Principal Procurement Officer (PPO) - P5 at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Department: General Administration & Conferences
Directorate: General Administration
Division: Procurement
Line Supervisor: Director General Administration
Status: Permanent
Grade: P5

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Director General Administration, the Principal Procurement Officer will be responsible for all procurement related activities and contract management within ECOWAS Commission and its Agencies and Offices under ECOWAS Budget or donors funded Programmes and Projects.

Supervising:

• Procurement Officer, Goods and Physical Items
• Procurement Officer, Goods and Physical Services and Works
• Procurement Officer, Intellectual Services
• Procurement Officer, Budget; Invoice and POM
• Procurement Officer, Works
• Procurement Analyst; Code, Standards and Procedures
• Procurement Assistant

Role And Responsibilities

• Manage the affairs of the Procurement Division;
• Develop and manage implementation of Procurement Plans ;
• Provide day-to-day active technical support and advice to all Departments/Directorates/Agencies/ and Offices relating to procurement and contract management, at all stages of the procurement cycle in line with ECOWAS Procurement Code and its Manual;
• Ensure application of relevant provisions of the Grant Code and its manual for the management of Grants within all ECOWAS Institutions ;
• Ensure application of relevant Donor’s Guidelines for project related procurement of construction works, goods and services;
• Coordinate the Preparation of Procurement and Monitoring Plans for ECOWAS Commission procurement activities;
• Supervise the implementation of Procurement and Monitoring Plans for ECOWAS Commission procurement activities and maintain a complete and systematic set of records of day-to-day business transactions;
• Coordinate the evaluation of the efficiency of the procurement process and propose modifications in the policy, where applicable;
• Coordinate the preparation of standard Procurement documents ( guidelines, manuals , standard bidding documents , standard contracts );
• Advise Departments on the drafting of Technical Specifications , Terms of Reference (Tors) ;
• Coordinate the elaboration of specific procurement documents, i.e; Bidding Documents , Request for Proposal (RfP) as needed;
• Develop staff training policy in terms of Procurement for ECOWAS Commission/Agencies and Offices regarding institutional purchases;
• Design and prepare materials for Staff training on institutional purchases (procurement);
• Coordinate all evaluation processes in line with criteria set up in the bidding document for contract award as well as the Procurement Code ;
• Formulate strategies and design innovative solutions (where necessary) to resolve issues/conflicts for complex procurement projects;
• Coordinate the preparation of procurement yearly and quarterly reports;
• Coordinate the preparation of the working program of the Division and the budgetary estimations for the procurement of services, goods or works for ECOWAS Commission/Agencies/Offices;
• Monitor and report budget implementation as well as progress of procurement activities;
• Publish the information concerning purchases in local and international business circles;
• Develop and manage a database of Suppliers/Service Providers/Contractors for the ECOWAS Commission;
• Monitor the implementation of activities by consulting firms and/or contractors or service providers;
• Keep track of orders and determine causes of any delays;
• Coordinate the preparation of monthly progress report , including comparison between planned (as per the terms of the contracts) and actual progress (documented through the invoices), and identify delays and recommend remedial actions;
• Monitor progress of contract implementation to ensure adherence to stipulated standards, procedures, and planned procurement timetables;
• Monitor commercial issues and draft correspondence and notices, as well as ensure appropriate record keeping for use in substantiating future claims;
• Collaborate closely with ECOWAS Commission User Departments in the supervision of contract implementation to ensure adherence to contractual agreements,  as well as recommend amendments and extensions of contracts, and advise concerned parties on their contractual rights and obligations;
• Monitor the implementation of contracts in collaboration with the Finance Directorate as regards to the agreed payment terms.

Academic Qualifications And Experience
Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent in Procurement, Law, Economics, Business Administration, Supply Chain Management or a closely related field from a recognized university.

Experience:

• 10 years of experience in procurement and/or supply chain management of which at least 5 years at supervisory level;
• Experience in managing procurement activities within Public Institutions;
• Experience with an Enterprise Resource Planning System or other procurement related management systems;
• Experience of procurement procedures of Development Organization such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the European Union;
• Relevant training certificate in Procurement or supply chain Management will be an added advantage
• An International or Regional Experience in Procurement and/or supply chain management with International or Regional Organization will be an added advantage.

Age Limit:

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

Ecowas Key Competences:

• 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 be diplomatic, tactful 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;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to serve the interest of culturally diverse multinational teams/organizations/communities and persons with disability without prejudice and bias.
• 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 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;
• 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;
• 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 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.