African Union Development Agency: Africa Policy Bridge Tank Programme – Senior Technical Advisor

Reports to: Portfolio Coordinator AUDA-NEPAD, Programme Director GIZ “Knowledge for Transformation

Duration: 30 June 2025 (with possibility of extension)

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Since 2004, GIZ has been a reliable and trusted partner of the African Union (AU) to enhance inclusive growth and sustainable development in line with the AU’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. With more than 200 staff, GIZ African Union cooperates with the AU Commission, as well as the AU’s specialised institutions and agencies, such as the Development Agency AUDA-NEPAD, at continental, regional and national level in more than 35 member states.

Mandated with coordinating and executing priority projects towards the realisation of Agenda 2063, AUDA-NEPAD strives to become Africa’s leading development agency. As a long-standing partner, GIZ has supported AUDA-NEPAD in its mission to provide African-led development by African actors. GIZ’s portfolio with AUDA-NEPAD encompasses a variety of programmes/projects, including infrastructure development, digitalisation, TVET, energy, health, and institutional capacity development. GIZ’s Knowledge for Transformation (K4T) Programme is a Berlin-based regional project which seeks to enhance the knowledge to policy transfer particularly with respect to Africa’s economic transformation. In addition to several cooperations with Pan-African Think Tanks, GIZ’s K4T is supporting the institutional capacity strengthening of AUDA-NEPAD’s Africa Policy Bridge Tank Programme (APBT).

The APBT seeks to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy and to engage African Think Tanks in identifying and addressing continental and regional challenges towards Africa’s transformation.  The APBT is integrated in the Economic Analysis and Foresight Unit within the Directorate for Industrialization and Markets of AUDA-NEPAD. The Programme draws upon a broad network of African Think Tanks as well as core advisory group made up of some of the most distinguished institutes working on issues of pan-African relevance. Areas of work for the APBT include acting as conduits of the knowledge outputs of these Think Tanks and AUDA programmes through events and exchanges, providing research input into continental and global processes including the T20, curating high level events between research and African policymakers.

The premises of AUDA-NEPAD are based in Midrand, South Africa.

GIZ is seeking a highly qualified expert to support the APBT in the pursuit of its goal of bridging evidence and policy on the continent. The position is estimated to comprise approximately 70% programme management support to the APBT and 30% support in providing inputs into relevant research products and carrying out independent desk research on demand.

RESPONSIBILITIES - seee full job description download below

The Advisor supports the AUDA-NEPAD staff responsible for the APBT (Senior Programme Officer for Economic Analysis and Foresight) trough:

  1. Programme Management support to the Senior Programme Officer for Economic Analysis and Foresight, to assist strategic planning, conceptual development, and implementation of the overall programme. Including:
    • Strategic programme development support: Assume a pivotal role in strengthening the strategic vision, planning, and steering of the APBT programme. To do so, your tasks will include drafting strategic programme documents and strategies, such as for example a work plan, robust performance framework, as well as communication materials.
    • Fundraising support: to help secure financial sustainability of the APBT and allow it to expand its transformative reach, your tasks will include drafting a fundraising strategy, as well as specific fundraising proposals.
    • Monitoring and stakeholder management support: To ensure smooth implementation of the overall programme, you will be tasked with monitoring the performance framework, and assisting the head of programme in coordinating activities and facilitating communication, ensuring smooth operations and collaboration with the different stakeholders involved, including with the internal team at AUDA-NEPAD, external stakeholders, and partners.
    • Event Curation and Engagement to foster knowledge-to-policy uptake. Tasks will include facilitating dialogues between policymakers and researchers, designing and/or assisting in organizing high-impact events such as webinars, workshops, conferences, and training sessions. Your organizational prowess will ensure that each event serves as a catalyst for knowledge exchange and networking among Think Tanks and other stakeholders.
  2. Research and knowledge translation, to enrich the programme's intellectual capital and leverage knowledge-transfer. Including:
    • Expert collaboration and knowledge translation: Act as a liaison between the APBT programme and the members (Think-Tanks) of the Technical Advisory Group. Leveraging their expert knowledge and research will be key to successfully inform African policy makers and member states, as well as relevant AUDA-NEPAD programmes. Your tasks will include identifying and matching the demand and supply of evidence, translating research into policy recommendations, as well as dissemination and distribution of research (for example for reports and presentations). 
    • Own research excellence on economic analysis and foresight, to inform programmatic support with new, needs-based knowledge production. You will be responsible for researching and developing specific knowledge products such as evidence-driven reports, to generate policy recommendations. Topics may include for example, data analysis and comparative reviews on economic trends, as well as foresight and scoping exercises to anticipate future trends and strategic pathways aligned with Agenda 2063 goals.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Suitable candidates should apply by submitting:

  • A motivation letter (maximum 1 page) stating why they should be the preferred candidate, the value added they will bring to the project and their desired salary range.
  • This should be accompanied by a detailed CV and indicating their nationality.

Applications should be submitted to: recruit-pretoria@giz.de, with the email subject line “Application for APBT STA Role” for the attention of Head of Human Resource.

GIZ would like to increase the proportion of employees with disability. Applications from persons with disabilities are most welcome.

Closing date for applications 21 June 2024

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be informed!

Applications without a motivation letter will not be considered!