Director, Independent Recourse Mechanism, BIRM

Location: 

Abidjan, CI

Information on the position: The selected candidate shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Boards of Directors, for a non-renewable six (6) year term. The Director shall not have worked for the bank group in any capacity whatsoever for a period of at least five (5) years prior to their appointment and shall not be entitled to work for the Bank Group in any capacity whatsoever following the expiry of his or her appointment.

Position No. : 50092370 
Posting Date: 03/09/2026 
Closing Date : 04/06/2026 

THE BANK:

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 81 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries).  The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth. In order to sharply focus the objectives of the Ten Year Strategy (2024 – 2033) and ensure greater developmental impact,  four cardinal points, all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for scaling up, namely;  enhancing access to capital; reforming and consolidating the continent’s financial systems, institutions and talent to assert Africa’s global agency; harnessing the demographic transformation for economic development; and building climate-resilient infrastructure and robust value addition to natural resources.

THE COMPLEX:

The Board of Directors provides oversight and strategic direction to the African Development Bank Group. It is composed of Executive Directors who are representatives of the African Development Bank member countries. Specifically the Board is responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the Bank, and carries out the following functions: (1) determine the general structure of the Bank’s services; (2) approve the financing policy and take decisions concerning loans, guarantees, equity investments and fund loans by the Bank; (3) determine the interest rates of loans and guarantee commissions; (4) approve the Bank’s operations program and administrative budget; (5) prepare the work of the Board of Governors; and (6) submit accounts and annual reports, as well as the administrative budgets for the approval of the Board of Governors. The Board does its work through a series of permanent Committees that review and discuss policy and program documents and make appropriate recommendations to the whole Board. The Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV); the Independent Recourse Mechanism (BIRM); the Secretariat to the Sanctions Appeals Board (BSAB); and the Administrative Tribunal (BATR) report to the Board.

THE HIRING DEPARTMENT:

The Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM) is the Bank’s independent accountability mechanism and aims to provide fair, independent and effective recourse and remedy to individuals, workers and communities who are adversely impacted by AfDB-funded projects. It also seeks to identify potential areas via the complaints-handling process where the Bank can further strengthen its policies, procedures and/or practices in support of sustainable development, ensuring that “no one is left behind”. 

The IRM is responsible for handling complaints from external stakeholders and investigating the Bank’s compliance with its own policies and procedures related to its operations. These policies include, but are not limited to, the Bank’s Disclosure and Access to Information Policy and the Integrated Safeguards System.

The IRM’s administrative set up and functions are governed by the IRM Enabling Resolution and Operating Rules and Procedures which were initially approved by the AfDB’s Boards of Directors in June 2006 and have been revised four times since. The current IRM Enabling Resolution and Operating Rules and Procedures have been in effect since June 2021.

The IRM has three main functions: compliance review (investigation), problem-solving (mediation) and an advisory function. The IRM also carries out outreach, capacity building and knowledge management activities. The compliance review and the problem-solving are stakeholder-focused and their purpose is mainly to redress harm caused to people or the environment as well as to bring a project which is subject to a complaint into compliance with the applicable Bank Group policies and procedures. The advisory function is institutionally focused and aims at enhancing institutional learning across the organizational structure of the Bank. The IRM also carries out outreach activities, which focus on enhancing the visibility of the IRM among people affected by projects (PAPs), government institutions, projects implementation units (PIUs) and civil society organizations (CSOs).

THE POSITION:

The IRM Director administers the Independent Recourse Mechanism Unit. With the assistance of professional and support staff, the Director assesses and registers requests, facilitates problem-solving exercises, undertakes advisory and outreach activities, administers the Roster of Experts and reports on the IRM to the Board of Directors and the President.

The selected candidate shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Boards of Directors, for a non-renewable six (6) year term. The Director shall not have worked for the Bank Group in any capacity whatsoever for a period of at least five (5) years prior to their appointment and shall not be entitled to work for the Bank Group in any capacity whatsoever following the expiry of his or her appointment.

KEY FUNCTIONS:

The general functions of this position are as described below:

General Duties and Responsibilities:

Lead and be responsible for general administration of the BIRM Unit, including staff, budgets and external relations and arranging for the selection of the members to the Roster of Experts who, upon the recommendation of the President, will be appointed by the Board of Directors.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

  • Provide advice and technical opinions to the President and/or the Board, as may be approved by the Board under the advisory services of IRM.
  • Arrange for the selection of Experts for the Roster as required upon resignation or expiration of an Expert's term of appointment in accordance with the Bank Group's procurement rules, as applicable to the selection of consultants, and prepare the President’s recommendation and reports to the Board concerning the appointment and removal of Experts.
  • Establish such administrative procedures and guidelines necessary for the proper functioning of the IRM and the Roster of Experts.
  • Oversee the establishment and maintenance of the Register of Request open to the public on the Bank Group’s website, which shall contain significant data concerning the delivery and registration of Requests.
  • Receive and assess whether or not the requests (complaints) fall within the mandate of the IRM and, if found admissible, register the requests in the Register of Requests.
  • Conduct problem-solving exercises and facilitate compliance reviews.
  • Work with AfDB senior management to promptly respond to requests and implement any recommendations.
  • Identify areas from the complaints-handling process where the Bank can further strengthen its policies, procedures and/or practices and support AfDB senior management to encourage institutional lessons learning and implement any necessary changes.
  • Ensure IRM documentary records for requests are well maintained.
  • Correspond with requestors throughout complaint handling with regard to any issues and decision made.
  • Ensure that all timeframes are met and approve any extensions.
  • Liaise with other BIRM staff and the experts and ensure that such BIRM staff and Experts fulfill their responsibilities generally and in accordance with any applicable Terms of Reference.
  • Without prejudice to the powers of the Board and the President under these Rules, take any steps required to ensure the integrity of BIRM processes, including the replacement of any Expert whose impartiality or independence in any compliance review is in doubt.
  • Provide administrative and technical support to other BIRM staff and the Experts, including without limitation, making and supervising arrangements for meetings, site visits and IRM proceedings in the Bank Group’s principal office or elsewhere.
  • Administer the budgetary allocations for the BIRM.
  • Oversee the establishment and maintenance of BIRM databases of consultants and mediators whose services may be called upon in connection with compliance reviews and problem-solving exercises.

COMPETENCIES (skills, experience and knowledge)

Applicants should have:

  1. At least a Master’s degree in law, social science, anthropology, sociology, development, environment, or related humanities field or a combination of related or equivalent studies/degrees; and an advanced and specialized training certification.
  2. A minimum of ten (10) years of relevant professional experience in development, environmental and social development, conflict resolution and consensus-building especially in settling human and social problems in developing countries, preferably from Africa. Out of these, five (5) years must be in a managerial role. Experience in applying relevant public participation, social policies and other relevant policies in development of projects, such as environmental conservation and resettlement of people, and a keen interest in ensuring compliance with environmental and socio-economic policies.
  3. Experience in leading teams and maximizing their effectiveness of the team and a track record in developing strong working relationships with colleagues and creating a positive team environment.
  4. Familiarity with the objectives and functions of multilateral development banks and financing institutions.
  5. Ability to provide clear and concise oral and written communication in English or French, preferably with a working knowledge of the other, with clarity and appropriate style, and to adapt language and style to suit the requirements of a particular audience.
  6. Strong interpersonal skills and ability to carry out effective dialogue with stakeholders, including government officials, project affected people, civil society organizations, and Bank managers and staff.
  7. Commitment to search for and produce innovative and creative approaches to activities in order to enhance performance and create added benefits to the Bank and its clients; Ability to apply business knowledge to the resolution of problems and identifies solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization.
  8. Commitment to ensure that the client is considered of primary importance in all transactions and interactions. Understanding, and when appropriate, anticipation of client needs, and ensure that the client receives the best possible service from the Bank.
  9. Commitment to ensure that full use is made of the systems, procedures and culture within the organization in order to deliver the required results.
  10. Track record in making sound, impartial and fair judgments and high dedication and ability to handle sensitive and confidential documents.

Candidates for this position shall not have worked for the AfDB Group in any capacity whatsoever for a period of at least five (5) years prior to their appointment and shall not be entitled to work for the AFDB Group in any capacity whatsoever following the expiry of his or her appointment.

The African Development Bank is an equal opportunities employer; all qualified candidates from the Bank’s member countries are encouraged to apply.

Applicants who fully meet the Bank's requirements and are being considered for further assessment will be contacted.Applicants should submit a concise Curriculum Vitae (CV), copies of academic credentials and any additional documents that are requested in the application process.

The African Development Bank Group does not ask for payments of any kind from applicants throughout the recruitment process (job application, CV review, interview meeting, and final processing of applications). In addition, the Bank does not request information on applicants’ bank accounts. The African Development Bank Group declines all responsibility for the fraudulent publications of job offers in its name or, in general, for the fraudulent use of its name in any way whatsoever. 
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