"My job in a development bank", Carlos Mollinedo
Meet Carlos Mollinedo, Chief Strategy Economist at the African Development Bank. Learn more about his position and career path.
Carlos Mollinedo at the time of writing
Current position
Chief Strategy Economist, African Development Bank, Tunis
Education
- MSc in Econometrics and Statistics, University of Geneva
- Ph.D. in Economics, University of Geneva
- Ph.D. candidate in International Economics, Graduate Institute Geneva
- Post-Doctoral fellowship, Harvard Institute for International Development
Most significant jobs to date
- Country Economist, World Bank, Bolivia (7 years)
- Strategy Officer, International Finance Corporation, Bolivia (3 years)
- Senior Country Economist or Chief Strategist at the African Development Bank in different departments, Tunis, Tunisia (since 2008)
My motivation
Having worked for many years in South America, which is where I was born and grew up, I wanted to acquire more international experience. During my graduate studies in Geneva, I worked on a paper on Sub-Saharan Africa which awaked on me a passion for knowing more about the African continent, where the development challenges are enormous. I decided to apply for a few vacant positions at the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2008, and about one month later I was invited to a panel interview in Tunis.
What I love most about my job is that I learn every day.
My current job
I currently work in the Strategy and Operational Policy Department Office of the First Vice-President at AfDB. Together with my team we work on the Bank’s budget, prepare briefs and notes for AfDB’s President or the financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, or analyse proposals and projects in order to provide useful inputs to the Bank’s committees. I also support the operational teams that prepare sector and country strategies for the Bank’s operations across Africa.
The rewards
Apart from having a great team of motivated and intelligent people, what I love most about my job is that I learn every day: about a particular country, a feature of the Bank, a success story or a failure. I learn from my colleagues across the Bank and from African counterparts. Since I get a broad perspective on the ongoing projects across sectors and countries, I get a broad picture of the Bank’s interventions across the African continent. This makes me feel like I am really making a difference, that I am contributing directly or indirectly to Africa’s development.
The challenges
I need to manage a lot of stress. Given the fact that many actors are involved in a particular task, there are many aspects that affect the success of a particular task but that are out of my control. Therefore, I need to be persistent in advancing tasks. Flexibility and tolerance however are key to my job, on the one hand because of the differences in culture but also because of the Bank’s rigid bureaucracy that regularly slow things down.
My advice to people interested in working for a development bank
To secure a job at an international financial institution, you need to constantly monitor advertised positions so that you don’t miss the one that you fit the best. Carefully analyse each advertised position for their particular features and adapt your application documents accordingly. Resumes and application documents are reviewed very quickly given the large number of candidates. Therefore, you need to have a good idea of the technical requirements, competencies and skills asked. This will also help you prepare for the panel interview, in addition to becoming familiar with the institutions’ organigram, functions, regions that the position is covering and projects or studies produced by the institution. I further recommend you get in touch with the representative of your country in the institution and anyone you know who works in the institution.
Our services – to take you further
cinfo supports Swiss professionals considering a career with the UN or a development bank, and those already in the system:
