Programme Officer - Intellectual Property 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: Programme Officer - Intellectual Property

Ref.: ECW/HR/18041922
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Grade: P3/P4
Department: Education, Science & Culture
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Directorate: Education, Science and Culture
Division: Arts and Culture
Line Supervising: PPO Arts and Culture
Supervising: Programme Assistant
Status: Permanent

Role Overview

• The Programme Officer – Intellectual Property reports to the Arts and Culture Division but works closely with all departments involved in the management of intellectual property. S/he is responsible for the implementation of all tasks related to intellectual property, including literary and artistic property and industrial property.
• S/he is tasked with contributing to the development of strategies and policies relating to intellectual property and monitoring and implementation of projects in his/her area of expertise.

Roles And Responsibilities

• Plan and monitor the implementation of activities related to the development of intellectual property;
• Ensure the implementation of projects and action plans in the area of literary and artistic property and industrial property, in accordance with the guidelines given by his/her line manager or other departments involved in intellectual property matters.
• Monitor the implementation of resolutions and decisions of ECOWAS governing bodies in the field of intellectual property;
• Prepare and submit progress and assessment reports to his/her line manager on the implementation of intellectual property projects;
• Perform any other task that may be assigned Commissioners, Directors or Heads of Division in the normal course of his/her duties in the field of intellectual property
• Prepare, plan, implement and monitor the intellectual property budget
• Seek funding for the implementation of intellectual property projects;
• Develop an intellectual property database;
• Ensure the monitoring and coordination of exchanges with other ECOWAS institutions involved in intellectual property matters;
• Ensure the visibility of initiatives in the field of intellectual property
• Develop international cooperation in the field of intellectual property,
• Develop, within the scope of the work, constructive and close cooperation links with other stakeholders involved in intellectual property.
• Provide expertise in the implementation of intellectual property projects and programmes;
• Plan and monitor possible recruitment or cooperation needs with consultants in the field of intellectual property;
• Plan for human resources capacity building in the intellectual property sector;
• Propose an innovative approach to programme management, taking into account scientific opportunities and new technologies
• Perform his/her technical tasks in line with the expected outcomes in the field of intellectual property, in particular its literary and artistic property component.

Academic Qualifications And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Law, Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences, or in a field related to intellectual property from a recognised university.
• 5 years of professional experience including relevant international work;
• Solid knowledge of ECOWAS policy on intellectual policy and related areas,
• Good knowledge of international or regional organisations working in the field of intellectual property.

Age Limit:

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

Ecowas Key Competencies

• Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
• Ability to lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities;
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to proactively interact and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect, credibility and professionalism clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigate issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
• Interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
• Ability to advise, consult and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established client service standards.
• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply judgement, tact and diplomacy;
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbias and transparent manner.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies
• Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals;
• Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities;
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.
• Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees;
• Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
• Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals.
• Demonstrate operational computer proficiency using appropriate tools;
• Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means;
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• 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.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks.
• Ability to develop, implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals;
• Identify, organize and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution;
• Ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others to set and meet deadlines;
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.

Annual Salary
UA 39,73872 USD 62,699.75/ UA 46,539.98 USD 73,430

Application Closing Date
24th August, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the Application Form below, fill it out correctly; attach a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation Letter and send to: b1IntellecPropertP@ecowas.int

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)

Click here for more information