English Interpreter for French, Court of Justice at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional grouping composed of 12 Member States, with the mandate to promote economic integration, social cohesion and political stability throughout West Africa. As a reference Intergovernmental Organisation (IOU), ECOWAS acts through a sound institutional framework, led by the Commission and the Community Parliament, with the aim of harmonising policies, fostering a “borderless” region and safeguarding democratic governance for more than 400 million citizens.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: English Interpreter for French, Court of Justice

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Job type: Full-time
Category: P5

Overview of the Post

• Ensures the availability of interpreting services in the working languages to the Most Honorable Judges in the exercise of their judicial functions.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Provide interpretation of English to French during judicial sessions, meetings and deliberations.
• Provide interpretation to judges and team members as needed.
• Being able to work as a team with highly experienced interpreters.
• Be able to interpret in simultaneous, consecutive and other modes.

Requirements
Literary Qualification and Experience:

• Master and diploma or certificate in interpretation of conferences of a recognized institution. OR university degree in interpretation of conferences of a recognized institution.
• 10 years of experience in Interpretation (four of which must have been as an effective interpreter).
• It demonstrates the highest standards of accuracy, consistency and fidelity to the style and nuances of original and source languages.
• Proven understanding of how to evaluate interpretation teams.
• Ability to maintain the highest standard of confidentiality.
• Knowledge of terminology research techniques and references, with the ability to use a wide variety of information.
• Proven professional competence and mastery of the subject.
• It seeks professional and personal development, keeping up to date on the news in its area of expertise/profession.
• Proven understanding of every imaginable accent, as well as dealing with issues of speed and style.
• Ability to find suitable cultural equivalents and take into account the cultural context; therefore, a deep knowledge of both language and culture is required.
• Proven ability to maintain team cohesion and good professional conduct.
• Perfect domain of the target language and excellent knowledge of the source language. A good knowledge of the third language of ECOWAS is an advantage.
• AGE LIMIT : Be under 45 years old

Key Skills of ECOWAS:

• Ability to lead assigned programs and projects, providing the management and operational expertise, necessary for the fulfillment of the organization’s mandate (e.g., establishing networks and references).
• Ability to lead by example and organize teamwork to encourage cooperation to achieve expected results, defend and create momentum for change and bring about employee hardship; create and implement internal controls for pilot programs to manage potential barriers to implementation.
• Excellent personal management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity, confidentiality and due respect for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency.
• Ability to gather complementary competencies/knowledge, evaluate individual contributions and recognize/address achievements and shortcomings in order to bring continuous success to the organization.
• Knowledge of program management at the level typically acquired from a certification in program management (e.g., Success Program Management (MSP) or PgMP Professional Program Management).
• Ability to research on reference points and trends to bring the best recommendations for creating and improving programs/projects that best serve the community/organization.
• Interpersonal skills and well-developed interactions to seek returns from, information and data from a network of professionals from various countries/sectors/organizations and to identify and prioritize the community’s most critical requirements.
• Ability to manage and coordinate customer management initiatives and make recommendations.
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in customer services (e.g. dashboards, incentive management, information return mechanisms).
• Ability to develop and implement stakeholder management plans, programs and initiatives to gain adherence to new initiatives, better understand divergent opinions, gain resources and increase successful perception.
• Ability to be diplomatic, tactical and respectful of other people from different backgrounds, with different cultural views, especially in West Africa, with the ability to convert diversity into opportunities to improve the results of the program/operations.
• Ability to create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths by bringing together innovative practices.
• Ability to demonstrate objectivity in assessments, assessments and conflict management, regardless of cultural differences/positions, gender differences, and encourage employees to overcome cultural and gender bias and differences.
• Ability to serve the interests of teams/organizations/communities and culturally diverse peoples and people with disabilities without prejudice and differences or preferences.
• Understanding of ECOWAS’ organizational structure, related dynamics and expectations needed to collaborate, participate, contribute and lead effectively.
• Knowledge of the mandate of ECOWAS, strategic plan/priorities, as well as the economic, political and social situation and trends in the Member States, with regard to their own area of activity.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or evaluation of programs, projects or initiatives.
• In-depth knowledge of ECOWAS rules and procedures, in order to properly interpret and apply directives, provide technical advice, guide employees and evaluate performance.
• Ability to analyze a situation through indicators to assess costs, benefits, risks and chances of success in decision-making.
• Ability to gather information from different sources to identify the cause of the problems, the consequences of alternative causes of action, the potential obstacles and the ways to avoid the problem in the future.
• Ability to break down very complex situations/information in simple terms to explain recommendations and conclusions aimed at solving problems or improving operations/programs/projects.
• Ability to develop new perspectives on situations, apply innovative solutions to problems and devise new methods of addressing problems or disruption when the established methods and procedures are inapplicable or obsolete.
• Proficiency in French and English oral and written.
• Ability to communicate with impact, in a clear, concise, succinct and organized way, conveying credibility and trust when making presentations, setting expectations and explaining complex issues.
• Ability to listen and correctly interpret the messages of others, and to respond appropriately.
• Writing skills and techniques (e.g. proposals, terms of reference, program evaluations, plans, business processes) with good editing capabilities.
• Ability to give outright opinions, recognize, address deficiencies and motivate direct employees to work with maximum commitment.
• Fluency in oral expressions and written in one of the official languages of ECOWAS (English, French and Portuguese).
• Organization and project/program management skills with significant experience in identifying schedules, goals, costs and resources necessary to achieve operational results/programs/projects.
• Ability to set effective goals and objectives for oneself, for others and for division and to adjust the priorities of work or project in response to evolving circumstances.
• Ability to identify gaps that affect the fulfillment of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans necessary to build the desired capacity (e.g. training, structural realignment, partnerships, refusal reallocation).
• Ability to implement rigorous follow-up and evaluation practices and to establish relevant regular reporting schedules to achieve key results.
• Ability to plan, organize, control resources and respect policies, procedures and protocols to achieve specific objectives.

ECOWAS Working Environment

• ECOWAS provides a working environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance.
• We are committed to ensuring gender parity within the organisation and therefore strongly encourage women to apply for positions that match their competencies. People from ethnic minority groups, indigenous populations, people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups are also strongly encouraged to apply. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of ECOWAS staff.

Annual Salary
UA 66.123.98 (USD 104.330.42)

Application Closing Date
10th May, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

The documents required for the application include:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Application form

Important Information and Notice

• Any incomplete application will be rejected.
• The assessment of qualified candidates will include a written exercise and a skills-based interview
• Selection and appointment will be subject to a work history check and references and other administrative requirements.
• ECOWAS does not charge any fees for applications, processing, training, interviews, tests in relation to application or recruitment processes and is not concerned with information on the bank accounts of candidates.
• Failure to comply with any of these requirements will result in the deletion of the application.