Principal Programme Officer, Language Coordination at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Job Title: Principal Programme Officer, Language Coordination

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Director, Conference and Protocol, the incumbent will co-ordinate and ensure production of quality language services by the staff under his/her supervision, at the Commission and other locations as directed by the hierarchy. S/he will be responsible for ensuring that language services in ECOWAS are effectively and efficiently managed and are of the highest possible quality and provided within appropriate time frames.
• S/He will deploy project management skills in the scheduling of language teams for overlapping meeting and events.
• S/He will manage both stand-alone translation requests and translation projects and assign translations to staff translators, freelancers and translation firms.
• S/He will produce schedules reflecting deployment of language staff as well as ‘status of translation’ spreadsheets and translation logs.
• S/He will directly supervise Language Assistants for support tasks be they administrative, research or communication with clients and language staff/freelancers/service providers.

Role and Responsibilities

• Co-ordinate and supervise the activities of the Language Division.
• Participate in (only as the need arises) and supervise Interpretation Services and ensure timely and quality service delivery.
• Supervise requests for translation & revision of relevant documents, primarily for the working languages of the Community and any other language combination which may be required occasionally.
• Assist in creation of translation memory:
• Support the preparation of necessary technical details, and draft of request for language services from external providers
• Supervise the preparation and dispatch to clients of technical requirements for SIE equipment
• Supervise the conduct of sound tests ahead of large high-level events
• Supervise the scheduling of teams for RSI (remote simultaneous interpretation), while upholding the Directorate’s ‘Guidelines on Remote Simultaneous Interpretation ‘
• Supervise compliance with the ‘Language Policy’
• Supervise compliance with the SOPs for Language Division
• Maintain with the support of language staff and updated terminology database to be fed into Translation Memory and AI tools
• Co-ordinate the hiring and scheduling of Interpreters and Translators during sessions of institutions /agencies, departments and other meetings of the Commission.
• Design, prepare schedules reflecting resource distribution and determine distribution of capacity
• Supervise relevant administrative support as provided by the Language Assistants, which shall include research, obtaining of working documents, preparation of contracts etc
• Act as immediate administration of the database of external language services providers.
• Approve under confirmation from hierarchy request related to language services
• Manage staff under his/her supervision, providing mentorship where necessary
• Determine strategies and methods to sensitize Management about language needs for both staff and in interest of institution
• Finalise draft budgets for funding of language services in line with approved standard rates.
• Provide client directorates with budgets and costing for language services when so required
• Ensure that standard rates are reflected in contracts prepared for freelancers for all components (honorarium. Per diem, travel days, etc)
• Build effective liaison and supportive communication with internal /external clients in discussion to determine required language support and language needs for meetings, conferences etc.
• Draft and dispatch after approval and upon instruction relevant internal and external technical documents and correspondences directed to both staff and third parties:
• Prepare periodic reports on activities and related information for immediate hierarchy
• Support hierarchy to coordinate projects which introduce new technologies, including AI, machine translation, speech to text etc
• Plan the development of language services.
• Supervise and coordinate along with the hierarchy and appropriately profiled colleagues, training and capacity building for colleagues and potential candidates for the freelancer’s roster.
• Providing direction to team on the planning, development, and implementation of interpretation/translation services
• Provide occasional out of hours support.
• Perform any other duties as may be required from time to time

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Translation (Revisor) from a recognized University/Institution.
• 10 years of experience in translation, interpretation or revision (at least four of which should have been revision experience), and use of relevant computer software, electronic tools and databases.
• Excellent writing and analytical skills; highest standards of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the style and nuances of the original text.
• Familiarity with computer-assisted translation tools, machine translation tools and on-screen editing tools.
• Knowledge of terminological and reference research techniques with ability to use all sources of reference and information and to conduct complex research in accordance with established standards.
• Demonstrated experience in the use of relevant computer assisted translation software’s/ tools.
• Demonstrated understanding of how to “weigh” interpretation teams.
• Demonstrated professional competence and mastery of subject matter.
• Demonstrate comprehension of every imaginable accent, in addition to coping issues of speed and style.
• Ability to find proper cultural equivalents and take cultural context into account through knowledge of both languages and culture.
• Exhibit highest standards of accuracy, consistency and faithfulness to the style and nuances of the original text/source language(s).
• Ability to maintain highest standards of confidentiality.
• Knowledge of terminological and reference research techniques with ability to use wide variety of references and information.

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 (e.g. establish networks, benchmarks).
• 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.
• Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations and transparency.
• Ability to bring together complementary skills/expertise, assess individual contributions and recognize/address accomplishments and shortcomings in a manner that brings continued success to the organization.
• Knowledge of program management at the level usually acquired from a certification in program management (e.g. Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or Program Management Professional PgMP).
• 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 manage and co-ordinate client management initiatives (e.g. feedback loops, surveys, studies, needs assessments) and make recommendations.
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in client services (e.g. dashboards, incentive management, feedback mechanisms).
• 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.
• Diplomacy, tact 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.
• Ability to remain objective in appraisals, evaluations and in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences positions, gender issues or opinions, and encourages staff to overcome cultural and gender barriers and background differences.
• Ability to serve the interest of a culturally diverse multinational teams/organizations/communities and some disable groups without prejudice, bias or sympathy to a select group.
• Solid understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute and lead effectively.
• Applied knowledge of the Community mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political and social state/trends of member states, especially 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.
• Superior knowledge of the rules and procedures of ECOWAS to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others and assess performance.
• Ability to analyze a situation by way of indicators (e.g. performance, technical) to assess the costs, benefits, risks, and chances for success, in making a decision.
• Ability to pull together information from different sources to identify the source of problems, consequences of alternative courses of action, potential obstacles and ways to avoid the problem in the future.
• Ability to break down very complex situations/information into simple terms (using charts, diagrams, effective expository writing) to 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/disconnects where established methods and procedures are inapplicable, unavailable or no longer effective.
• Proficiency in oral and written French and English languages.
• 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.
• Ability to listen intently and correctly interpret messages from others and respond appropriately.
• Accomplished technical writing skills (e.g. proposals, terms of reference, program assessments, blueprints, business processes) with well-developed editing.
• Ability to give honest feedback, provide recognition, address shortcomings and motivate direct reports to work at peak performance.
• Fluency in one of the three ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese)
• Superior organizational and project/program management skills with significant experience identifying timelines, targets, costs and resources necessary to deliver on operational/program/project outputs.
• 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 identify gaps affecting the achievement of program/project expectations and to design and implement intervention plans required to build the desired capacity (e.g. training, structural realignment, partnerships, reallocation of resources.
• Ability to implement rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to set in place regular reporting schedules relevant to key outputs (e.g. management indicators, project milestones, program results, processing targets).
• Ability to plan, organize, and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Salary
UA 66,123.98 / USD 104,330.42

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is on 30th March, 2025. Therefore, Qualified and interested candidates should send their updated Resume to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Note

• Special notice: Female applications are strongly encouraged.
• Assessment method: Assessment of qualified candidates may include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.