Principal Internal Auditor, Operational Compliance (Institutions) at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Institution: Office of the Auditor General
Grade: P5
Status: Permanent
Directorate: Program Performance Audit
Division: Operational Compliance
Line Supervisor: Director, Program Performance Audit
Supervising: Operational Compliance Auditors

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Director, Program Performance, the incumbent will be responsible for implementing comprehensive internal audit programs covering all risks relating to the applicable areas of intervention and in line with applicable professional standards, guidelines and planning.

Role and Responsibilities

• Prepare and maintain a  compendium of Directives, Rules and Regulations;
• Conduct periodic reviews to ensure that compliance procedures are followed;
• Monitor and review contracts compliance;
• Monitor and review compliance with all reporting deadlines;
• Monitor and review budget compliance;
• Monitor and advise on the development/ review of policies and procedures and other important documentation;
• Prepare, document audit process, present objective reports that reflect audit results, make reasonable and objective recommendations on the systems and procedures being reviewed and monitor management’s response and implementation;
• Prepare engagement reports and submit them to the Director, Programme Performance for review and subsequent approval by the Auditor General;
• Ensure the safe custody of audit working papers, both hard and soft copies;
• Preparation of audit planning memoranda, determination of the scope, nature and timing of audit activities for the supervisor’s review;
• Influence the strengthening of the control environment, through Governance, Risk Management and Compliance and other risk management tools. This will be done through timely audit recommendations and validation of management’s agreed actions;
• Coordination of audit activities as per the Internal Audit Charter and Internal Audit Manual;
• Lead and manage subordinates in the performance of engagements and ensure compliance with the audit time schedule;
• Follows up on audit findings to ensure that management has taken corrective action(s);
• Contribute to the continuous update of audit methodology process, tools that are efficient and effective to support a high functioning directorate;
• Assist the Director, Program Performance on capacity building programmes for the subordinates;
• Assists and trains other audit staff in the use of computerized audit techniques, and in developing methods for review and analysis of computerized information systems as well as succession plans;
• Performs other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field from a recognized University.
• 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in audit, finance, accounting, administration, statistics, or related area is required, including 2 years relevant international work and 2 years at a supervisory level;
• Experience in public sector auditing is desirable;
• Knowledge and experience of auditing in ERP environment (SAP for instance) and using specialized IT audit applications, such as IDEA, ACL, and TeamMate;
• Expert knowledge of audit theory and practice, including principles and practical implementation of enterprise risk management, corporate governance issues and internal control practices;
• Certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA), and Certified International Auditor (CIA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) will be an added advantage.

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;
• 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;
• Knowledge of program management at the level usually acquired from a certification in program management.
• 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.
• Ability to be diplomatic, tactful and respectful 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 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 or text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to analyze a situation by using indicators to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success in making  decisions;
• 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 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.
• Organizational and project/program management skills with significant experience identifying timelines, targets, costs and resources necessary to deliver on operational/program/project outputs in line with result based management approach;
• 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

• UA66,123.98; USD104,330.42

Interested and qualified candidates should download the Application Form below, fill it out correctly, attach a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation Letter and send to: b24audopcompag@ecowas.int using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)

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