Principal Officer, Administration and Finance 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 Officer, Administration and Finance
Location: Praia, Cape Verde
Grade: P5
Status: Permanent
Agency: ECOWAS Centre Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE)
Department: Energy & Mines
Directorate: Ecowas Centre Renewable Energy And Energy Efficiency (ECREEE)
Division: Administration and Finance
Line Supervisor: Director, Administration, Finance & ICT
Supervising: Admin Officer; Finance Officer; Communication Officer
Role Overview
- Under the supervision of the Director Administration, Finance and ICT, the incumbent will coordinate, lead and supervise all activities related to administration, finance and communication at ECREEE.
Role and Responsibilities
- Coordinate and ensure compliance with financial procedures of the various financing agreements of the Centre and the manual of procedures;
- Assist in the implementation of ECOWAS financial regulations and procedures;
- Supervise the accountant to operate and keep the special accounts up-to-date:
- Set up a recording and filing system of the vouchers and financial documents of the Centre;
- Create and implement a management control system;
- Manage the organization of the postage and postal services of the organization;
- Ensure the preparation of the budget of the organization;
- Ensure donor fund management and reporting;
- Prepare and present monthly financial statements, especially quarterly management and financial reports for the ECOWAS Finance Department, donors and Board reviews;
- Ensure compliance with financial procedures of the various financing agreements of the Centre, the manual of procedures and the manuals of operations;
- Ensure the management of special accounts and follow up the direct payments;
- Follow up the invoices of the suppliers and prepare for payments;
- Oversee the preparation of periodic reports on the status of the accounts and bank reconciliations;
- Ensure the management of special accounts and follow up the direct payments;
- Supervise administration and human resources management activities such as: keep personal files, subscription to health insurance contracts, payment of social contributions and pension, follow-up documents with social organizations, monitor staff retirement, performance appraisals, training, recruitment, salaries and other benefits, staff welfare, etc.
- Supervise activities related to Communication and visibility within the Centre;
- Ensure the induction of new recruits, trainees and interns;
- Manage staff travels and missions;
- Ensure smooth operation of the ongoing administrative functions including work environment, space, equipment and information retrieval system;
- Assist in identifying the operational needs and develop and support the implementation of the organisation’s Annual Procurement Plan;
- Supervise the bookkeeping and cash management of the Centre;
- Coordinate and prepare data and information necessary for internal and external audit missions;
- Participate in drafting the mid-term and annual reports on the activities of the Centre;
- Support the management in creating financial data relating to the project Cycle;
- Prepare and monitor the implementation of the Centre budgets and analyze implementation variations;
- Supervise preparation of monthly financial statements, especially quarterly management and financial reports for the annual donor reviews;
- Participate to the establishment Administrative, Financial and Accounting Manuals of Procedures and/or Operations for negotiated projects or grants of the Centre;
- Undertake any other official mission assigned to him/her by the superiors.
Academic Qualifications and Experience
- Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Administration and Finance, Business Administration, or in a similar discipline from a recognized University;
- Knowledge of ECOWAS financial regulations and procedures and an ability to apply them;
- Demonstrated ability to provide technical advice on a broad range of administrative, financial and accountancy areas;
- Demonstrated knowledge in network development to support financial data.
- Membership in Accounting or Management, Administration would be an advantage.
- 10 years of professional experience in procurement, human resources, administration, managing finance and budget operations in an international or multinational organizations including 5 years at a supervisory level;
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 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 ECOWAS best practices, program management approaches and research techniques to lead and/or contribute to the development or assessment of programs, projects or initiatives;
- Knowledge of the ECOWAS rules and procedures in order to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
- 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.
- Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity, confidentiality and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency;
- 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 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 create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices;
- Organizational and project/program management skills with significant experience identifying timelines, targets, costs and resources necessary to deliver on operational/program/project outputs in line with result based management approach;
- 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 plan, organize, control resources, and to comply with policies, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.
- Ability to analyze a situation by using indicators to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in making decisions;
- 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 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;
- 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;
Annual Salary
- UA50,852.49, USD80,235.06.
Application Deadline 8th August, 2020.