Director of Public Health and Research 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: Director of Public Health and Research

Job Code: 20001123
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Institution: West African Health Organization (WAHO)
Grade: D1
Status: Permanent

Job Summary

• Under the supervision of the Director General, and in close collaboration with other WAHO departments, the incumbent must have technical knowledge, leadership and management experience, and the ability to coordinate the implementation of major programmes and projects.
• He/she will provide leadership and promotion of public health and management of related issues.
• The incumbent will be responsible for interpreting the vision and broad guidelines issued by the governing bodies and the Director General, and for defining and ensuring the achievement of goals and objectives set in line with the institution’s mandate.

Role and Responsibilities

• Communicate in clear terms the vision of the institution to partners, stakeholders, and
• Explain how the Directorate’s activities fit into the vision and put in place the mechanisms to implement assigned tasks.
• Provide leadership to the Directorate in a credible, effective, and impartial
• Mentor the Directorate’s staff by creating a working environment that fosters teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and encourages them to take responsibility and
• Work closely with the other directors of the Institution to ensure effective and efficient implementation of activities.
• Establish a system of individual staff performance planning within the Directorate, using existing performance planning and evaluation tools.
• Supervise and evaluate the performance of the Directorate’s staff and develop annual work plans for the programmes in accordance with the Directorate’s strategic and operational
• Monitor the implementation of the budgeted annual work plans based on the performance of the Directorate.
• Organize the Directorate in an efficient manner, with clear reporting lines, minimal bureaucracy, and an optimal level of delegation of authority and
• Work closely with relevant Directorates to ensure the effective and efficient execution of tasks such as recruitment, performance decisions, staff promotion, and other related
• Contribute to the implementation of the annual operational
• Implement the Annual Work Plan (AWP) and ensure strict adherence to policies and deadlines, without compromising the quality of work.
• Provide instant and periodic feedback to staff on their work and
• Engage in capacity-building efforts for staff to ensure that the necessary skills are available and match expectations with respect to plans, objectives, and existing
• Oversee the public health needs of their communities and develop new programs or initiatives to improve public health outcomes.
• Coordinate the Organization’s public health and research
• In collaboration with sister health institutions within the region, coordinate the systematic, collation, and dissemination of information on the Community’s health status, environmental health, epidemiology, and other health
• Provide overall governance for the implementation of the ECOWAS pharmaceutical
• Investigate the occurrence of health hazards and adverse effects in the
• Monitor the systematic development of detailed information on the magnitude of health problems, duration, trends, location, and population at risk, and evaluate proposed preventative or control measures.
• Evaluate the determinants of identified health
• Develop and monitor the implementation of policies to address priority health
• Pursue funding opportunities covering the areas covered by the Directorate and organize with the Principal Programme Officer research and grants the development of required documentation for submission.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• A Medical doctor with a master’s degree. A doctorate in Healthcare (or equivalent), in Public Health, or Health Economics or Health Sciences, or a relevant qualification in a similar field from a recognized university and/or being a university lecturer or researcher is an additional advantage.
• Twelve (12) years of professional experience in the management and implementation of public health programs including 6 years of relevant international work and 5 years at a supervisory
• Acquainted with the principles of public health management in the ECOWAS region and good knowledge of health policies and pharmaceutical regulations.
• Proven experience in the implementation of public health strategies and promotion of health
• Be a team player, able to supervise implementing partners and administer programmes.
• Ability to ensure that financial management principles are respected and monitored.
• Have a good knowledge of medicines, their mechanisms of action and the challenges
• associated with their supply and actual availability in ECOWAS countries and at regional level.
• Mastery of health research principles and
• Experience working with donor institutions and ability in the use of modern applications in information technology for research.

Age Limit:

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

ECOWAS Key Competencies:

• Senior leadership experience in establishing strategic partnerships, working collaboratively, and building consensus with multiple internal and/or external stakeholders on complex issues in a multi-disciplinary governmental or international organization.
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate, strategic plan/priorities as well as the economic, political, and social state/trends of Member States, as pertains to own scope of
• Consistency in actions, values, methods, confidentiality, ethics, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes which connote a deep commitment to do the right thing for the right reason, regardless of the circumstances.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Heads of Institutions, elected officials, and statutory employees to facilitate compliance, build engagement, resolve conflicts, and obtain support for change.
• Ability to respect the chain of command in an appropriate
• Ability to promote a culture where people hold themselves personally accountable for
• Ability to provide leadership management, and technical oversight for all project activities and program deliverables in accordance with ECOWAS legal and administrative practices and
• Ability to conduct periodic reviews of staff performance in keeping with the ECOWAS performance management system and to mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork.
• Ability to oversee project management, internal controls, and stewardship of financial resources and to address issues in a confident and capable manner whilst making decisions that exemplify impartial and non-partisan decision-making.
• Ability to exercise the initiative and resourcefulness necessary for simultaneously addressing a variety of stakeholder needs, pursuing multiple tasks, and achieving positive
• Ability to create synergies with client groups and others to achieve objectives in setting and monitoring service standards and indicators.
• Ability to motivate and engage others in promoting or adopting best practices in client
• Ability to identify and improve services and client interactions through appropriate networks and to create innovative ways of addressing these in an accountable and transparent
• Knowledge of anti-discriminatory/human rights regulatory environment and ability to advance strategies to foster an inclusive working environment and healthy
• respectful of cultural diversity and gender equality and free from harassment and
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, being sensitive to group differences, and gender issues and ability to contribute to, advocate for, and/or develop policies that are gender sensitive and responsive to various
• Ability to foster a diverse and inclusive interactive work environment that can effectively bring together a wide spectrum of ideas and experiences to solve problems, develop projects/programs and improve results.
• ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of
• Ability to remain objective in managing conflict regardless of cultural differences /positions, and gender differences, and encourage other staff to overcome cultural and gender bias and
• Understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, workplace culture and
• Ability to apply knowledge of ECOWAS legal framework, strategic priorities, and operational standards to develop/modernize policies and programs and/or to implement policies and programs in a sustainable and effective manner.
• Well-developed business, social and political acumen, demonstrating a strong commitment to the vision and mandate of ECOWAS coupled with a broad knowledge of the economic, political, and social situations and trends in Member States.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills on matters relating to policy and strategy development important to the realization of the ECOWAS mandate and the improvement of outcomes for Member States.
• Ability to analyze reports as well as socio-economic and institutional dynamics and recognize areas of potential obstacles or challenges and develop innovative solutions or alternatives to address barriers and achieve strategic/operational
• Ability to anticipate and interpret the effects of environmental changes (social, economic, and political), and its impact and make recommendations.
• Ability to identify/address strengths and weaknesses, stimulate creativity, reduce resistance to change and improve the achievement of strategic
• Ability to make prudent decisions relating to the management of human, financial and material
• Ability to actively listen and understand the perspectives of others to make informed assertions, decisions, or recommendations.
• Ability to build multiple external collaborative relationships to support strategic and operational objectives; identify the key issues and accommodate the key players with well-thought-out communication and stakeholder management plans.
• Ability to communicate with clarity and conviction, make compelling presentations that promote new insights, ideas and perspectives and a better understanding of issues and
• 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
• Excellent negotiation and conflict management skills focusing on building and nurturing effective and collaborative relationships.
• 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
• Ability to prepare plans, set clear objectives in a consistent manner and have effective oversight of performance management practices to ensure that goals and standards are
• Ability to set effective goals/results and manage change in a manner that demonstrates resilience, composure, and a positive outlook in an environment of uncertainty and
• Ability to enable the development of organizational and individual talent throughout the implementation of strategic, operational, programme, project, and individual
• Ability to implement plans, mobilize/engage people, identify critical success factors, mitigate risks, monitor indicators and feedback, initiate corrective measures, and build capacities for
• Ability to institute rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to learn from setbacks and mistakes to ensure continuous improvement.

Salary
UA64,033.75/USD 101,030.87 Annually.

Application Closing Date
6th November, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

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