Program Officer - Benefits Officer at 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: Program Officer - Benefits Officer

Job Code: 20000134
Location: Abuja
Commission: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P3/P4
Division: Staff Welfare & Employee Services
Directorate: Human Resources
Line Supervisor: Principal Officer, Staff Welfare & Employee Services
Supervising: HR Assistant Compensation & Benefits
Status: Permanent

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Officer, Staff Welfare & Employee Services, the incumbent is responsible for the administration of staff benefits in the organization and provides special guidance and assistance to staff members on various employee benefit plans.
• He/She shall also carry out benchmarking in similar industries and/or communities to determine the Institution’s competitive position in employee benefits and develops, recommend, and implement approved new or modified plans and staff benefits policies.

Role and Responsibilities

• Administer staff benefits programs such as retirement plans; medical, dental, vision plans; life insurance plans; temporary disability programs; and wellness programs.
• Ensures the accuracy of all benefits enrollments in the HRIS to provide vendors with accurate eligibility information.
• Assists with new-hire orientations on benefit matters.
• Performs quality checks of benefits-related data.
• Assists employees regarding benefits claim issues and plan changes.
• Responds to benefits inquiries from Staff Members on plan provisions, benefits enrollments, status changes, and other general inquiries.
• Evaluate and compare existing benefits with those of other employers by analyzing other plans, surveys, and other sources of information.
• Participate in industry surveys. Analyze results of surveys and develop specific recommendations for review by management.
• Develop specifications for new plans or modify existing plans to maintain the Commission’s competitive position in the labor market.
• In collaboration with the line supervisor, obtain uniform benefit package for all institutions and agencies where possible.
• Work with line supervisor to recommend classes of eligible employees for new or modified plans.
• Prepare announcement materials, plan summary documents, and other media for communicating plans to employees.
• Recommend and counsel management and employees on existing benefits.
• Prepare and execute, with legal consultation, benefits documentation, such as original and amended plan texts, benefit agreements, and insurance policies.
• Ensure prompt and accurate compliance of all approved benefits to staff members.
• Assist in the development of organizations bargaining proposals for employee benefits and analyze benefits demands.
• Ensure compliance with provisions of Employee Retirement, Pension Act etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Human Resources Management, Employee and Labour Relations, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or in a similar field from a recognized University.
• Five (5) years of relevant experience in a private/public sector or international organizations.
• Knowledge of HR Management best practices.
• Knowledge of human resources management operations including compensation and benefits salary policy, pension administration, employee terms and conditions of employment, monitoring, analytics, and reporting.
• Knowledge of Staff Regulations, directives, and policies of relevance to the execution of duties associated with the position.
• Knowledge of database creation and management, and use of specialized computer systems and programs for operationalizing a variety of HR business processes and reports.
• Practical Knowledge of ERPs such as SAP will be an added advantage.

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 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 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 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 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 unbiased 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 and 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.

Assessment Method: 

• Assessment of qualified candidates may include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.

Salary
USD 77,480.72 - USD 89,289.87 annually.

Application Closing Date
6th March, 2024.