Principal Officer, Financial Institutions & Non Financial Entities 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, Financial Institutions & Non Financial Entities

Location: Dakar, Senegal
Institution: GIABA
Directorate: Evaluation And Compliance
Division: Financial Institutions & Non Financial Entities
Line Supervisor: Director of Evaluation And Compliance
Status: Permanent
Grade: P5

Role Overview

• Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Director of Evaluation and Compliance, the Principal Officer, Financial Institutions and Non-Financial Entities Division shall oversee the implementation of AML/CFT preventive measures in the regional financial and non-financial sectors, coordinate the development and revision AML/CFT framework of member States in relation to the Financial and Non-Financial sectors; coordinate engagements with regulatory authorities and financial intelligence unit in GIABA member States on AML/CFT matters; coordinate mutual evaluations exercise independently or in collaboration with other staff of the Secretariat.

Roles And Responsabilities

• Provide leadership and strategic guidance and coordination of the activities of the Division (Financial Institutions and Non-Financial Entities Units)
• Participate fully in mutual evaluations of member States
• Coordinate GIABA engagement with FIUs and regulatory authorities in member States as well as the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.
• Coordinate the identification, design and implementation of capacity building activities in the division
• Supervise the organization of capacity building activities on issues in the Financial Institutions and Non-Financial Entities for relevant stakeholders in member States
• Coordinate the development and revision AML/CFT framework of Member States in the Financial Institutions and Non-Financial Entities;
• Collaborate with other officers of the Secretariat on new developments with respect to AML/CFT compliance issues
• Participate in other capacity building activities organized by other units or divisions of the Secretariat
• Coordinate the division’s inputs into revision of FATF Standards; Methodology; Guidance and Best Practice papers; Universal ME Procedures; and GIABA ME Processes and Procedure and other instruments for the purpose of improving the AML/CFT compliance by member States
• Participate in FATF Working Group and plenary meetings as part of GIABA delegation where necessary
• Support the Director of Evaluation and Compliance in the organization of GIABA Statutory meetings (TC/Plenary; GMC and any other fora)
• Coordinate the inputs from the division into Annual reports, Strategic Plans, Annual Work Plan or any other relevant publications of GIABA and/or members of the AML/CFT Global Network
• Participate in the mutual evaluations and training activities of other assessment bodies, either as an expert or delegate.
• Liaise and coordinate with National Correspondents in determining areas of collaboration that would facilitate implementation of effective AML/CFT measures in the member States
• Support the Director of Compliance and Evaluation in engaging with Member States on issues relating to the effective implementation of AML/CFT measures
• Undertake annual performance evaluation of staff of the division
• Perform any other functions as maybe assigned by the Director of Compliance and Evaluation.

Academic Qualifications And Experience

• Master’s degree in Economics; Banking; Finance or relevant related field from a recognised University
• 10 years of cognite work experience in financial sector development in the relevant national and international organisations (FIU; FSRB; Egmont Group; IFIs; etc), Financial Institutions and Non-Financial Entities with in-depth knowledge in the implementation of AML/CFT preventive measures including at least 3 years of international work experience in AML/CFT and 5 years at a supervisory level
• Practical experience in financial sector development especially in West Africa, and particularly good understanding of financial products and services; Anti Money Laundering/Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) preventive measures; etc.
• Proven knowledge in Anti Money Laundering/Counter Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) issues (FATF Standards; FATF Methodology; etc.) and compliance related issues
• Experience in conducting AML/CFT mutual evaluations is desirable
• Good knowledge of the operations of financial intelligence units and Egmont Group activities
• Substantive knowledge of ECOWAS AML/CFT legal framework of Member States at national, supra-national and regional 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 fulfillment 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 terms 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 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 added 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 57,772.51 -  USD 91,153.46

Application Closing Date
19th November, 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: [email protected]

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)

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