IT Program Officer 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: IT Program Officer

Location: Abuja (FCT), Nigeria
Grade: P3 / P4
Status: Permanent
Institution: Office of Auditor General
Line Supervisor: Auditor General

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Auditor General, the incumbent will ensure the efficient functioning of the information systems section and facilitate all information technology services operations and projects for reliable and cost-effective ICT applications.

Role and Responsibilities

• Ensure data security for the Office of the Auditor-General;
• Support the development and implementation of information technology services initiatives and systems Office of the Auditor General;
• Evaluate connectivity issues, equipment, software and hardware;
• Respond to issues, hardware maintenance and software networking;
• Train staff of the Office of the Auditor-General about IT;
• Perform any other duties as directed by the Supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Business Systems Analysis & Design, Information Systems Management or in a similar field from a recognized University.
• 5 years progressively responsible experience in planning, web design, development, implementation and maintenance of information and communication technologies;
• good knowledge of ECOWAS ICT infrastructure and it strategy as it relates to user area(s);
• Knowledge of all aspects of the design, development, management, implementation and maintenance of complex web projects using web content management systems and technologies;
• Knowledge of relevant high-level web programming languages (PHP, ASP, ASP.NET, HTML, CSS, etc.) and programming skills, including structured/object-oriented design, relational systems (MS-SQL/MySQL), web platforms (Linux/Apache/Windows), scripting (JavaScript, jQuery, Perl, Linux shell scripts) and query languages.
• Age Limit: Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

Ecowas Key Competencies:

• 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 instil 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.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to 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 need, mitigates issues and that 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;
• 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 judgement, 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 unbias and transparent manner.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Salary

• UA49,106.81 - UA56,591.37 / USD77,480.72 - USD89,289.87 annually.

Application Closing Date
3rd November, 2021.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the Application Form below, fill it out correctly, attach a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation Letter and send to: b24itprogofficerag@ecowas.int using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Click here to download the Application Form (Ms Word)

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