Principal Finance 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: Principal Finance Officer

Location: Banjul, Gambia
Job Code: 20003611
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P5
Agency: ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA)
Status: Permanent
Department: Economic Affairs & Agriculture Directorate: Administration & Finance
Division: Finance
Line Supervisor: Director, Administration & Finance Accountant

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Director, Administration & Finance, the incumbent shall plan, coordinate and control the financial activities of the Division, ensuring the effective execution of the accounting operations in line with established financial rules and regulations.

Role and Responsibilities

• Develop and interpret directives and instructions in order to prepare the programming of work and budgeting cycles.
• Define the demands and needs of users in automated systems.
• Prepare periodic financial, budgetary and accounting reports.
• Analyze proposals in terms of fiscal objectives, previous and current budgets, and trends of resource allocation patterns.
• Plan, coordinate and control of activities of the Finance Division.
• Facilitate internal and external visibility of actions and results of the Division.
• Carry out periodic reporting on actions implemented and results obtained to the Director of Administration and Finance.
• Evaluate the financial reports as budgeted in relation to actual expenditures or commitments.
• Identify apparent anomalies or unusual trends of financial reports.
• Prepare bank reconciliation statements.
• Ensure the efficient execution of accounting operations.
• Guarantee the reliability of accounting records.
• Prepare all legal and regulatory accounts statements.
• Supervise and coordinate the periodic inventories.
• Develop preliminary budget projections.
• Develop cost projections and data on commitments for each of the budget categories.
• Supervise and coordinate the preparation of the budget development cycle.
• Monitor the implementation of ERCA’s operational budget.
• Develop the budget of the draft annual work programme.
• Monitor implementation of the work programme and budget through regular reviews.
• Facility conformity of the commitment statements with the approved levels and limits.
• Ensure that all data and calculations considered by the budget staff are complete and accurate.
• Perform any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in Accounting, Banking & Finance, Economics, Finance Management from a recognized University.
• 10 years of experience in a complex organizational environment, in budget formulation, financial monitoring, accounting, and financial reporting; including 6 years of relevant international work experience and 5 years of management experience in finance and budget operations.
• Demonstrated practical knowledge of relevant financial accounting principles and concepts to perform tasks in accordance with the generally accepted Accounting Principles and Standards of relevance to public sector and international organizations.
• Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; accounting best practices, ECOWAS financial policies (e.g. revenue, accounts payable);
• Knowledge of financial and budgetary principles and practices, budget development and financial administration of resources.
• Professional qualification in accounting would be an advantage.

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.
• Develop and implement internal controls for the pilot program to manage potential barriers to implementation.
• Ability to respect the 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 coordinate 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 respectful 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 disabilities 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 in order to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to analyze 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.
• Organizational and project/program management skills with significant experience identifying timelines, targets, costs and resources necessary to deliver on operational/program/project outputs in line with result-based management approach.
• 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 the 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.

Salary
USD84,211.94 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: b43principalfinanceofficer@ecowas.int 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.