·     Principal Officer, Procurement

ROLE OVERVIEW

Under the supervision of the Commissioner General Administration & Conference, this position oversees the day-to-day management of general administrative services including Procurement and Contract Management; Supply Chain / Stores (Material Resource Planning); Logistics and Fleet Management; Building and Facilitate Management, Asset Management; Registry / document management; Security; Office Support; Project Management as well as Budget Management and Supervision of staff of the directorate.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide day-to-day active guidance and directions to all divisions in the Directorate of General Administration and Conference in the management of all stages of the work cycle in line with ECOWAS legal texts and procedures;
• Lead on improving systems and processes and ensuring high level automation of manual processes within the directorate;
• Formulate strategies and design innovative solutions if necessary to resolve issues/conflict in the administrative work process;
• Guide the development of work and procurement plans and ensure it is in line with ECOWAS guidelines;
• Supervise the management of the procurement division and all related exercises and ensure strict adherence to the procurement code of ECOWAS;
• Supervise the development and implementation of work-plans for all divisions in the directorate, as well as manage related performance management of staff;
• Lead and direct capacity development and training of staff in the Directorate;
• Lead and supervise the administrative aspects of all asset management or facilities management related projects including construction of Headquarters of ECOWAS Commission / Construction of other ECOWAS Building for ECOWAS Community Institutions;
• Lead on developing and managing the annual budget of the directorate, and provide periodic report on budget usage to the Commissioner for General Administration and Conference;
• Contribute to the formulation and defense of the budget of the Department of General Administration and Conference;
• In collaboration with Legal and procurement team, overseas contracts; develops and implement contracts management systems for use by the directorate;
• Certify all requests for payment for contracts execution and ensure all deliverables are met;
• Prepare a comprehensive quarterly and annual report for the directorate;
• Ensure the applications of relevant Donor’s Guidelines to related project;
• Manage and evaluate staff performance;
• Prepare the annual Report of the directorate.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

·      Master’s degree (or equivalent) in Management, Business or Public Administration, Finance, Economics or closely related discipline from a recognized University.

·      12 years of progressively challenging experience in administration, with key administrative areas covering (at a minimum) business management, procurement, project management, asset management and facilities management, with minimum 5 years of relevant international work experience and minimum 6 years at managerial level;

·      Extensive knowledge of Donor’s Guidelines for project and significant communication management experience in international, regional or national institutions;

·      Experience in capacity building, monitoring and evaluation and ability to produce high level reports;

·      Technical capacity to provide specialized advice on a broad range of general services issues such as procurement, registry, stores, transport, and demonstrated professional ability to oversee large complex projects and initiatives;

·      Demonstrated professional ability and mastery of principles, techniques and practices related to one or more specialized services in a broad range of human resources, financial management, information technology, procurement, project management, communication, asset management, building services management, records and documents management and other several services areas within international and/or public service institutions;

·      Diverse background and competencies related to general administration as well as project management is an added advantage.

·      Experience in project management and/or Information Technology;

AGE LIMIT

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

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

• senior leadership experience in establishing strategic partnerships, working collaboratively and building consensus with multiple internal and/or external stakeholders on complex issues in a multi-disciplinary governmental or international organizations;
• knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political and social state/trends of member states, as pertains to own scope of work;
• exhibit consistency on actions, values, methods, confidentiality, ethics, measures, principles, expectations and outcomes which connotes a deep commitment to do the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the circumstances;
• ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Heads of Institutions, elected officials and statutory employees to facilitate compliance, build engagement, resolve conflicts and obtain support for change;
• ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• ability to promote a culture where people hold themselves personally accountable for results;
• ability to provide leadership, management, and technical oversight for all project activities and program deliverables in accordance with ECOWAS legal and administrative practices and standards;
• ability to conduct periodic reviews of staff performance in keeping with the ECOWAS performance management system and to mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork;
• ability to oversee project management, internal controls and stewardship of financial resources and to address issues in a confident and capable manner whilst making decisions that exemplifies impartial and non-partisan decision-making.
•             ability to exercise the initiative and resourcefulness necessary for simultaneously addressing a variety of stakeholder needs, pursuing multiple tasks and achieving positive outcomes;
• ability to create synergies with client groups and others to achieve objectives in setting and monitoring service standards and indicators;
• ability to motivate and engage others in promoting or adopting best practices in client services;
• ability to identify and improve services and client interactions through appropriate networks and to create innovative ways of addressing these in an accountable and transparent manner.
• knowledge of anti-discriminatory/human rights regulatory environment and ability to advance strategies to foster an inclusive working environment and healthy organization respectful of         cultural diversity and gender equality and free from harassment and discrimination;
• understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, being sensitive to group differences, gender issues and ability to contribute to, advocate for, and/or develop policies which are gender sensitive and responsive to various cultures;
• ability to foster a diverse and inclusive interactive work environment that can effectively bring together a wide spectrum of ideas and experiences to solve problems, develop projects/programs and improve results;
• ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• 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.
• understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, workplace culture and dynamics;
• ability to apply knowledge of ECOWAS legal framework, strategic priorities and operational standards to develop/modernize policies and programs and/or to implement policies and programs in a sustainable and effective manner;
• well-developed business, social and political acumen, demonstrating a strong commitment to the vision and mandate of ECOWAS coupled with a broad knowledge of the economic, political and social situations and trends in member states;
• sound judgment and decision-making skills on matters relating to policy and strategy development important to the realization of the ECOWAS mandate and the improvement of outcomes for member states.
• ability to analyze reports as well as socio-economic and institutional dynamics and recognize areas of potential obstacles or challenges and develop innovative solutions or alternatives to address barriers and achieve strategic/operational priorities;
• ability to anticipate and interpret the effects of environmental changes (social, economic and political),and its impact         and make recommendations;
• ability to identify/address strengths and weaknesses, stimulate creativity, reduce resistance to change and improve the achievement of strategic objectives;
• ability to make prudent decisions relating to the management of human, financial and material resources.
•             ability to actively listen and understand perspectives of others to make informed assertions, decisions or recommendations;
• ability to build multiple external collaborative relationships to support strategic and operational objectives; identify the key issues and accommodate the key players with well thought out communication and stakeholder management plans;
• ability to communicate with clarity and conviction, make compelling presentations which promotes new insights, ideas and perspectives and a better understanding of issues and challenges;
• 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;
• excellent negotiation and conflict management skills focusing on building and nurturing effective and collaborative relationships;
• 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.
• ability to prepare work plans, project reports, management reports and set clear objectives in a consistent manner and have effective oversight of performance management practices to         ensure that goals and standards are met;
• Ability to closely monitor the supervision of the construction of new Headquarters buildings for the ECOWAS Commission or other ECOWAS Community Institutions.
• ability to set effective goals/results and manage change in a manner that demonstrates resilience, composure and a positive outlook in an environment of uncertainty and ambiguity;
• ability to enable the development of organizational and individual talent throughout the implementation of strategic, operational, programme, project and individual plans;
• ability to implement plans, mobilize/engage people, identify critical success factors, mitigate risks, monitor indicators and feedback, initiate corrective measure and build capacities for sustainability;
• ability to institute rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to learn from setbacks and mistakes to ensure continuous improvement.