Socio-Economic Officer at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Socio-Economic Officer

Req Id: 2813
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Job Grade: P2
Reports to: Permanent Representative
Division: AU Permanent Mission in Brussels
Contract Type: Regular

Purpose of Job

• Under the overall guidance of the Permanent Representative, the Socio-Economic Officer will provide in-depth technical expertise on key socio-economic issues and related priority areas enshrined in AU Agenda 2063 (Health, Education, Employment, Human Mobility, Migration and Diaspora) and follow up their implementation in the framework of the AU-EU Partnership and the new OACPS-EU Cooperation Agreement.

Main Functions

• Provide support in following up on the activities of the Permanent Mission, including monitoring and evaluating progress made in line with a predefined strategic plan.
• Suggest new and expand on existing policy areas for planned research and assist in gathering and data analysis.
• Participate in the organisation of relevant meetings, congresses and conferences with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide support in preparation and development reports, budget and work programmes related to the respective area and the functioning of the Division.
• Liaise with the various Departments/Units of the Commission for coordination and alignment purposes.

Specific Responsibilities
The Socio-Economic Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
Socio-Economic Aanalysis:

• Analyse key trends and changes in socio-economic issues in Africa (e.g., Poverty, Health, education, employment, youth, etc.) and draft issue papers.
• Follow up the implementation of AU-EU resolutions on socio-economic development and assist in the monitoring and evaluation with a focus on health, education and employment.
• Provide substantive support to the preparation of AU-EU Coordination meetings (College-to-College, Steering Committee and AU-EU Ministerial Meetings).
• Plan, organize and provide substantial servicing of Ad hoc Group meetings, conferences, seminars, workshops at the level of the African Group of Ambassadors in Brussels (GAAB) on selected socio-economic issues.  
• Participate in OACPS sub-committee meetings on socio-economic development, promote AU decisions and disseminate the reports

Migration and Human Mobility Dialogue:

• Follow up on the AU-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue (C2CMMD) and ensure its coherence with the AU Migration Policy Framework (MPFA 2018-2030) and Plan of Action.
• Foster and promote the trilateral (AU-EU-UN-) cooperation on Migration and Mobility through seminars, workshops and technical discussions.
• Act as a Focal point for the organization of the Annual Joint Meeting between the GAAB, the AU Permanent Mission and the Belgian Immigration Office.

African Diaspora and Civil Society Organizations Support:

• Coordinate and organise regular meetings between the Permanent Mission, the GAAB, the African Diaspora and CSOs in Europe to establish a regional network. 
• Promote and ensure the ownership of the AU 2021-2031 Decade of African Roots and Diasporas as well as other AU related Programmes. 
• Collate, update and manage the database of the African Diaspora in Europe and showcase key entrepreneurship initiatives to advance AU Agenda 2063.
• Act as the Focal Point for the organisation of Africa Day ensure effective participation of the African Diaspora.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Development Economics, Law, Humanities or related fields with 5 years relevant work experience. 

Or

• Master’s Degree in Social Sciences, Development Economics, Law, Humanities or related fields with 2 years relevant work experience. 

Required Skills:

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical and report writing skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work and build relationship in a multicultural environment.
• Excellent drafting and presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively use office applications and data presentation/analysis tools.
• Ability to work across business units / geographies; cultural sensitive environment .
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages, fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.
• Be detail oriented with excellent organisational and coordination skills.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Insight.
• Developing Others.
• Change Management.
• Managing Risk.

Core Competencies:

• Teamwork and Collaboration.
• Fosters Accountability Culture.
• Learning Orientation.
• Communicating with Influence.

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving.
• Job Knowledge and Information Sharing.
• Drive for Results.
• Continuous Improvement Focus.

Languages:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Kiswahili, Portuguese, and Spanish) is mandatory and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Tenure of Appointment

• The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period.
• Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

Remuneration

• Indicative basic salary of US$ 31,073.00 (P2 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (54% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$ 23,184.00 (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Application Closing Date
22nd September 2025.