Programme Assistant 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: Programme Assistant

Job Code: 20003507
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: G4/G5/G6
Status: Permanent
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Division: Tariff and Customs Procedures
Directorate: Customs Union and Taxation
Department: Economic Affairs and Agriculture
Line Supervisor: Programme Officer, CET & Trade Safeguard Measures

Role Overview

• Under the direct supervision of the Programme Officer Common External Tariff and & Trade Safeguard Measures, the Programme Assistant provides direct technical and administrative support to the Principal Programme Officer Tariff & Customs Procedures as well as other professional staff of the Tariff and Customs Procedures Division.

Role and Responsibilities

• Provides technical and administrative support to the Tariff & Customs Procedures Division
• Monitoring and fulfilling the material needs of the directorate and assisting in preparation of records.
• Support in the filing and proper archiving of administrative and technical documents.
• Support in the preparation and management of technical meetings of the Directorate.
• Liaise and follow up correspondence with other directorates of the Commission.
• Preparation of periodic status reports of the directorate or divisions attached to, drafting of briefs, minutes of meetings, speeches, letters, and other relevant documents as needed in the directorate to be reviewed by the Principal Programme Officer.
• Provide secretarial support for the directorate as and when needed.
• Liaise between the professional staff and the Office manager of the Directorate.
• Perform any other task assigned.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum Brevet de Technicien (BT) / OND or equivalent in the Arts, Humanities or the Social Sciences.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in programme or project administration, technical cooperation or related area is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and exposure to a substantive field of work
• Experience of working in a customs environment
• Ability to organize information/data to facilitate the work of the programme Officers including knowledge of relevant ECM filing systems and correspondence-related procedures, guidelines, and processes to prepare and using administrative documents and templates”.
• Knowledge of and ability to identify the required resources for programs/ projects and to perform specific specialized activities aimed at effective and efficient functioning of the Programme team.
• Knowledge of internal policies, processes, and procedures generally and those related to Programme/project administration, implementation and evaluation, technical cooperation, programming, and budgeting.

Age Limit

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

ECOWAS Key Competencies:

• Ability to assume a credible presence when explaining rules, standards, and expectations (e.g. deadlines) to ensure compliance and work expectations are met.
• Ability to motivate self and/or others to engage in discussions that will result in recommendations to improve processes, templates, or other work tools.
• Ability to engage in positive approaches to teamwork, participate actively in discussions and the achievement of team goals.
• Ability to take responsibility for own career and performance with the occasional guidance from the supervisor/mentor.
• Ability to build capacity of self and others by sharing knowledge, tools, expertise, and experience with others to remain proficient and well informed in the execution of assigned role.
• Interpersonal, listening, and multitasking skills with a good understanding of client service responsibilities and role in representing ECOWAS values in all interactions.
• Ability to take initiative to resolve routine problems associated with assigned tasks using good judgment in involving colleagues or superiors as required.
• Ability to work as part of a team to resolve concerns, and problems and improve services.
• Ability to manage own time effectively and organize own work area in a manner that will meet performance expectations related to assigned client services.
• Ability to direct people to the appropriate source for further information and ask for help when overwhelmed with client demands.
• Ability to apply culturally relevant and appropriate approaches with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Good diversity management skills to interact with individuals in a manner that is culturally appropriate and in accordance with ECOWAS rules/policies.
• Ability to recognize preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certain groups and individuals and to successfully adopt inclusive and culturally appropriate behaviors.
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Knowledge of diversity management as it relates to daily work expectations and assigned tasks.
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate and operational goals of relevance to assigned responsibilities.
• Ability to keep up to date with Departmental activities, schedules, and goals of pertinence to own work team, functional area.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS procedures relevant to assigned work and the ability to apply sound judgment in their application.
• Demonstrated strong interest and commitment to ECOWAS values and activities in daily assumption of duties.
• Excellent ability to maintain, process and provide accurate information as part of assigned tasks.
• Ability to organize files and information for easy retrieval and record keeping.
• Ability to spot mistakes, act promptly to correct them and learn from experiences.
• Knowledge and ability to challenge and question fundamental assumptions regarding accepted ways of doing things in the spirit of improvement.
• Ability to use current technology to communicate effectively e.g. office software programs, including spreadsheets, word processing and graphic presentation software; ability to type and format presentations, reports, manuals, newsletters, website content and proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT).
• Well-developed information sharing skills using technology and in accordance with established processes and practices.
• Advanced verbal assertiveness and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to acknowledge and understand the validity of others’ viewpoints and to respond in a constructive manner.
• 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 allocate time for specific tasks in a manner that will meet deadlines and quality/quantity expectations.
• Good organizational skills with an excellent ability to break down work into smaller parts and focus on the most important steps first.
• Ability to contribute to maintaining organizational performance standards throughout the implementation of new processes, practices and plans adopted by the Department and of relevance to assigned tasks.
• Ability to monitor progress and to consider new goals in the context of assigned responsibilities.
• Ability to follow through with commitments made to others.

Annual Salary
UA20,166.30 / USD31,818.39 ; UA 25,527.53 / USD 40,277.34 ; UA 30,178.98 / USD 47,616.39

Application Closing Date
15th May, 2024.