Program Officer (PO), Maritime Transport - P3/P4 at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Grade: P3/P4
Department: Infrastructure
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Line Supervisor: PPO, Maritime & Transport Facilitation Corridors
Directorate: Transport
Supervising: PO Port Development

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the PPO Maritime & transport Facilitation Corridors, the PO Maritime Transport will provide technical expertise in the area of maritime transport in support of the PPO Maritime & Transport Facilitation Corridors and the Director of Transport.
• The PO will also coordinate with major ports and shippers to provide efficient and reliable port facilities and services to support intra-regional trade and trading with external partners.

Role and Responsibilities

• Review and assist in the development of policies on Maritime and Inland Water transport with the view of improving efficiency of Regional Ports and maritime resources
• Provide Technical support to the implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Port Master Plan
• Assist in the Prepare the contribution of ECOWAS to key ports infrastructure and logistics development for a while sensitizing ECOWAS Member States, Partners, Regional, Continental and Multilateral partners on maritime transport and logistics in the West African Region.
• Monitor the implementation of policy decision of ECOWAS Authorities on Ports and inland water transportation and related matters.
• Support the development, implementation and monitoring of regional strategies for Port operations and inland water ways in the region in collaboration with ECOWAS member states.
• Support Member States to provide and maintain efficient modern Sea Ports.
• Coordinate the implementation of international standards in West African Ports
• Coordinate Member State effort in implementing IMO’s Conventions of safety at Sea and the ISPS Code.
• Develop projects to support national Port development programs
• Coordinate donor involvement in the Maritime and Ports Sectors
• Follow up with development partners on funding and development of the Maritime and Inland Water sector.

Academic Qualification and Experience
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Civil Engineering or Public Works, Transport Planning, Transport Economics, Transport Logistics or Maritime Transport from a recognized university;

Experience:

• 5 years of considerable experience in maritime transport. Experience in shipping services or Port Operations or Management in a developing country context
• Demonstrated knowledge of transport management and transport service delivery in the area of maritime and inland water transportation
• knowledge and experience in policy development process, programme design and execution.
• Practical technical knowledge and understanding of projects in maritime transport, transport logistics chains, Port operations and infrastructure development in line with best practices

Age Limit:

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

Ecowas Key Competencies

• Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval;
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and the subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
• Contribute to maintaining directorate’s performance goals and standards.
• Good interpersonal skills with ability to keep a stakeholders (member states, development partners, internal sector departments, private sector investors, etc.) informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion;
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy;
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply judgement, tact and diplomacy;

Knowledge of ECOWAS

• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programs and policies;
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and Opportunities as it relates to project/program assigned to own position.
• Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations;
• Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
• Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals;
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.
• Demonstrate operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools;
• Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means;
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
• 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 contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others to set and meet deadlines;
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks.

Annual Salary
(UA 49,106.81 USD 77,480.72) / (UA 56,591.37 USD 89,289.87).