Human Resources Development Officer in Health 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: Human Resources Development Officer in Health

Job Code: 20003473
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso - Burkina Faso
Job Status: Permanent
Grade: P5
Directorate: Healthcare Services
Division: Human Resources Development in Health
Line Supervisor: Director, Healthcare Services
Institution: West African Health Organization (WAHO)
Supervising: Nursing and Midwifery, Medical, Pharmacy and Allied Health

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Director, Healthcare Services, the incumbent shall provide leadership in the implementation of a full range of activities in support of Human Resource Development for Health Division, in collaboration with appropriate professional groups, training institutions, and other key partners.
• He/she shall also supervise the implementation of the Nursing and midwifery, Medical and Pharmacy and Allied Health programmes.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Develop and implement Human Resources for Health Policies and Plans for member
• Organize meetings of the Technical Committee for Human Resources Development for Health.
• Coordinate the mutual recognition of the qualifications of Health Professionals in the ECOWAS region.
• Coordinate the preparation of the Division’s
• Ensure the efficient and effective use of such resources in compliance with ECOWAS Financial Regulations and Procedures.
• Support the different programme officers by creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, and mutual
• Coordinate basic, post-basic, graduate, and post-graduate training of all categories of medical and Allied Health professionals.
• Coordinate the exchange of health personnel and health technology among Member States.
• Identify and facilitate the accreditation of Institutions in the region that can offer training of all categories of health professionals at all levels.
• Coordinate the harmonization of post-graduate programmes, certificates, and diplomas in the ECOWAS region.
• Ensure that the harmonized curricula are adapted to the health service needs of Member Countries.
• Provide technical assistance in the strengthening of training institutions to enable them to meet the accreditation criteria of the harmonized
• Source for sponsorship funding for the training of health care professionals and Community Health workers.
• Organize courses, seminars, and workshops for dissemination of information and for the continuous professional education of health personnel at all levels based on identified training needs of Member states and current
• Organize the exchange of trainers and trainees amongst Institutions within the
• Work with training institutions to develop innovative learning strategies such as distance learning, and e-learning that reflect Member States’ health
• Coordinate the development of work plans with clear objectives and achievement benchmarks, (short-term and long-term priorities), implementation plans, financial projections, and tools for evaluation.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualification and Experience

• Candidates must be a Medical Doctor with a Master's Degree in Medicine or Public Health or Health Economics or Health Sciences or relevant qualification in a similar discipline from a recognized University.
• 10 years of professional experience in the health sector, and 5 years at a supervisory
• Ability to manage multi-disciplinary healthcare
• Knowledge of intra, inter-regional and international healthcare
• Knowledge of healthcare delivery, theories, principles, and methods in West Africa.
• Knowledge of policy analysis and development and strategic program

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
• 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
• Excellent self-management skills, demonstrating ethics and integrity, confidentiality and displaying due regards for internal controls of rules, delegations, and
• 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.
• 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
• Ability to manage and coordinate client management initiatives and make
• Ability to develop and implement best practices in client
• 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
• Ability to be diplomatic, tactful, and respectful 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
• Ability to create a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths bringing together innovative practices.
• 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
• Ability to serve the interest of culturally diverse multinational teams/organizations/communities and persons with disability without prejudice and
• Understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, associated dynamics and expectations as required to collaborate, participate, contribute, and lead
• 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
• 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 to appropriately interpret and apply directive text, provide technical advice, coach others, and assess performanc
• 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 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 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.
• Ability to listen intently and correctly interpret messages from others and respond
• Accomplished technical writing and editing
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Annual Salary
UA 53,809.91 / USD 84,901.27

Application Closing Date
6th November, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their attached CV, Motivation Letter, and correctly filled Job Application form to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Note: Assessment of qualified candidates may include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.