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Position Objectives:

• The State Citizen Engagement & Capacity Building Specialist will support the planning and implementation of the State2State Objective 2’s interventions including advocacy, forums, oversight, engagement, and capacity building and ensure the advocacy and or oversight of interventions in Adamawa and Gombe States. S/he will also address gaps in capacity of priority partner ministries, departments & agencies (MDAs) and civil society organizations (CSOs), through range of technical assistance, mentoring and peer learning, ensuring sustainable capacity for implementing reforms in each of the states.

Responsibilities:

• The State Citizen Engagement/Capacity Building Specialists will work under the technical guidance of the State2State Citizen Engagement and CSO Director, with necessary support from the Citizen Engagement and Capacity Building Advisor, the State2State Advisory team at the Abuja Main Office (AMO) and the State2State State Team Leads (STLs) of Adamawa and Gombe, and partner organizations in the two partner states to ensure effective design, planning, implementation and reporting of all the State2State objective 2’s and capacity building’s interventions in each of the two states.
• S/he will contribute to the development and implementation of the annual work plan and preparation of periodic program reports.S/he will facilitate, coordinate, monitor, track, and report on the engagement of citizens in all components of State2State’s governance/ public financial management and core activities of priority sectors (basic education, primary health care and WASH); strengthen individual and institutional capacities of priority MDAs and citizens/CSOs for good governance reforms, ensuring sustainable skills’ building and knowledge application.
• S/he will also support the state government and respective Steering Committees and Technical Working Groups (TWGs) in the implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative in the two states. S/he will carry out any other function(s) as may be assigned by her/his supervisors, Deputy Chief of Party and Chief of Party.

Reporting: 

• The State Citizen Engagement & Capacity Building Specialist will report to the State2State Citizen Engagement & CSO Director primarily, and the State Team Leads (Gombe and Adamawa) secondarily.

Minimum Requirements:

• A relevant degree or HND in social sciences, development studies, etc. Master’s degree preferable.
• At least eight (8) years of demonstrated work experience. Experience in successful implementation of international development activities, with preference given to governance activities under a USG instrument, building the technical and organizational capacity of CSOs in areas of advocacy planning and engagement of government and stakeholders is required.
• Stated experience in working for or with civil society to drive a reform agenda.
• Stated experience in community mobilization and civic engagement.
• Stated experience using facilitative, participatory approaches to organizational and technical capacity development.
• Demonstrated effective training, capacity building and coaching skills, networking, interpersonal skills, creative problem solving, conflict, and ethical management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Computer literacy in word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (Microsoft Office).
• Fluency in English, Hausa, and/or other local languages.
• Previous experience of familiarity and working in activity/program’s priority sectors in the state will be an added advantage.

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Position Description

• The position will be located within the Human Security and Civil Society Division (HSCSD) of the ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria. The incumbent reports to the Principal Program Officer Human Security and Civil Society Organization, under the supervision of the Director, Humanitarian and Social Affairs of the Department of Human Development and Social Affairs. He/She brings technical and managerial expertise and shall ensure the effective implementation of programs in relation to women, peace, and security (including community peace initiatives) under the USAID funded SRPS project. The Officer will also provide support to the Principal Program Officer in ensuring that routine services and processes are properly implemented.

Tasks & Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Program Officer, will carry out a range of tasks aimed at providing project, policy, advocacy support and technical expertise for the implementation of evidence-based WPS initiatives in West Africa and the Sahel. In particular, the incumbent is responsible for the following.

• Implement ECOWAS initiatives in relation to Women, Peace and Security.
• Coordinate actions under the work packages identified to be implemented under the USAID funded SRPS Project and other related matters.
• Prepare reports and analytical documents in relation to the work areas under the project.
• Build, manage, and expand relationships with national partners to support implementation and expansion of the WPS action program.
• Supervise the development of project documents to strengthen engagements with community women organization’s aimed economic empowerment, digital peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
• Contribute to the work of the WPS Program by advocating for and facilitating reporting by Member States based on the African Union Continental Results Framework
• Coordinate implementation of project activities with partners in alignment with project objectives and indicators.
• Provide technical support to ensure coordination, coherence and alignment with other ECOWAS WPS projects.
• Provide substantive inputs to knowledge building and communication efforts.
• Review and validate all strategic and operational reports to be drafted under the project
• Participate in the planning, design, execution and reporting of Monitoring & Evaluation Mechanism (MEM) under the project
• Serve as liaison between ECOWAS and USAID
• Perform any task assigned by the supervisor

Qualifications

Education:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in international relations and strategic studies, Gender studies, Development studies, Political science, or other related relevant field of study from a recognized university

Experience:

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in managing WPS programs at national and regional level is required. A higher degree will substitute for two-years of work experience.
• Experience in developing and managing projects is required.
• Demonstrated experience in working with project management tools is a strong advantage.
• Experience in fragile or conflict affected contexts.
• Five years of professional experience in planning, implementation, evaluation and/or strategy design for programmes or projects in the development cooperation or peace and security sectors
• 3 years of experience working with/in African regional organizations is an advantage
• Excellent analytical abilities and able to assess complex situations and distil critical aspects
• Provide sample of previous written work, published or unpublished, that demonstrates the quality of your writing

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

Leadership

• 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 the organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.

Client Service Orientation

• 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 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.

Multicultural Sensitivity & Advocacy

• 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 judgment, 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

• 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.
• Provide sample of previous written work, published or unpublished, that demonstrates the quality of your writing

Analytical & Critical Thinking

• 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.

Communication

• 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.

Planning and Implementation

• ability to develop, 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.