continent and be at the forefront of exciting Bank initiatives that are helping to shape Africa’s future.

* Recruitment Process 2010: Long listed candidates have already been contacted

Overview

The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a highly competitive program targeting motivated, talented, young professionals under the age of thirty-two (32) committed to making a difference on the continent. Upon acceptance and entry, successful applicants will undergo a unique on-the-job training and development to prepare them for a rewarding career and future leadership roles within the Bank. Successful candidates must be committed to Africa’s development and demonstrate outstanding academic and professional achievement, as well as effective team work and leadership potential.

The Bank seeks to hire approximately twenty (20) young professionals each year through the Young Professional Program. The program enables each professional to receive extensive exposure to and experience from various Bank departments and development programs through job rotation. Young professionals are expected to rotate through, at least, three (3) assignments over a 3-year period, which may include one assignment at an AfDB field office. Young professionals will also benefit from a coaching and mentoring arrangement as well as a wide range of relevant training opportunities. Upon successfully completing the program, young professionals will graduate into a professional level position.

YPP assignments span all departments and functions at the Bank. The following is a list of possible assignments previous YPP participants have completed:

• Project Implementation – hands on experience in designing, procuring and processing Bank projects;
• Financial Analysis – developing country lending strategies;
• Risk Management – providing advice on loan portfolio performance and managing currency, interest rates and liquidity risks;
• Asset Management – managing Bank Group assets in the treasury department;
• Negotiations – participating in consultations with regional member countries, other development organizations and Bank service providers;
• Capacity Building – conducting capacity building training courses in regional member countries;
• Legal Services – providing legal advice and drafting loan and grant agreements;
• Support – providing critical corporate functions from human resources management to communications and strategic planning

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be a citizen of a Bank Group member country (regional and non-regional)
• Born on or after 1 November 1977 (32 years of age or younger when assuming duty in October 2010)
• A minimum of a Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, engineering, social sciences, international development, business administration, finance, banking or any discipline relevant to the Bank’s business
• Fluent in English and/or French with a good working knowledge of the other language

Selection Criteria

• Multi-disciplinary background and a minimum of two years relevant work experience
• Outstanding academic credentials
• Demonstrated commitment to African development (field experience on the continent and/or in other developing countries is an added advantage)
• Excellent writing and verbal communication skills in English and/or French with a working knowledge of the other language (working knowledge of a third language that is relevant to the Bank’s operation is an advantage)
• Ability/motivation to work in a multi-cultural work environment
• Demonstrated high leadership potential
• Demonstrated strong analytical skills, dynamism, results-orientation, and problem-solving capability

Application Procedures

Applications for the Young Professional Programme 2010 are no longer being received.