ROLE OVERVIEW

Under the overall guidance and supervision of the Principal Officer, International Negotiations & Codification, the Documentation and Archive Officer will use precise methods in sorting and organizing various forms of information (hard and electronic information) into files and records for the purpose of storing preserving and retrieving them when required.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establishing and maintaining an electronic filing system.
• Scanning, photocopying and storing digital documents.
• Indexing, tracking and setting up easy retrieval system of electronic documents.
• Establish and maintain a records system of file movement within the office; maintenance of the office circulation and reading files.
• Prepare correspondence and reports related to registry activities.
• Participate in meetings and contribute to discussions on the creation and maintenance of an electronic registry/archive system in close cooperation with the ICT staff, a highly flexible archiving solution.
• Ensure document security in archiving.

·       Plan, prepare and implement activities related to the automation of operations and procedures in the Documentation Section of the Legal Affairs Directorate of the ECOWAS Commission.

·       Prospect, identify, examine, select and recommend the acquisition (by purchase, subscription, donation) of information material on any support, relevant to the activities of the Directorate of Legal Affairs and those of other Departments of the Organization.

·       Process (catalog, index, summarize, analyze and categorize) the relevant information material that meets and / or is likely to meet the needs of the users of the Documentation Unit.

·       Review, compile and recommend web links to sources and resources of electronic information.

·       Oversee the process of issuing Certificates of Exemption for the import of small arms to Member States (review of the documentation accompanying the applications, analysis of the reasoned opinion given by the Departments in charge of Political Affairs, the Peace and Security, PAPS, write draft letters to Member States, prepare and submit, at the signature of the President, Certificates of Exemption, sending the signed Certificates to the diplomatic representations of the requesting States;

·       Support the legal advisers with documents required for fulfillment of their responsibilities.

·       Perform other duties assigned by the line supervisor.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

·       Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Law, with a specialization in International, Administrative or Commercial Law from a recognized university.

·       5 years progressively practice experience as a lawyer in the legal office of an intergovernmental organization or government.

·       Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to international law.

·       Knowledge and understanding of international law; theories, concepts and approaches relevant to organized crime, illicit trafficking, drug demand reduction, etc.

·       Knowledge of relevant regulations and rules of international organizations, as well as of applicable jurisprudence; legal and administrative expertise to analyze a diverse range of issues and problems, in the context of the disciplinary process, and to develop innovative and creative solutions and to litigate employment-related matters.

AGE LIMIT:

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

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

·       Ability to get groups to work together cooperatively, by enlisting active involvement, creating a climate for respect and openness, and applying effective techniques for group facilitation, explore their potentials, motivate them and guide them.

·       Organizes and leads cross-divisional work group in developing creative solutions to address problems and or leads a small group of entry level professionals and administrative support staff.

·       Well-developed on—the-job training techniques paired with excellent coaching and mentoring skills; knowledge of new staff orientation approaches to facilitate understanding of the position and organization.

·       Ability to assign work to employees and provides timely and consistent feedback regarding technical proficiency and effectiveness.

·       Knowledge of project management at the level usually acquired from a certification in Project Management (e.g. Prince2 or Project Management Professional PMP).

·       Ability to consider the impact of a shift in programmatic direction to the needs of internal and external clients.

·       Ability to promote and consider staff feedback to streamline processes in order to meet deadlines of relevance to client expectations; ability to consistently maintain composure and direction in high- pressure situations.

·       Well-developed problem solving, mediation and conflict resolution skills to address discrepancies, complaints, bottle necks, time constraints affecting quality and quantity of client services.

·       Ability to anticipate growing client needs and expectations to continuously improve quality, and timelines and service delivery, addressing client questions in a timely manner.

·       Ability to communicate openly with clients/stakeholders, keeping them informed of progress and issues requiring attention/resolutions.

·       Excellent judgement and ability to implement programmatic changes in a manner that ensures a bias-free work environment and fair and equitable application to new rules/regulations.

·       Demonstrated experience and ability to adhere to policies, goals, objectives, and principles of valuing diversity in performing everyday duties and responsibilities; promoting/modeling behaviors that demonstrate tolerance and understanding of various cultures.

·       Ability to build value from leveraging diverse capabilities and inputs from various cultures, staff and clients.

·       ability to seek out best practices to make organizational decisions of relevance to diversity management, ensuring that project and program activities identify vulnerable areas and contain systemic checks.

·       Excellent knowledge of ECOWAS institutions and how the different organs relate to each other, particularly as it relates to own work sector/programs.

·       Broad knowledge of ECOWAS legal framework with a sound knowledge of approaches to policy and program development as well as project management normally acquired through certification.

·       Well-developed knowledge of the rules, processes and procedures of ECOWAS, of pertinence to tasks related to own position.

·       Broad knowledge of member states trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities relates to sector/programme assigned to own position.

·       Creativity and flexibility to deviate from traditional methods in developing new procedures, processes and tools, using technology to simplify methods and approaches whenever possible.

·       Ability to re-evaluate current procedures and suggest improvements to ensure an effective, streamlined process.

·       Ability to gather and summarize information to predict stakeholder views on a new policy/programme; and excellent analytical skills to assess external policies and trends when reviewing policy/programme options, pros, cons and recommendations.

·       Ability to synthesize complex information gathered from a variety of external sources and disseminates it to others in a logical manner.

·       Ability to apply appropriate methodology to discover or identify policy issues and resource concerns.

·       Ability to evaluate, incorporate, and communicate the latest developments in specialty areas (i.e. in specific sector or program areas) using institution/agency guidelines and criteria.

·       Well-developed interpersonal, negotiation, networking and presentation skills with proven abilities to influence, explain complex information and demonstrate empathy and open-mindedness.

·       Ability to demonstrate operational proficiency in the use of computer in communicating using technology tools such as email, word processing, excel, power point, collaborative software, graphic software.

·       Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, either with electronic or print media.

·       Fluency in one of the three ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese)

·       Good knowledge of internal planning cycles and ability to contribute to the development and to implement Community-wide or institution policy by determining target audience, building coalitions with the appropriate population, and monitor progress.

·       Ability to consider external circumstances, factors and trends when organizing project activities to ensure the best outcomes.

·       Ability to review process outcomes, correspondence, reports, and policy documents to develop sound and achievable plans.

·       Ability to conduct meetings with staff, stakeholders, colleagues and others to ascertain organizational, program and/or project needs, adjusting plans and activities accordingly.

·       Ability to adjust project plans based on input from staff and stakeholders and/or ability to design and implement guidelines, tools and templates to accommodate new or revised programmes and services.