Job Recruitment 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 Program Officer (PPO), Surveillance and Early Warning - P5
Ref.: ECW/HR/08051935
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: P5
Department: Office of the Director General
Institution: West African Health Organisation (WAHO)
Agency: Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCDC)
Line Supervisor: Executive Director
Directorate: Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control (RCDC)
Supervising: Specialist Health Events & Communication Officer
Role Overview
- Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the incumbent shall ensure early detection of threats to public health, and assess, design and support the implementation of appropriate intervention strategies to enable the Community and the Member States cushion the effects of these threats.
Role and Responsibilities
- Lead the preparation and Implementation of the Regional Health Surveillance and Early warning Policy;
- Monitor the implementation of the Regional Health Surveillance and Early warning Policy;
- Monitor the implementation of targeted actions on disease prevention and control in West Africa;
- Coordinate public health-related data and information on countries’ response capacity during health emergency outbreak;
- Provide Management with situational analysis of member countries health status for timely decision making and appropriate actions;
- Provide technical support for preparedness and response to major health risks particularly in the field of infectious diseases and cross-border events that pose serious threats to public health;
- Coordinate the activities of the network of National Coordinating Institutions (NCIs)/ National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs)/ national CDCs in ECOWAS Member States;
Academic Qualifications and Experience
- Master's degree (or equivalent) in Public Health, Epidemiology or related relevant field from a recognized university ;
- 10 years of professional experience including 5 years at a supervisory level;
- Knowledge in management and implementation of complex public health programs involving management of epidemics, health surveillance and health emergencies
- Knowledge of principles and practices of epidemics and health emergencies management;
- Experience in national and international deployment of multidisciplinary investigation teams;
- Experience in implementation of surveillance and disease control strategies;
- Experience in surveillance and emerging and re-emerging diseases;
- Experience in the organization of health systems, policies and health professionals training
Age Limit:
- Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.
Ecowas Key Competencies
- Ability to lead in assigned programmes and projects by providing the necessary managerial and operational expertise required for the fulfilment of the organization’s mandate;
- 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;
- Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
- Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity, confidentiality and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency;
- Knowledge of program management at the level usually acquired from a certification in program management.
- 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 develop and implement best practices in client services;
- 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.
- Ability to be diplomatic, tactful 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 remain objective in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences /positions, gender differences, and encourage other staff to overcome cultural and gender bias and differences;
- Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
- Ability to serve the interest of culturally diverse multinational
- Teams / organizations / communities and persons with disability without prejudice and bias.
- Understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute and lead effectively;
- Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political and social situation and trends in member states, as pertains to own scope of work;
- Knowledge of international best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects or initiatives;
- Ability to use ECOWAS rules and procedures to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
- Ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the cause of problems, consequences of alternative causes of action, potential obstacles and ways to avoid the problem in the future;
- Ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple termsto 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 or disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable or no longer effective.
- 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;
- Accomplished technical writing and editing skills;
- 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;
- Ability to give constructive feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance;
- Computer literate and proficiency in information communication technologies(ICT), including the use of analytical databases;
- 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 advantage.
- 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 use participatory approach in project planning and identify gaps affecting the achievement of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans required to build the desired task;
- Ability to implement rigorous monitoring and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs;
- Ability to plan, organize, control resources, and to comply with policies, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
Annual Salary
UA 66,123.98/USD 104,330.42
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to:
[email protected]
Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)
Job Title: Director Regional Centre for Surveillance Disease and Control
Ref.: ECW/HR/08051936
Location: Abuja,Nigeria
Grade: D1
Department: Office of the Director General
Institution: West African Health Organisation (WAHO)
Agency: Regional Centre for Surveillance Disease and Control
Type of Contract: Four (4) Years Term, renewable for a final term
Line Supervisor: Director General, WAHO
Directorate: Regional Centre for Surveillance Disease and Control
Supervising: P.P.O, Surveillance & Early Warning, P.P.O, Laboratory Services, P.P.O, Health Emergency & Disaster Management, Head, Administration & Finance, Relevant “Seconded” Staff, eg from Africa CDC
Role Overview
- Under the supervision of the Director General of WAHO, under the control of the Governing Board and in accordance with the rules of procedures, the Executive Director shall be responsible for the overall management of the ECOWAS Regional Centre for Surveillance and Disease Control programmes with a view to curbing epidemics and disease outbreak in the region.
- S/he will provide technical assistance to ECOWAS Member States in strengthening their capacities for more efficient control and prevention of diseases and other emergencies through strengthened disease surveillance and rapid response to emergencies and put in place tested mechanisms to respond to emergencies when they arise.
Role and Responsibilities
- Encourage research and human capital development;
- Align the Centre’s activities with that of Africa CDC;
- Liaise with the Director of Africa CDC and the Heads of Member States’ NCIs/NPHIs
- Perform any other duty as might be assigned by the supervisor.
- Lead the development of the Center’s strategic framework ;
- Develop an action plan for the implementation of the strategic plan;
- Lead the development of the Center’s Annual Plan;
- Monitor the Implementation of the annual work programmes and approved decisions;
- Control the financial expenditure of the Centre;
- Validate the statement of income and expenditure;
- Submit regular financial reports to WAHO;
- Submit annual activity reports to WAHO;
Academic Qualifications and Experience
- Experience in the implementation of surveillance and disease control strategies;
- Experience in management and implementation of complex public health programs;
- Experience in national and international deployment of multidisciplinary health investigation teams;
- Experience of public health work in Africa will be an advantage
- Master's degree in Medicine, Public Health, Epidemiology or Health Sciences of equal relevance from a recognized university;
- 12 years of professional experience in Public Health including at least 6 years of relevant international work and 5 years at a supervisory level;
- Technical experience in disease surveillance/laboratory services and response preparedness;
- Knowledge of principles and practices of epidemics and health emergencies management;
- Ability to develop health programme frameworks;
- Knowledge of health emergencies, disaster management, early warning and laboratory services issues ;
Age Limit:
- Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.
ECOWAS Key Competencies:
- 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.
- 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 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 andfree 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 sensitiveand 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 impactand makerecommendations;
- 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 communicate with clarity and conviction, make compelling presentations which promotes new insights, ideas and perspectives and a better understanding of issues and challenges;
- Excellent negotiation and conflict management skills focusing on building and nurturing effective and collaborative relationships;
- Computer literate and 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 advantage.
- Ability to prepare plans, 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 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 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.
Annual Salary
UA 81,435.54 / USD 128.488.99
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to:
[email protected]
Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)
Application Deadline 12th July, 2019.