ECOWAS Volonteer post of Administrative and Legal Assistant

Job Title: Administrative and Legal Assistant

Duty Station: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Category: National ECOWAS Volunteer

Type of Contract: ECOWAS Volunteers Programme. Non-Family Position

Expected start date: 1^st July 2023

Duration: One (01) year, with the possibility for renewal (depending on budget availability and satisfactory performance)

Deadline for Application: 21^st June 2023

ToR ADMINISTRATIVE & LEGAL ASSISTANT_June 2023 (For donwload)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded by the Treaty of Lagos, in May 1975 and is a regional group of fifteen countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The aim of the Community is to promote co-operation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to raise the living standards of its peoples, and to maintain and enhance economic stability, foster relations-among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African continent.

Through its departments and various agencies, ECOWAS is implementing critical and strategic programmes that will deepen cohesion and progressively eliminate identified barriers to full integration. In this way, the citizens of the community can ultimately take ownership for the realization of the new vision of moving from an ECOWAS of States to an “ECOWAS of the People: Peace and Prosperity for All” by 2050.

Toward the achievement of this vision, the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), which was created by the Decision A/DEC.13/01/05 of 19^th January 2005 at Accra, Ghana as a specialized Agency, is implementing policies, activities and strategic action plans, as well as the ECOWAS vision in the areas of youth and sports, including the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP) under the Human Development and Social Affairs Department of the ECOWAS Commission. It is based in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) under the headquarters agreement signed between the Burkina Faso authorities and the ECOWAS Commission.

The EYSDC implements her policies, activities and strategic action plans, as well as the ECOWAS vision in the areas of youth and sports, including the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme. The EYSDC’s objective is to initiate, develop, coordinate and implement youth and sports programmes within the Community. To this end, it works to:

• mobilise the different segments of the population to ensure their integration and effective participation in the social development of the region, as well as the promotion of youth organisations and professional associations to ensure maximum participation in the activities of the Community;
• provide a permanent institutional framework within ECOWAS through which issues related to Youth and Sports activities in the sub-region can be developed and promoted.

Since its official launch in Monrovia, Liberia on 26 March 2010, the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP) has devoted time, resources and expertise to promoting regional unity, peace, and development through volunteerism. The ECOWAS volunteers, young male and female Community citizens, have kept faith with the ECOWAS vision of a community of people supporting people, and demonstrated their collective conviction that peace-building and reconciliation can be useful development tools for establishing peace in member States and across West Africa region.

The ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP) is a demand-driven flagship programme of the ECOWAS Commission. It seeks to harness and inject the expertise and professional and personal contributions of mainly young citizens into the process of the implementation of national development agenda of their host countries and communities. And as they do so, they also build and develop their own capacities through contacts with their new professional and social-cultural environments and the lessons derived therefrom.

The EVP is centralized in organisation, but decentralized in its application to allow for flexibility and adaptation to the current realities of each country. The strategic directions, including the formulation of the overall vision, goals and objectives of the Programme, is the responsibility of the Regional Coordination Council (RCC), whose role, among others, is to ensure that the EVP becomes a genuine voluntary arm of ECOWAS.

Being a cross-cutting programme, the ECOWAS Volunteers Regional Coordination Council (RCC) includes representatives of relevant departments of the ECOWAS Commission. The RCC is chaired by the Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender of the ECOWAS Commission. She is assisted by the Director of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), as Alternate Chairman of the RCC.

The executive arm of the RCC is the Regional Office, provided by the EYSDC in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The programme’s regional coordination activities are coordinated by a Regional Coordinator under the supervision of the EYSDC Director. Although the EVP is under the Youth Division of the EYSDC, it is directly supervised by the EYSDC Director for effectiveness.

At the National level, the National Coordination Council (NCC) serves as the national body through which national policy guidelines for the Programme are given. This Council works towards the understanding and entrenchment of the Volunteer Programme in the national environment. It also serves as advisor to the country office, which is responsible for the coordination of the Programme at national level. The NCC is chaired by the Head of the ECOWAS National Office in the country. It is made up of Focal Points/Representatives of the various ministries, Civil Society Organisations, United Nations Agencies and local youth associations involved in the implementation of the Programme at the National level.

Under the supervision of the Head of Administration and Finance of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), the Administrative/Legal Assistant will provide administrative, legal, secretarial, and logistic support to the EYSDC in Burkina Faso.

S/He will:

1. Coordination of Legal Support to the EYSDC

1. In coordination with the Legal Directorate of the ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, provide legal assistance to EYSDC on initial drafts of legal documents, interpretation of, and advice on the next steps in respect of internal and external claims in compliance with ECOWAS regulations.
2. Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, financial support agreements, partnership agreements, and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) for EYSDC.
3. Liaise with all EYSDC programme officers to monitor and ensure the effective and proper application/implementation of all terms and procedures of agreements and contracts with partners and service providers, including volunteers, contract staff and interns.

2. Coordination of Procurement Support to EYSDC

1. In coordination with the EYSDC programme team, identify the operational needs, develop, and submit to the EYSDC Administration unit, procurement needs for inclusion in ECOWAS Annual Procurement Plan.
2. Support the control and implementation of EYSDC procurement activities for works, goods, services, insurance, contract award, and contract management in line with the ECOWAS Procurement Code and Procurement manual.
3. Monitor the system to ensure that goods, works, and services are engaged in direct support of the work program implementation, deliver in fit for purpose, and monitor payments to vendors and individual contractors for services rendered.

3. Coordination of Logistics Support to EYSDC

1. Facilitate the obtainment of administrative documents necessary for the proper functioning of the office including working with the protocol team to process diplomatic privileges and immunities, shipment/freights, customs clearances, etc.
2. Ensure procedures for store management for office supplies and inventory of fixed assets; and the quality of the Office facilities – workspaces, property and equipment, service provision, transport and fleet management, courier, logistics, safety, and security.
3. Provide logistical support, including, but not limited to organizing travels, workshops, meetings, and trainings.

4. Coordination of Administrative Support to EYSDC

1. Provide administrative assistance to the Head of Administration and Finance and all staff of the EYSDC, as necessary.
2. Support administrative functions by ensuring established processes and tools facilitate administrative activities, including document circulation, conferences/meetings management, protocols, privileges, immunities, etc.
3. Prepare correspondence, directives, and take minutes of the regular meetings and maintain a reliable filing system and ensure regular follow-up on related correspondences.
4. Scan, photocopy, and mail documents on request.
5. Perform other official duties as required.

Education:

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent certificate in the Law, Public Administration, Social sciences, Management, or similar areas.
• Candidates with a higher or post graduate educational qualification in the relevant fields may be given priority.

Experience:

• 3 years’ experience in administrative, law or related work

Core skills set:

• Legal or contract development and management experience is essential.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other accountancy software;
• Good report writing and analytical skills;
• Good interpersonal skills;
• Familiarity with ECOWAS rules, regulations and procedures and/or previous work experience with a regional or international organization will be considered an advantage.

Additional skills must include:

• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team
• Good oral and written communication skills
• People management skills
• Good analytical skills
• Leadership skills
• Detail orientation

Knowledge of volunteerism will be an asset.

Language requirements:

Excellent writing and oral French language skills are compulsory.

Knowledge of a second official language of ECOWAS (English and/or Portuguese) will be considered an asset/advantage.

The application should consist of:

• A letter of application/motivation signed and addressed to the Director, ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso;
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae highlighting specific experiences and skills of the candidate;
• Copies of diplomas and certificates/work certificates (originals or certified true copies will be required for sighting before deployment);
• A police criminal record report of less than three months (will be required before assumption of duty).
• A copy of the National Identity Card or International Passport.

Applications must be submitted no later than 21^st June 2023, via email to the address: eysdc.nevlegaladmin@ecowasvolunteers.com (and CC: cdjs@ecowas.int) with the title: Application for the Post of EVP Administrative/Legal Assistant on the subject line.

To avoid disqualification, all the applicants are required to:

• Submit their application via email with this subject title,
• Group all their documents into one (1) single PDF document,
• Meet the deadline mentioned above.

An initial contract for 12 months will be offered with a monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of 683.13 USD or its equivalent in local currency.

Other allowances as provided for in the Conditions of Service of ECOWAS Volunteers, will also be paid.

At the beginning of the assignment, and only where applicable, a settling-in grant will be paid, and a resettlement grant will be provided at the end of the assignment.

A life and health insurance cover for the incumbent of the position will be provided.

Other conditions of service as stipulated in the EVP Management and Administration Procedures Manual and Handbook of Conditions of Service shall apply.

The position is open to ONLY Nationals of Burkina Faso, aged not more than 35 years by the date of recruitment.

This position is considered a non-family national ECOWAS Volunteer position, with supervisory duties.

ECOWAS is committed to promoting gender equality and equity. To this end, female candidates are strongly encouraged.

ECOWAS reserves the right to terminate the recruitment process without notice.

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.