Principal Program Officer - Internet, Cybersecurity & E-Applications at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Job ref.: ECW/HR/17041923
Grade: P5
Location: Abuja
Status: Permanent
Directorate: Digital Economy & Post
Division: Internet Cybersecurity & E-Applications
Line Supervisor: Director, Digital Economy & Post
Department: Telecommunications & Information Technology
Supervising: Program Officer Internet & Cybersecurity, Program Officer e-Applications & e-Government

Role Overview

• He/she oversees the strategy and framework and support the implementation of Career Management at the Commission to identify existing develop career learning goals skills and take action to enhance their careers in line with HR best practice.
• He/She will be a focal point for interventions to support staff to develop their ability to manage their careers that also ensure best fit matches personal traits to job factors.

Role and Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and manage the development strategy for the commission in conjunction with the director;
• Manage the system of setting individual performance planning and standards through available Performance Planning and Evaluation systems;
• Provide regular and prompt performance feedback to direct reports;
• Initiate the development of staff to ensure skills are built to match plans, goals and existing structures;
• Develop a mechanism for the proper staffing of the departments of the commission;
• Develop, implement, and manage the performance management and learning development policies and procedures in relation to job evaluations, performance appraisals, KPI’s etc.…;
• Regularly review (with the director) the strategy and implementation of the performance and development policies and procedures and update its methods and procedures where it is deemed necessary;
• Develop and implement and maintain a training process and procedure for the Commission and its institutions;
• Develop e learning development policy for the Commission in conjunction with the director;
• Design and deliver training programs for the staff of the Commission;
• Produce methods and means of assessing training needs and roll out mechanisms for its successful implementation;
• Design and deliver an appropriate selection process for development and training opportunities;
• Perform administration of the training centre and its related training programmes;
• Perform any others tasks that may be assigned by the Director.

Academic Qualifications and Experience
Education:

• Master's degree in Human Resources Management or Social Science is required.

Experience:

• 10 Years’ experience in HR position in an International organization in Career and Training Management;
• Broad and deep knowledge in areas related to staffing, human resource strategy, staff development, career management and training management;
• In-depth knowledge of HR Management best practices.

Age Limit:

• Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS Key Competencies

• Ability to lead in assigned programmes and projects by providing the necessary managerial and operational expertise required for the fulfillment of the organization’s mandate;
• Ability to lead by example and organize teamwork to encourage cooperation to achieve targeted results, champion and build momentum for change and to bring about employee engagement; develops and implements internal controls for pilot program to manage potential barriers to implementation;
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity, confidentiality and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency;
• Ability to bring together complementary skills/expertise, assess individual contributions and recognize/address accomplishments and shortcomings in a manner that brings continued success to the organization;
• Ability to research benchmarks and trends to bring about the best recommendations for the development and improvement of programs/projects that will best serve the community/organization;  
• Well-developed networking and interpersonal skills to seek feedback, information and data from a network of professionals from multiple countries/sectors/organizations and to identify and prioritize the most critical community requirements; 
• Ability to manage and co-ordinate client management initiatives and make recommendations;
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in client services;
• Ability to develop and implement stakeholder management plans, programs and initiatives to obtain buy-in on new initiatives, to better understand dissenting views, to obtain resources and to increase perceptions of success;
• Diplomacy, tact and respect of other people from varied backgrounds, understanding diverse cultural views especially within west Africa with the ability to convert diversity into opportunities to improve program/operational outcomes;
• Ability to create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices;
• Ability to remain objective in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences /positions, gender differences, and encourage other staff to overcome cultural and gender bias and  differences;
• Understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute and lead effectively;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political and social situation and trends in member states, as pertains to own scope of work;
• Knowledge of ECOWAS best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects or initiatives;
• Knowledge of the  ECOWAS rules and procedures  in order to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance;
• Ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the cause of problems, consequences of alternative causes of action, potential obstacles and ways to avoid the problem in the future;
• Ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple terms  to explain recommendations and conclusions aimed at solving problems or improving operations/programs/projects;
• Ability to develop new insights into situations, apply innovative solutions to problems and to design new methods of addressing issues or disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or no longer effective;
• Ability to communicate with impact, clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner conveying credibility & confidence when making presentations, setting expectations and explaining complex issues;
• Ability to listen intently and correctly interpret messages from others and respond appropriately; 
• Accomplished technical writing and editing skills;
• Exhibit active listening skills to encourage stronger communication amongst  team members, to show care and make them feel valued and to  drive employee engagement in all institutions and agencies;
• Ability to give constructive feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance;
• Proficiency in  information communication technologies(ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage;
• Ability to set effective goals and targets for self, others, and the work unit and adjusting work or project priorities in response to changing circumstances;  
• Ability to use participatory approach in project planning and identify gaps affecting the achievement of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans required to build the desired task;
• Ability to implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs;   
• Ability to plan, organize, control resources, and to comply with  policies, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Annual Salary
UA 66,123.98 (USD 104,330.42)