Project Officer - International Aid/Cooperation, Democracy at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Job Reference: 250680 - DEVCO

We offer

• We offer a post for Project Officer - International Aid/Cooperation in the Democracy, Governance and Migration section. The section is responsible for identifying, implementing and managing projects and programmes of the European Development Funds as well as the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, Development Cooperation Instrument, European Union Trust Fund programme as well as the Neighbourhood Development and International Cooperation Instrument, under the supervision and responsibility of the relevant Head of Section.
• The European Union (EU) is a major player in the international development community in Nigeria with an active presence in the key sectors of health, nutrition, water and sanitation and improving access to sustainable electricity. Additional cross-cutting activities include the fight against corruption, drugs and organised crime, support to the reform of the justice system, measures to improve the democratic processes and supporting a greater role for civil society.
• The candidate – Local Agent LA1 – will work full time in a multicultural and multinational environment at the premises of the EU Delegation in Abuja, Nigeria. We expect a candidate with understanding of technical expertise in all phases of a project management cycle, proper project appraisal, monitoring of project implementation, and sector reviews, specifically projects/programmes with primary focus on civil society.  The candidate should poses high level of personal integrity, able to work under strict deadlines and able to cope with a significant workload within a team.
• We offer a competitive position in an international environment. Benefits, such as a pension scheme and medical insurance are offered to employees and their families under certain conditions.

Overall Purpose:

• To provide to the Delegation the technical expertise for the analysis, conception, preparation, implementation, monitoring and appraisal of the EU programmes in the area of human rights and civil society sectors, support policy dialogue with relevant ministries, agencies, development partners and other relevant stakeholders in the sector.

Functions and Duties
Under the supervision of the Head of Section, the responsibilities are the following:

Policy/Sector Analysis:

• Analyse developments in civil society sector and contribute to the preparation of sector reports for the Delegation and EU HQ.
• Support policy dialogue with relevant ministries, agencies, development partners and other relevant stakeholders in the civil society sector.
• Act as a contact point for youth in the Delegation, following policy developments and leading on the youth engagement with EU's programmes and efforts.

Management of EU Projects:

• Liaise with EU HQ for the dissemination and implementation in Nigeria of global EU initiatives, especially in support civil society, youth and other relevant topics.
• Contribute to programming and reviews of the country programme including identification, formulation and monitoring of programmes/projects in co-ordination with relevant Nigerian authorities, ensuring that EU regulations and procedures are followed.
• Review the EU Civil Society Roadmap for Nigeria.
• Manage the implementation of the EU Delegation's civil society grants and its flagship Civil Society programme with particular focus on capacity strengthening, network development, and stakeholder engagement towards achieving Nigeria's development goals.
• Contribute to reporting requirements: Annual Management Plan (AMP); External Assistance Management Report (EAMR); Joint Annual Report (JAR); project, sector and ad-hoc reports.
• Contribute to the visibility of EU development cooperation activities.
• Support other cooperation sections in their work with civil society and youth.
• In the performance of the above-mentioned duties, the International Aid/Cooperation Officer will work closely together with other staff in the Section and within the EU Delegation, particularly with the Finance and Contracts Section.

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Reporting to the Head of Section/Team Leader and the Head of Cooperation, the International Aid/Cooperation Officer is expected to contribute and provide technical expertise to the EU Delegation in all phases of the project management cycle, in particular to ensure proper project appraisal and subsequently monitoring of project implementation, and sector reviews.
• The International Aid/Cooperation Officer will be assigned specific projects/programmes with primary focus on civil society.

Communication and Networking:

• The position requires excellent analytical, report writing, networking and communication skills.
• Furthermore, the ability to work under pressure in a team or individually on specific tasks and to adapt to a multi-cultural environment is required.
• Candidates are also expected to be able to communicate complex information in a comprehensible manner, be flexible towards new demands and deliver their outputs in a structured way.
• The International Aid/Cooperation Officer will contribute to information exchange, coordination and policy dialogue with EU Member States, national and international development partners, regional, national and local government actors, civil society and the private sector.

Job Requirements

• Education and Training:  A Masters degree in political science, International Law, Human Rights, Development Studies, Law or other relevant social sciences qualification. An additional qualifications in civil society engagement and project management would be considered an asset.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years continuous relevant experience in grants management and/or civil society support programmes management, Knowledge of project monitoring methods and techniques, including logical framework. An additional project cycle management experience in Nigeria will be considered an asset, familiarity with the 11th EDF and other EU development cooperation instruments, EU project management cycle and procurement/financial procedures will be considered an advantage.

Knowledge:

• Full computer literacy, covering all relevant MS Office applications.
• Ability to interpret financial data at an intermediate level and high degree of numeracy.

Skills:

• Capacity to deliver in a structured way, time management and organization skills
• Capacity to communicate technical or specialised information, Interpersonal skills and Project management methodologies. Ability to work in a proactive, autonomous and organised way.
• Capacity to work in a team. problem-solving, budget management, reporting skills and policy knowledge

Talents:

• Critical Analysis and quality management.
• Flexibility (openness towards new demands, new technologies, new cultures etc)
• Initiative / Self-starter, critical thinking, inquiring mind and project leadership

Language:

• Fluency in spoken and written English (C2 Level). French and other Nigerian languages, including Pidgin language at working level will be considered advantageous.

Remuneration
The gross basic salary will be raised in accordance with the relevant salary scale depending on years of relevant professional experience.