Principal Programme Officer, Youth Policy and Programmes Implementation 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 Programme Office, Youth Policy and Programmes Implementation

Job Code: 20000620
Location: Ougadougou, Burkina Faso
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P5
Status: Permanent
Directorate: EYSDC
Line Supervisor: Director EYSDC
Agency: Youth And Sports Development Centre (EYSDC)
Department: Human Development and Social Affairs
Division: Youth Policy and Programmes Implementation
Supervising: PO, Youth Development and Empowerment, PO, Volunteer Programme Coordination, PO, Youth Capacity Building and Insertion, PO, Volunteer Deployment and Data Management

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC) Director, the incumbent is responsible for identifying, designing, and proposing policies and programmes for the general development and empowerment of youth across the region, including through collaborations with partners and other national, regional, and international youth and youth-promoting bodies and authorities.

Role and Responsibilities

• Coordinate the implementation of ECOWAS programmes and policies on youth, including policy harmonisation.
• Analyze the social environment with a view to making proposals for the implementation of ECOWAS youth policies.
• Initiate and implement social and cultural development programmes for the development of youth across the region.
• Evaluate the implications of the major trends in social and cultural development (both at regional and international levels) with a view to proposing appropriate policies and areas of intervention for youth development and empowerment within the ECOWAS region.
• Define an advocacy programme in various sectors of youth development.
• Conduct policy and programme dialogue with ECOWAS member States on youth development and empowerment.
• Interface with, and canvass for funding from international development partners on matters relating to youth development, entrepreneurship, and youth employability in West Africa.
• Liaise and collaborate with other experts in youth development or related fields to discuss issues on youth development, youth exchanges and latest findings and guidelines on youth development, etc with a view to enrich ECOWAS policies and actions and presenting to ECOWAS for adoption and implementation, the best international practices in the field.
• Coordinate analysis of lessons learnt analyse and included in the Centre’s development programmes or other initiatives that directly contribute to achieving the goals and objectives of ECOWAS.
• Advise the Director in developing youth policies and programmes for the Community, including policies and programmes for the development and promotion of youth entrepreneurship and employment.
• Initiate, develop and implement policies, programmes, projects, and activities in the sectoral programme areas.
• Develop partnerships and implement programmes with partners in trhe field of youth development and empowerment.
• Represent the Centre in internal and external meetings as may be required.
• Initiate and implement budgets for Programme Sectors under his/her purview.
• Organise programmes and activities to develop and strengthen capacities of Member States in the implementation of ECOWAS regional initiatives.
• Produce a draft annual budget, programme and work plan for the programmes and activities of the Sports Division and implement same after approval.
• Implement the ECOWAS policy and programmes on youth development.
• Initiate and organise exchange policies and programmes with member States of ECOWAS for youth development within the region.
• Serve as interface with international development partners on youth development matters.
• Collaborate and establish partnerships with experts in the field of youth development and/or other related or similar matters.
• Analyse knowledge and experiences gained and incorporate same into the youth development programmes of the Centre or other such initiatives.
• Submit quarterly and annual activity reports of the Youth division.
• Supervise and guideline subordinates to ensure effective and efficient programme implementation and the achievement of set objectives.
• Perform any other tasks as may be assigned by the Supervisor.

Academic Qualification and Experience

• Master's Degree (or equivalent) preferably in, Sociology, Economics, other Social Sciences, or a similar field from a recognized University.
• 10 years of professional experience in socio-economic development, policy analysis, sociological research, or related area, including 6 years relevant international work and 5 years at a supervisory level.
• Demonstrated professional expertise in the subject matter.
• Excellent knowledge of ECOWAS region and member countries including the political, economic, and social dimensions affecting social affairs and youth policies and programmes.
• Proven knowledge of evidence-based complex sociological research projects and development of alternative social models.

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 fulfillment of the organization’s mandate (e.g. establish networks and benchmarks).
• 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.
• Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity 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 (e.g. Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or Program Management Professional PgMP).
• 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 (e.g. feedback loops, surveys, studies, needs assessments) and make recommendations.
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in client services (e.g. dashboards, incentive management, feedback mechanisms).
• 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.
• Diplomacy, tact, 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 appraisals, evaluations and in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences positions, gender issues or opinions, and encourages staff to overcome cultural and gender barriers and background differences.
• Ability to serve the interest of a culturally diverse multinational teams/organizations/communities and some disable groups without prejudice, bias, or sympathy to a select group.
• Solid understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute, and lead effectively.
• Applied knowledge of the Community mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political, and social state/trends of member states, especially 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.
• Superior knowledge of the rules and procedures of ECOWAS to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to analyze a situation by way of indicators (e.g. performance, technical) to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in deciding.
• Ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the source of problems, consequences of alternative courses of action, potential obstacles, and ways to avoid the problem in the future.
• Ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple terms (using charts, diagrams, effective expository writing) 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/disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable, unavailable, or no longer effective.
• Proficiency in oral and written French and English languages.
• 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 skills (e.g. proposals, terms of reference, program assessments, blueprints, business processes) with well-developed editing.
• Ability to give honest feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings, and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance.
• Fluency in one of the three ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese)
• 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.

Annual Salary
UA 53,809.91 / USD 84,901.27

Application Closing Date
15th May, 2024.