Program Officer, Payment Systems at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Job Code: 20000532
Grade: P3/P4

Role Overview

• Reporting to the PPO, Investment Promotions and Payment Settlement Systems, the Payment Systems Program Officer will support the formulation and implementation of programs and action plans to facilitate the emergence of an integrated financial markets in the region.

Role and Responsibilities

• Develop short, medium, and long-term work programs and action plans to facilitate the integration and development of financial markets in the region.
• Facilitate networking among financial sector participants in the region and develop linkages to the global financial market to increase investment.
• Facilitate interconnectivity of financial markets infrastructure in member-states to engender free flow of capital across borders.
• Support implementation of short, medium, and long-term work programs and action plans for regional investment facilitation through enhancement of financial intermediation in the region.
• Facilitate the harmonization of listing requirements on the stock exchanges in the region.
• Collaborate with associations and institutions in the regional and international financial sector to facilitate the adoption of best practices on the stock exchanges and financial markets in the region.
• Collaborate with financial markets stakeholders to promote cross listings and the establishment of a regional stock exchange with diversified linkages in members states.
• Promote activities that will increase the use of diverse financial market instruments and institutions in raising capital for business in the region.
• Collaborate with stakeholders the insurance industry to promote a regional risk mitigation and management framework and instruments for cross border business risks management the region.
• Collaborate and organize meetings with experts and donors as necessary to promote the Regional financial markets.
• Perform other related duties as may be assigned by the PPO Investment Promotion and Financial Markets Development.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Business Administration/ Management, Economics, Finance, Banking or in a closely related field from a recognized university.
• A professional qualification in Finance, Banking and allied professions will be an added advantage.
• 5 years of professional experience in industry, private sector or in an international organization in industry and private sector promotion, with at least 3 years’ experience at supervisory level.
• Understanding of the functioning and operation of financial markets and respective financial markets infrastructure.
• Understanding of best practice financial markets and financial markets infrastructure governance and regulatory frameworks in a regional environment.
• Knowledge of institutional capacity building initiatives and experience in program planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Experience in establishing linkages to improve access to finance, employment, and business advisory services in a regional environment.
• Understanding of the development sector.
• Technical capacity to lead formulation and implementation of comprehensive policy framework for financial markets governance in a regional environment.

Age Limit:

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

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 lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instil a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities.
• Ability to respect the chain of command in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to resolve challenges with minimal direction and/or recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval.
• Ability to utilize the Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information, and resources.
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues, and subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
• Contribute to maintaining the organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects related to timelines, quality, and quantity.
• Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong, trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions.
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a way that anticipates needs, mitigates issues, and balances obligations with responsiveness.
• Ability to counsel, advise, consult, and guide others on matters related to assigned client service responsibilities and standards.
• Demonstrated respect for cultural differences, fairness, and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationalities, genders, ethnicities, races, and religions.
• Understanding of diverse cultural views, especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and practice tolerance and empathy.
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns, and apply judgment, tact, and diplomacy.
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from varied strengths.
• Responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbiased and transparent manner.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes, and policies.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services, and systems required to meet performance goals.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS rules and procedures relevant to assigned responsibilities and ability to explain them clearly to others.
• Understanding of ECOWAS culture, structures, and performance issues impacting assigned responsibilities.
• Knowledge of Member States' development trends, indicators, challenges, and opportunities relevant to assigned projects/programs.
• Ability to study data/information from multiple 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.
• Knowledge and application of techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals.
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs; identify relevant sources including stakeholders, regional institutions, and internal committees.
• Demonstrated operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools.
• Ability to effectively use graphics and tables to present numerical data; write semi-complex technical reports/proposals; and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in both written and verbal communication.
• Ability to demonstrate interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions, and debate ideas constructively.
• Proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT).
• Fluency in oral and written expression in one of the ECOWAS official languages (English, French, or Portuguese); knowledge of an additional language is an added advantage.
• Ability to develop and implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals.
• Ability to identify, organize, and monitor tasks effectively to ensure smooth execution.
• Ability to contribute to and/or lead projects using standard project management techniques and coordinate contributions to meet deadlines.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and manage time effectively while paying attention to detail, stakeholders, indicators, and risks.
• Ability to identify, collect, and assess performance indicators and take proactive remedial action when needed.