Principal Program Officer (PPO), Surveillance and Early Warning at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Principal Program Officer (PPO), Surveillance and Early Warning - P5

Ref.: ECW/HR/08051935
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: P5
Department: Office of the Director General
Institution: West African Health Organisation (WAHO)
Agency: Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCDC)
Line Supervisor: Executive Director
Directorate: Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCDC)
Supervising: Specialist Health Events & Communication Officer

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the incumbent shall ensure early detection of threats to public health, and assess, design and support the implementation of appropriate intervention strategies to enable the Community and the Member States cushion the effects of these threats.

Role and Responsibilities

• Lead the preparation and Implementation of the Regional Health Surveillance and Early warning Policy;
• Monitor the implementation of the Regional Health Surveillance and Early warning Policy;
• Monitor the implementation of targeted actions on disease prevention and control in West Africa;
• Coordinate public health-related data and information on countries’ response capacity during health emergency outbreak;
• Provide Management with situational analysis of member countries health status for timely decision making and appropriate actions;
• Provide technical support for preparedness and response to major health risks particularly in the field of infectious diseases and cross-border events that pose serious threats to public health;
• Coordinate the activities of the network of National Coordinating Institutions (NCIs)/ National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs)/ national CDCs in ECOWAS Member States;

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in Public Health, Epidemiology or related relevant field from a recognized university ;
• 10 years of professional experience including 5 years at a supervisory level;
• Knowledge in management and implementation of complex public health programs involving management of epidemics, health surveillance and health emergencies
• Knowledge of principles and practices of epidemics and health emergencies management;
• Experience in national and international deployment of multidisciplinary investigation teams;
• Experience in implementation of surveillance and disease control strategies;
• Experience in surveillance and emerging and re-emerging diseases;
• Experience in the organization of health systems, policies and health professionals training

Age Limit:

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

Ecowas Key Competencies

• Ability to lead in assigned programmes and projects by providing the necessary managerial and operational expertise required for the fulfilment of the organization’s mandate;
• Ability to lead by example and organize teamwork to encourage cooperation to achieve targeted results, champion and build momentum for change and to bring about employee engagement; develops and implements internal controls for pilot program to manage potential barriers to implementation;
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity, confidentiality and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency;
• Knowledge of program management at the level usually acquired from a certification in program management.
• Ability to research benchmarks and trends to bring about the best recommendations for the development and improvement of programs/projects that will best serve the community/organization;
• Well-developed networking and interpersonal skills to seek feedback, information and data from a network of professionals from multiple countries/sectors/organizations and to identify and prioritize the most critical community requirements;
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in client services;
• Ability to develop and implement stakeholder management plans, programs and initiatives to obtain buy-in on new initiatives, to better understand dissenting views, to obtain resources and to increase perceptions of success.
• Ability to be diplomatic, tactful and respect of other people from varied backgrounds, understanding diverse cultural views especially within West Africa with the ability to convert diversity into opportunities to improve program/operational outcomes;
• Ability to remain objective in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences /positions, gender differences, and encourage other staff to overcome cultural and gender bias and  differences;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to serve the interest of culturally diverse multinational
• Teams / organizations / communities and persons with disability without prejudice and bias.
• Understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute and lead effectively;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political and social situation and trends in member states, as pertains to own scope of work;
• Knowledge of international best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects or initiatives;
• Ability to use ECOWAS rules and procedures to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the cause of problems, consequences of alternative causes of action, potential obstacles and ways to avoid the problem in the future;
• Ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple termsto explain recommendations and conclusions aimed at solving problems or improving operations/programs/projects;
• Ability to develop new insights into situations, apply innovative solutions to problems and to design new methods of addressing issues or disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or no longer effective.
• Ability to communicate with impact, clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner conveying credibility & confidence when making presentations, setting expectations and explaining complex issues;
• Accomplished technical writing and editing skills;
• Exhibit active listening skills to encourage stronger communication amongst team members, to show care and make them feel valued and to  drive employee engagement in all institutions and agencies;
• Ability to give constructive feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance;
• Computer literate and proficiency in information communication technologies(ICT), including the use of analytical databases;
• 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 advantage.
• Ability to set effective goals and targets for self, others, and the work unit and adjusting work or project priorities in response to changing circumstances;
• Ability to use participatory approach in project planning and identify gaps affecting the achievement of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans required to build the desired task;
• Ability to implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs;
• Ability to plan, organize, control resources, and to comply with  policies, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Annual Salary
UA 66,123.98/USD 104,330.42

Application Closing Date
12th July, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: [email protected]

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)