ROLE OVERVIEW

Contribute to the realisation of the mandate of the ECOWAS Representative’s Office in Brussels through in particular, strengthening partnerships between ECOWAS and the different ACP-EU cooperation stakeholders – EU, ACP, Member States’ diplomatic missions, etc. He/She will also provide technical support for the Office’s mission and participate, under the supervision of the Representative, in activities for coordinating and monitoring commitments.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

§  Assist the Representative and represent him, as the need arises

§  Participate in the coordination of activities of the Office and in daily administration

• Design and put in place strategies for enhancing cooperation and mechanisms for effective coordination with cooperation stakeholders

§  Contribute to the meetings of the Group of Ambassadors of West Africa, by providing technical support for the formulation and consideration of the region’s interests and positions in the partnerships

• Monitor the implementation of the different EU financial commitments and instruments for West Africa including the monitoring of intra-ACP cooperation, institutional relations with the ACP Group
• Establish functional relations with Member States’ representations in Brussels, as well as stakeholders of the EU Commission and the ACP Secretariat
• Ensure functional relations and channels of information exchange between the Representation and the Commission’s technical departments
• Organise and implement, under the authority of the Representative, any activity aimed at promoting ECOWAS’s visibility in Brussels
• Contribute to the production of analysis and summary documents regarding issues under his/her purview
• Contribute to the preparation and organisation of the Commission’s working visits to Brussels
• Any other task that may be assigned by the Representative.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s in Economics, International Relations or any related field from a recognized University.
• 10 years’ progressive professional experience, in related areas of development cooperation/trade cooperation/multilateralism, of which two years in a supervisory and managerial position
• Good knowledge of institutional and functional environment of international organisations such as EU, the ACP, AU, WTO, etc.
• Knowledge of instruments of development cooperation and multilateral rules
• Good knowledge of diplomatic rules
• Proven professional technical expertise in monitoring, coordination, data collection and analysis
• Organisational and project/programme management skills, experience in programming would be an advantage
• A certification in International Trade & Developing Economy will be an advantage

AGE LIMIT

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

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

• Ability to conduct activities by bringing necessary operational competences in use to properly accomplish the mandate of the Representation
• Good self-management skills, ethical conduct, integrity, confidentiality, transparency and compliance with rules and procedures
• Ability to respect to the chain of command
• Ability to represent ECOWAS before stakeholders
• Proactiveness, ability to respond to the expectations of stakeholders for continued and improved quality of cooperation relations
• Ability to network using well developed interpersonal relations, for the attainment of the goals of the Representative’s Office.
• Ability to manage and coordinate the initiatives of cooperation stakeholders and make recommendations
• Diplomatic skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment and transform vast opportunities, for achieving the goals of the Representative’s Office.
• Good understanding of ECOWAS organisational structure and functional relations, associated dynamics and expectations for effective collaboration, participation, contribution to the realisation of the Representation’s mandate
• Good knowledge of ECOWAS rules and procedures
• Good knowledge of the regional integration process, particularly ECOWAS strategic priority programmes as well as Member States’ socio-economic and development policy.
• Ability to gather, analyse and summarise information from different sources, logical dissemination thereof and making of appropriate recommendations to the stakeholders
• Proven analytical, drafting, summarising skills
• Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and organised manner, to give credibility and inspire confidence with presentations, identification of expectations and explanation of complex problems
• Good oral and written skills in one of the official languages of ECOWAS (English, French, and Portuguese).
• Proven technical skills in drafting and editing
• Knowledge of computer software and information technology and communication tools.
• Ability to define goals and targets for the attainment of the objectives of the Representation and adjust priorities in the light of the changing circumstances
• Ability to use monitoring and evaluation instruments and produce regular monitoring reports of Representation’s activities.