Head of Market Access Division at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).  We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

The African Union Commission invites applications from citizens of African Union Member States for the position below:

Job Title: Head of Market Access Division

Location: Accra, Ghana
Requisition ID.: 263
Tenure of Appointment: Contract (3 Years)
Reports to: Director of Trade in Goods and Competition (TiGC)
Directorate: Directorate of Trade in Goods and Competition (TiGC)
Division: Market Access Division
Number of Direct Reports: 5
Number of Indirect Reports: 1
Job Grade: P5

Purpose of Job

• To provide leadership for effective management and technical efficiency within the Market Access Division of the AfCFTA secretariat.

Main Functions

• Set the vision for the Market Access Division and define and lead its overall strategy;
• Ensures the appropriate risk management and mitigation strategies for the division;
• Contribute to the development of the Directorate business continuity plan and ensure the implementation at the division level;
• Supervise staff of the division with regard to organization and performance evaluation;
• Lead the design of strategies and policies consistent with the Directorate of TiGC goals in order to address the pertinent issues in the relevant area;
• Act as a secretariat to the Committee on Trade in Goods and its subsidiary bodies, to ensure their effective functioning of these subcommittees.  
• Preparation of the Annual Action Plan and its corresponding resources for the Division
• Represent the AfCFTA Secretariat and explain its position at conferences and events when requested;
• Contribute to the preparation of periodic financial and budget execution reports and monitors budget execution at the division level.
• Mobilize Stakeholders
• Engage stakeholders within the Members States and RECs in designing and implementing the required strategies; and
• Invest in strategic partnerships and relationships to drive growth.

Specific Responsibilities
Provide effective leadership:

• Provide policy guidelines and facilitation of negotiations and implementation of Phase I under the AfCFTA Agreement;
• Provide capacity building and technical support to Member States and Customs Unions to ensure smooth implementation of the various Annexes pertaining to the Protocol on Trade in Goods of the AfCFTA Agreement;
• Provide policy advice regarding the challenges affecting the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and propose activities or initiatives to address them.
• Provide appropriate technical and other AfCFTA-related advice to Member States’ representatives participating in technical meetings;
• Formulate and manage technical assistance programs in support of meaningful commencement and continuation of trading under the AfCFTA;
• The required documentation for AfCFTA Member State representatives participating in technical meetings; ensures the timely production and dissemination of minutes of technical meetings.
• Provide high-quality factual reports, technical advisory notes, and other relevant information notes to enable the smooth functioning of the Sub-committee on Trade remedies and any other relevant meetings;
• Develop and implement the AfCFTA work plan including stakeholder engagement; 
• Provide assistance to State Parties on implementing the Protocol on Trade in Goods including its subsidiary instruments;
• Lead technical assistance and capacity building initiatives to enable State Parties to implement the Protocol on Trade in Goods and its subsidiary instruments; and
• Develop formats and working procedures for receipt of notifications of market access issues and their circulation to State Parties.

Supervise and Coordinate with Excellence:

• Oversee the Member States and Customs Unions ‘submission of market access offers;
• harmonize work among all divisions under the directorate toward the preparations for the committee in trade in goods;
• Oversee verification of market access offers to ensure compliance with agreed modalities;
• Oversee management of the online negotiations tool;
• Ensure all studies and advocacy programs on Market Access issues under the AfCFTA are undertaken;
• Production of the required inputs on issues relating to Market Access under  the Director of Trade in Goods and Competition and ensuring  strict adherence to the agreed deadlines for these inputs as well as related activities;
• Work of all staff including short-term experts under the Market Access Division to undertake subject-specific research into areas of concern to Member States’ representatives participating in technical meetings; and
• Preparation of speeches and regular briefs for senior staff and makes presentations on Market Access matters for specialist or non-specialist audiences on trade and any relevant issues.

Collaborate and Mobilize Stakeholders:

• Proactively establish and operationalize a strong African network which shall be responsible for coordination and consultation with relevant stakeholders;
• Facilitate policy dialogue on Market Access under the AfCFTA amongst stakeholders;
• Collaborate and develop good working relations and partnerships with relevant organizations such as UN Economic Commission for Africa, the World Trade Organisation, the World Customs Organisation amongst others;
• Work on advancing and placing the AfCFTA Agreement agenda for Africa in international organizations such as the WTO and UNCTAD;
• Liaise with other Divisions of Trade in Goods and Competition Directorate on research and all matters related to the Protocols on Trade in Goods and Competition whenever expertise on these topics is required; and
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Director of Trade in Goods and Competition.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Public Management or Administration, Law, Industrial Relations, Corporate Management or other related Social Sciences with 12 years progressively responsible experience in managing Human Resources and Administration functions out of which 7 at managerial level and 5 years at supervisory level.
• Professional certification in Human Resources from a recognized institution is an added value.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated ability in promoting self-development, innovation, and high performance;
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in applying HR management principles and practices, talent acquisition, and change management;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in salary and benefits development and reviews;
• Demonstrated experience maintaining, with empathy, an appropriate balance between the organization's needs and the welfare of staff;
• Demonstrated experience in solving people-related issues effectively;
• Demonstrated experience in data retrieval and analysis;
• Demonstrated experience in delivering briefings to diverse audiences, and conducting effective meetings with senior management, representative of staff associations, representatives of the Member States and other stakeholders;
• A demonstrated knowledge and use of HRIS;
• A demonstrated ability to initiate and promote open communication and collaborative approaches between geographically and culturally disparate partners;
• Ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations both internally and externally;
• Ability to develop and delegate clear program goals, plans, and actions, including budgets, that are consistent with agreed strategies;
• Ability to effectively lead, supervise, mentor, develop and evaluate staff; and
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish) and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Risk Management….
• Change Management…..
• Developing Organizational Capacity…..
• Core Competencies
• Building Relationship…..
• Effective Communication.....
• Fosters Accountability Culture….
• Learning Orientation…..
• Functional Competencies
• Conceptual Thinking…..
• Fosters Innovation…..
• Drive for Results…..
• Knowledge Sharing…..

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of US$  50,746.00 (P5 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment ( 57% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 27,290.88.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Application Closing Date
31st May, 2021.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Gender Mainstreaming
The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.