Program Officer (PO), Rail Transport Officer at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Role Overview

• The Program Officer (PO), Rail Transport Officer, under the direct supervision of the Program Officer, Railway Development will work on project related to Railway issues, regulations and policies.

Role and Responsibilities

• Under the supervision of the PO, Railway Development, the Rail Transport Officer Implementation of the ECOWAS Regional Railway Master Plan
• Develop programs, projects, and activities to promote the development of the railway sector in the region.
• Advise on rail sector projects (feasibility, planning, development, and transaction advisory).
• Provide technical support and manage technical expertise on rail sector projects in emerging markets, to help project managers deliver projects on time and within budget.
• Support development of the regional railway programs and projects with the objective of improving project implementation and Member States capacity.
• Identify potential markets for railway development in the region and developing and executing the marketing plans.
• Support the Department of Infrastructure to develop and maintain the Community’s expertise on railway transport, and logistics to support the strategic goals of the Commission and West Africa.
• Manage the timely submission of project deliverables, record keeping, and participation in meetings/briefings as required by project contracts.
• Support business development and marketing activities, including evaluating and advising on whether to pursue project opportunities in the rail sector and identifying potential partners and team members.
• Participate in the preparation of rail sector procurement and contracting activities covering expressions of interest (EOIs), Terms of Interest, requests for proposals (RFPs) as well as the evaluation of tenders and contracting.
• Monitor the implementation of railway components of major transport infrastructure programs in ECOWAS member states.
• Perform other related duties as may be assigned by the Head of roads and railways division, Director of Transport or Commissioner.

Academic Qualification and Experience

• Hold at least a Bachelor’s Degree or its equivalent in Civil or Mechanical Engineering, Railway Engineering, Transport Engineering, Transport Planning, Transport Economics, Transport Logistics, or related discipline.
• At least 3 years of cognate experience in Inter-State Transportation, Railways transport in the public or private sector, with preferably at least 3 years’ experience working with national, multi-national/regional organization.
• Proven experience in at least two (2) programs or projects involving planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of railway systems and infrastructure,
• Thorough knowledge of Railways infrastructure, logistics and railways operations, Institutions, and regulations.
• Have a minimum of two (2) years of experience in railways infrastructure development and logistics in the public or private sector with proven experience in planning, design, operation, financing, regulation.
• Relevant work experience in planning, programming, and implementation cross-border (multinational) transport Projects.
• Have practical and proven experience working with or in a similar national or regional or multilateral organization or level (in terms of management, programming, implementation, and monitoring, etc.).
• Good communication skills for influencing groups of peers and stakeholders outside the organization (public speaking, writing, persuasiveness, credibility, negotiation, problem-solving)
• Good interpersonal social skills for working with peers and subordinate staff (listening ability, approachability, clear oral expression).
• Assist in the preparation of annual work plans and budgets for the Infrastructure Department activities in line with the Commission’s strategic framework.
• Ability to work in a team and to establish a good team spirit, in a multi-national environment.

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 lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill 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 that occur with minimal direction and/or to 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 organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to the timeline, 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 manner that anticipates their needs, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs.
• Ability to counsel, advise, consult, and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established client service standards.
• 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.
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths.
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the 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 achieve work assignments and meet performance goals.
• Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others.
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities.
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges, and opportunities as it relates to project/programme 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.
• 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 develop and implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals.
• identify, organize, and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution.
• 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.
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.