Principal Programme Officer (PPO) - Telecommunications & Post Policy and Regulation 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: Principal Programme Officer (PPO) - Telecommunications & Post Policy and Regulation

Job Code: 20000159
Location: Abuja
Grade: P5
Department: Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation
Directorate: Digital Economy & Post
Division: Telecommunications & Post Policy and Regulation
Line Supervisor: Director, Digital Economy & Post
Supervising: Program Officer Telecommunications & Networks;  Program Officer Regulatory Coordination; & Program Officer Postal Policy

Role Overview

• The Principal Programme Officer (PPO) Telecommunications & Post Policy and Regulation will work with the Director Digital Economy & Post to carry out the implementation of Post and Telecommunication/ICT programmes, with a focus on harmonising policy and regulatory frameworks for the development of the digital economy sector, developing regional telecommunication infrastructure and postal sector development.

Role and Responsibilities

• Oversee the development and implementation of the programmes, projects and activities of the Division.
• Contribute to the formulation of regional strategy and policies for the Telecommunications/ICT and Post sectors.
• Lead the harmonization of policies and regulatory frameworks process towards establishing a common Telecommunications/ICT market.
• Initiate and coordinate the elaboration and adoption of Community legislation in the Telecommunications/ICT and Post sectors.
• Promote the development of broadband infrastructure within the ECOWAS region and their interconnection.
• Facilitate the harmonization of the management of the radio-frequency spectrum to optimize its use.
• Promote the modernization of the postal sector to facilitate financial inclusion for all and the use of innovative products and services.
• Provide leadership for closer co-operation between postal administrations to optimise mail routing within the region.
• Assist in maintaining functional and technical cooperation networks with heads of relevant regional and international organizations in the fields of the Telecommunication/ICT and Post.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in Telecommunications/Electronics Engineering, Postal and Financial Services, Economics, Law, public administration management or any related field from a university of recognized standing.
• 10 years progressively responsible experience in the Planning, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Information Systems and Telecommunications Programmes.
• 5 years at a supervisory level.
• knowledge of ICT and postal sector benchmarks for performance, enhance services and performance management with demonstrated ability to lead a programme transformation.
• demonstrated knowledge of infrastructure project management and development and infrastructure service delivery.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the history, political context, and background of the policy area in a sector or field of operation (eg Postal Policy Regulation, etc) to assist in development and use of a sound evidence base policy formulation and implementation.
• Good ability to establish and maintain effective relationship with postal administrations, government officials, professional associations in the postal sector and development partners.

Age Limit:

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

ECOWAS Key Competencies:

• Ability to lead in assigned programs 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.
• Ability to bring together complementary skills/expertise, assess individual contributions and recognize/address accomplishments and shortcomings in a manner that brings continued success to the organization.
• 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 manage and co-ordinate client management initiatives and make recommendations.
• 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 create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices.
• 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 ECOWAS best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects, or initiatives.
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS rules and procedures to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to analyse a situation by using indicators to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in making decisions.
• 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 terms to 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.
• Ability to listen intently and correctly interpret messages from others and respond appropriately.
• 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.
• 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.
• Superior organizational and project/program management skills with significant experience identifying timelines, targets, costs, and resources necessary to deliver on operational/program/project outputs.
• 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 identify gaps affecting the achievement of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans required to build the desired capacity (e.g. training, structural realignment, partnerships, reallocation of resources.
• Ability to implement rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs (e.g. management indicators, project milestones, program results, processing targets).
• Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures, and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Salary
USD104,330.42 Annually.

Application Closing Date
6th March, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their correctly filled Application Form, Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation letter to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Note

• Female applications are encouraged.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications initially submitted with only the CV remain acceptable.
• ECOWAS does not charge a fee for recruitment and will not request for your account details.