Chief Records Management, Classification & Archives Officer at the African Development Bank

Established in 1964, the African Development Bank (AfDB) 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 (2023 – 2032) and ensure greater developmental impact, five major areas (High 5s), all of which will accelerate our delivery for Africa, have been identified for scaling up, namely; energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Chief Records Management, Classification & Archives Officer

Position Number: 50078458
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Employment Type: Full-time
Position Grade: PL3

The Complex

• The Presidency Complex comprises the Office of The President of the Bank Group and all corporate offices, departments and other organizational units that are directly subordinate to the Presidency in administrative as well as functional terms.
• The President, in the capacity of the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank Group, is mandated to provide competent strategic management of the Bank Group and all its resources towards the fulfillment of the Bank Group’s purpose of contributing to the economic development and social progress of Regional Member Countries.
• The Presidency Complex provides day-to-day and medium-term corporate leadership and executive oversight maintains communication with the Bank Group’s Member Countries and supports the Boards of Directors in the conduct of their statutory roles. In addition, the Complex provides legal and regulatory oversight on the conduct of the Bank Group’s business and integrated risk management of Bank Group operations, oversees corporate communication with a range of internal and external stakeholders, promotes integrity, transparency and the highest ethical standards and norms among Bank Group personnel in the conduct of their work, and assures the security of the Bank Group’s personnel, premises and physical assets, information and data in all locations where the Bank Group operates. Furthermore, the Presidency Complex is also involved in catalysing investment from various sources in line with the operational priorities of the Bank Group.
• The President directly supervises several departments and units including the Office of the President; the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department; the Office of the Auditor General; the Group Risk Management Directorate; the General Counsel and Legal Services Department; the Communication and External Relations Department; the Staff Integrity and Ethics Office; Office of the Secretary-General & General Secretariat; the Africa Investment Forum; the Joint Secretariat Support Office and; the External Representation Office in Asia.

The Hiring Department

• The role of the Banks' Office of the Secretary General and the General Secretariat (PSEG) is to facilitate the delivery of the objectives of the Bank's Ten-Year Strategy, High Ss, and Development and Business Delivery Model (DBDM) by enhancing the decision-making process of the governance organs and forging better working relationships with the shareholders and host countries of the Bank. PSEG is comprised of: the Immediate Office of the Secretary General (PSEG.0) which has the additional responsibility of managing the Disclosure and Access to Information (DAI) and Archives Sections; a Board Affairs and Proceedings Division (PSEG. l); and a Protocol, Privileges, and Immunities Division (PSEG.2).
• The Records Management and Archives Section is responsible for the: implementation of the Bank’s
• Disclosure and Access to Information (DAI) policy; classification of the Bank’s information; and proper archiving and management of the Bank Group’s records.

The Position
Under the oversight of the Secretary General, the key objectives of this position are to:

• Coordinate and manage the timely, active, and effective provision of information about the Bank Group and its activities, in particular its development operations;
• Oversee the classification of Bank-wide information in all forms and formats to: ensure their strategic alignment in support of business objectives before disclosure of such information; ensure availability, confidentiality, integrity, and audit ability of the Bank's information; ensure reduction of adverse impacts on the Bank's business operations to an acceptable level; and ensure conformity and full compliance with the Bank’s Information Classification policy; and
• Supervise the proper archiving of Board records and documents and make these easily accessible to members of the Boards and users. In addition, the Section coordinates archives and records managements of the Bank Group’s vital records, design record keeping tools and provide regular training to staff.

Key Functions
Under the general supervision of the Secretary General, the Chief Records Management, Classification & Archives Officer main responsibilities are as follows:

• Develop and maintain a strategic and operational framework for the Bank’s records management and archiving and Information Classification System to ensure consistency with applicable Bank rules and regulations and to obtain and maintain quality management system ISO 15489;
• Develop and maintain a strategic and operational framework for the Bank’s records management and archiving and Information Classification System to ensure consistency with applicable Bank rules and regulations and to obtain and maintain quality management system ISO 15489;
• Develop and regularly maintain records management and archiving policies, guidelines, and procedures as well as the classification guidelines for the Bank in line with the above strategy and operational framework;
• Classify all Bank documents in accordance with the DAI policy;
• Undertake extensive inventory of information of the Bank and ensure their classification in accordance with the Disclosure and Access to Information Policy (DAIP);
• Establish and regularly maintain an efficient system of document searching according to classification of information in accordance with the DAI Policy;
• Develop and apply effective security controls to the Bank’s information systems by establishing appropriate information; classification labels in line with the DAIP prescriptions;
• Serve as the focal point in the Bank for records management and archiving, information classification and declassification issues in relation to the DAI policy in particular, and for the Bank as a whole, in general;
• Provide leadership on expert innovative systems for records management and archiving and classification of information;
• Lead the implementation of and provide expert advice and recommendations to Senior Management and staff on the DAI policy as well as on records management and archiving, policies, guidelines and procedures;
• Supervise the proper archiving of Board records and documents and make these easily accessible to members of the Boards;
• Supervise archives and records managements of the Bank Group’s vital records, design record keeping tools and provide regular training to staff;
• Design / Update a training content to be part of the DAI training program along with e-learning tool for staff on constant basis;
• Design appropriate steps for staff to follow in classification of documents;
• To develop key information management controls to ensure that staff members are aware of their responsibilities and that best practice is being followed;
• Assist and advise staff in records management and archiving and classification and declassification of Bank’s documents;
• Advise on any current and potential security and regulatory issues affecting the Bank’s information and assess their impact on the Bank;
• Develop guidelines for document classification, including the networks for sharing information within the Bank;
• Serve as Secretariat to the Records Management and Information Disclosure Committee (RIMDC) as well the Appeals Panel.

Competencies (Skills, Experience and Knowledge)

• Hold at least a Master's Degree in Library Science, Knowledge, and Information Management, Records and Archives Management; Law or any other related discipline
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years of relevant practical experience in the field;
• Good knowledge of information generation and classification, and up-to-date awareness of latest developments in thinking and practice of other MDBs on information classification requirements;
• Comprehensive knowledge of industry standards and guidelines pertaining to all aspects of records management, archiving and information classification;
• Experience of working to best practice in Information and Records Management (for example ISO 15489);
• High level of organizational and analytical skills;
• Knowledge in all aspects of computer security in multi-IT areas: database, classification, operating systems specific applications, etc.;
• Knowledge of Document Management Systems, Information Request Tracking System (IRTS), taxonomy building and metadata standards; report writing skills etc;
• Supervise the work of any staff placed under his/her responsibility;
• Provide constant professional supervision and advice to staff with related responsibilities;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in French and/or English;
• Working proficiency in the second language either in French and/or English;
• Relevant practical experience in the field such as the Access to Information (ATI) or Freedom of Information (FOI), preferably with any similar institution such as the International Financial Institution (IFI), Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) or in the public sector environment;
• Work effectively within a teamwork and client orientation. Applies business knowledge to the resolution of problems and identifies solutions to the benefit of the client (internal and external) and the organization;
• Strong experience in the use of Information technology tools, SAP, and the standard Bank MS office applications (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint); databases, with good knowledge of Management Information Systems.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply

Application Deadline 22nd December, 2023.