Join Our Mission to Foster Prosperity in Asia

Are you ready to make a lasting impact on the future of Asia and be a catalyst for positive change? We are thrilled to offer a unique opportunity to become an important part of the prestigious Asian Development Bank (ADB). At ADB, our mission is simple yet powerful: to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationship

The position of Senior Financial Sector Specialist is assigned to the Financial Sector Office within the Sectors Group (SG-FIN). You will be based at our Headquarters in Manila, Philippines.

You will report to Director, Financial Sector and may supervise National Staff and Administrative Staff.

Your Role

As a Senior Financial Sector Specialist, you are expected to oversee the formulation and articulation of finance sector policy and strategies, engaging Developing Member Country (DMC) governments in policy dialogue, conducting ADB’s activities to support finance sector policy and reforms, lead and support financial sector operations, engage in knowledge production and dissemination, and undertake other tasks in East Asia, the Pacific, and Southeast Asia. Under ADB’s New Operating Model, there will be significant flexibility in the assignment of responsibilities within sectors. Staff, as well as directors, may be requested to cover different geographies within a sector or different practice areas, subject to the skills and experience of the individuals.

You will assist the Director in overseeing the finance sector workstream and help coordinate and respond to strategic initiatives in the bank, as well as, undertaking operational reviews and assessments. You will support collaboration with ADB’s regional and non-sovereign operations departments to accelerate the four shifts in ADB’s New Operating Model—realizing ADB’s ambition to be the region’s climate bank; catalyzing private sector development; delivering holistic, knowledge-driven, innovative, and integrated solutions; and modernizing ADB’s approach to work by becoming more efficient, agile, and collaborative.

You will:

• Oversee and support the development of strategies for the finance sector in DMCs, covering areas such as banking sector, non-bank financial institutions, contractual savings, capital markets, financial infrastructure, financial governance, project finance, public-private partnerships, digital finance, municipal finance, among others, in consultation with relevant government agencies and Resident Missions (RMs).
• Propose, develop, oversee, supervise, and support innovative projects and TAs in the finance sector and related operations on private sector development.
• Lead and support work to explore global best practices and new innovations in the finance sector.
• Lead and support knowledge production and dissemination.
• Coordinate across ADB, especially with the Private Sector Operations Department (PSOD) to achieve a “one ADB” approach to incorporating global best practices and new innovations in finance sector development.
• Lead and support quality assurance and compliance across finance sector lending and non-lending products and operations.
• Support the Financial Sector to interface, coordinate, and respond to other departments and offices on operational reviews and evaluations, strategic and procedural issues, development coordination, and other activities.
• Leads and supports the preparation of Country Partnership Strategies (CPSs) and Country Operations Business Plans (COBPs), as needed.
• Maintains communications with and represents the Financial Sector in meetings with senior level government staff within the finance sector.
• Lead and support regional financial cooperation in ASEAN, subregional cooperation groups, and other regional fora.
• Participate in external conferences and events and serves as a liaison to industry standard setting bodies.
• Coach and mentor teams and individuals within the Financial Sector, and across the department, as necessary, to ensure their on-going learning and development.
• Supervise the performance of assigned staff, providing clear direction and regular monitoring and feedback on their performance.
• Take other responsibilities and performs other tasks needed by the Financial Sector, the Solutions Group, and ADB.

Qualifications

You will need:

• At least a Master’s Degree, or equivalent, in Finance, Economics, or related fields; or University degree and at least 5 years specialized experience relevant to the position can be considered
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in finance sector development, with good knowledge of the Asia Pacific region and international experience working in several countries.
• Experience in emerging areas of finance, such as sustainable and climate financing, is a plus.
• Ability to steer ideas and projects to improve linkages between finance sector development, investment, and financial inclusion.
• Significant expertise within a specific area of ADB’s operations (finance sector), or breadth across multiple areas with in-depth knowledge within one area.
• Expertise with recognized ability to lead projects and to share knowledge to benefit the broader ADB community.
• Ability to perform effectively as a mission leader or team leader; proficiency in supervision, coordination, and planning responsibilities over multi-disciplinary team/unit.
• Ability to effectively mentor and coach team members.
• High level of maturity and ability to serve as an effective Officer-in-Charge when required.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Excellent capabilities in relationship management, strong client and impact orientation, effective communication skills, strong problem solving and solution-oriented approaches, strong ability for collaboration and teamwork, and a high degree of responsiveness and reliability.