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.