Principal Officer, Salary Policy & Pension Administration 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: Principal Officer, Salary Policy & Pension Administration

Location: Liberia
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P5
Department: Internal Service
Directorate: HR Services
Division: Salary Policy & Pension Administration
Line Supervisor: Director Human Resources
Supervising: PO Traditional Sports Development

Role Overviea

• Under the supervision of the Director, Human Resources the role oversees payroll and pension administration.
• He/She is responsible for monitoring all tasks necessary to accomplish the organization’s payroll processing objectives, including relationships with external auditors and all relevant stakeholders. Most of the position’s time is spent planning, coordinating and managing the functions of the Salary Policy and Pension Administration.
• This position requires an extremely detailed and orientated person with significant knowledge of payroll and pension administration. The role manages payroll process and performs accounting-related tasks.

Role and Responsibilities 

• Supervise human resources data management, payroll, pension administration and staff insurance.
• Supervise staff attendance management.
• Supervise management of employee data and archiving system both physically and electronically.
• Survey industry and/or Community to determine organisation’s competitive position regarding employee compensation and benefits
• Stays current on payroll systems to achieve alignment with HR compensation & benefits and to ensure effective accounting support in line with best practices.
• Oversee the maintenance of employee master data including the employee cost centre.
• Ensure accurate and timely posting of employee monthly payroll results.
• Facilitate management and employee understanding of payroll procedures.
• Oversee the preparation of staff salaries and other emoluments on monthly basis.
• Facilitate smooth operation of employee pension schemes and its sustainability.
• Review and approve for processing, expenditures such as medical refunds, education grant and other staff related expenses
• Supervise the preparation of payroll returns such as pension contributions and other payroll deductions and ensure they are prompt and accurately remitted.
• Responsible for preparation of staff budget of ECOWAS Commission and its Agencies and advise HR Management on budgetary matters.
• Implement budgetary control procedures and ensure that expenditures approved for payments have been provided for in the budget.
• Oversee staff insurance such as Group Life and Group Accident Insurance.
• Ensure the safe keeping of all payroll records including those relating to active and inactive personnel in accordance with the provisions of the Staff Regulation.
• Ensure confidentiality of payroll information, protection of employee data and compliance with relevant data protection policies.
• Supervise support staff and decide on the correctness of documents processed; propose improvement and train staff in the correct applications of both ECOWAS Staff Regulation and Financial Regulation.
• Oversee the preparation of regular payroll reports for management.
• Coordinate preparation of reports and engagement with internal and external auditors.
• Perform any other tasks that may be assigned by the Director.

Academic Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting or related field or its equivalent is required.
• Relevant professional certification in Finance, Accountancy and Audit: Certified Internal Auditor (CIA); Certified Public Accountant (CPA); Chartered Accountant (CA), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) is an Accountancy is an added advantage.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of professional experience in Human Resources Management, Administration/Finance and Accountability including 5 years at a supervisory level.
• Knowledge of Human Resources, financial/accounting principles, rules and procedures.
• Hands on experience in using an ERP system such as SAP, with in-dept practice on HCM module.
• In-dept working knowledge of compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, HR information systems and data analytics.
• Experience in budgeting and procurement policies and practices.
• Ability to provide technical advice on a broad range of Human Resources, Finance and Accounting.
• In-depth knowledge of Global HR Management Strategies and best practices.

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 commands 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 people 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 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.

Assessment method:

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

ECOWAS Work Environment:

• ECOWAS provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and a healthy work-life balance.
• We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore, we encourage women to apply for positions that suit their competencies.
• Individuals from minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are also highly encouraged to apply. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of ECOWAS’s workforce.

Salary
UA 66,123.98 / USD 104,330.42 Annually.

Application Closing Date
30th April, 2026.