National Officer for North, Central and West Africa at The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

GRADE
NO-C*
DUTY STATION
Abuja, Nigeria

COMMENCEMENT OF DUTY
1 January 2019
or as soon as possible thereafter

NATURE OF APPOINTMENT

Fixed-term of two years**

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT

• Offices for Africa and Least Developed Countries (AFLDC)
• Development and Regional Activities (DRA) Department
• WMO is committed to achieving diversity and a balanced workforce. Applications are welcome from qualified women and men, including those with disabilities. The statutory retirement age after 1 January 2014 is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under the guidance of the WMO Representative for North, Central and West Africa (R/NCWA), the incumbent shall support, assist and contribute to the smooth running of the office, including the development and implementation of technical cooperation activities, as an integral part of the Secretariat, and in collaboration with the departments/offices of the Organization. The incumbent will carry out the following duties:
• Assist the R/NCWA to foster and maintain cooperation with the National Meteorological and Hydrological Service of the host country in order to enhance the visibility of WMO and its support to the NMHS in the development of weather and climate services and management of related risks in the country as a contribution to the country’s sustainable development;
• Assist the R/NCWA to engage and collaborate with government authorities and institutions in the host country, in particular departments of government and line ministries relevant to meteorological services and hence WMO programmes including agriculture, water, health, environment, energy and transport (air, land and water), and tourism, among others;
• Liaise, engage and collaborate with the host country Permanent Representative with WMO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on matters of protocol, including renewal or review of the Host Country Agreement with WMO as well as access to work permits, identity cards and travel visas for staff working in the WMO Office;
• Facilitate the R/NCWA to attend and participate in the in-country meetings that involve national, regional and international organizations whose work is relevant to WMO Programmes including, but not limited to, ECOWAS, CILSS, RECs, RCOFs, UNCT, among others.
• Assist the R/NCWA to participate in resource mobilization efforts and meetings through in-country engagement with development partners including the World Bank, African Development Bank, UNDP, FAO, GCF, WFP, UN Habitat, UNFCCC Adaptation Fund, CARE International, NORCAP, among others, to promote the WMO Regional Programme on Least Developed Countries and the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology;

Assist the R/NCWA in the work and activities of the WMO Office for NCWA ;

• Assist R/NCWA in the preparation and submission of Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP) applications and other requests and follow up on their implementation;
• Keep abreast with issues relevant to meteorology, operational hydrology and the environment for the host country with a view to initiating collaboration with relevant actors;
• Draft reports, documents and correspondence relating to technical assistance activities for the host country and review reports and other documents issued by donor agencies;
• Participate in the maintenance of the Country Profile Data Base of WMO for the host country;
• Carry out other relevant duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education
Master’s degree or equivalent in meteorology, operational hydrology and/or environment-related sciences. Postgraduate degree would be an advantage.

Experience
At least five years of progressively responsible experience in management or planning, preferably in a meteorological or operational hydrological service.  Strong skills and experience in resource mobilization, project formulation and implementation. Experience writing reports, documents and correspondence on meteorological, hydrological and related subjects.

Other requirements
Sense of responsibility, maturity of judgement and initiative. Ability to anticipate, plan, organize and manage. Knowledge of WMO Programmes and evolving development policies. Good knowledge in strategic planning processes and management of weather, water and climate institutions. Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Good communication skills, strong focus on strategic and operational planning as well as international relations. Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to foster diversity and team spirit.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English. Knowledge of other official languages of the Organization would be an advantage.
• (Note: the official languages of the Organization are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.)
• The Secretary-General may appoint a candidate at a grade below the advertised grade of the post, with the possibility of promotion to that grade within three years of appointment, subject to satisfactory appraisal of performance.
• Possibility of renewal subject to the availability of funds and pending satisfactory performance after an initial probationary period of one year, which can be extended up to a maximum of two years.

SALARY AND ALLOWANCES: Annual net base salary on initial appointment is Naira 19,538,402.