Bilingual / Trilingual Precis Writers 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: Bilingual / Trilingual Precis Writer

Job Code: 20003902
Location: Abuja
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P3/P4
Agency: [Not Provided]
Status: Permanent
Department: Internal Services
Directorate: Conference and Protocol
Division: Conference
Line Supervisor: Principal Officer, Conference
Supervising: Bilingual Editorial Assistants

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Officer Conference, the Bilingual/Trilingual Precis Writers will be responsible for drafting official reports of meetings and other official correspondence as directed by the hierarchy in accordance with set rules of proceedings.
• For statutory meetings, the Rules of Procedure shall be given due regard, whereby the Precis Writers will also suppor the preparation of pre-meeting documents, such as draft agendas, administrative notes etc.
• Precis Writers shall work closely with the Revisors to ensure that the jargon, style and corporate design for documentation is respected and deployed in all documents produced, according to their language area.
• They shall serve on the drafting teams of statutory meetings and may support technical directorates for sectoral meetings.
• They shall support the production of the Commission’s external facing publication (Annual Report, Communiques, Press Releases etc.).

Role and Responsibilities

• Use a combination of skills of full comprehension of source language, drafting, summarising, review of consistency, application of style, register, linguistic rules and fact-checking, to produce meeting reports  that can be understood equally well by a reader who was present at the meeting and a reader who was not, maintaining high standards of accuracy and consistent writing style in the correct register that is aligned with the nature of the event.
• Prepare condensed and coherent versions of meeting memoranda which capture essential ideas and main points that can be used to produce meeting reports.
• Produce summarized analysis of meetings, events and other sittings as directed.
• Conduct periodic ongoing research on the subjects covered at meetings and in reports.
• Summarise speeches delivered by delegates, and develop reference index for written and oral statements, audio/video recordings and other material such as the Commissions documents and digital presentations.
• Review and edit documents and typescripts for accuracy and clarity.
• Create oral statements and/or audio/video recordings as required.
• Provide accurate depiction of the purpose, tone and message of reports, memoranda or other documentation under review, while focusing on text structure, organisation and logical flow
• Insert necessary references, and check facts and details against the documentation of the body concerned and all available databases.
• Ensure there is consistency in use of style, language, jargon and formatting.
• Design a style writing guide, which respects the official corporate design of the Commission and upholds official terminology and jargon in their respective language area.
• Use judgment and knowledge of the subject matter to determine what should be condensed, expanded, omitted, or explained in documents while eliminating verboseness.
• Maintain regular communication with authors, revisors, editors, and contributors.
• Convert complex documents into clear and understandable materials.
• Apply language localisation to all documents produced in the specific language area.
• Summarise records as part of the Commission’s institutional knowledge memory repository.
• Perform any other duties as may be required from time to time.
• Produce ‘Official Manual of Correspondence and Writing Guide’ in the A language of the Precis Writer.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• At least a Bachelor’s Degree in Translation, Journalism, Mass Communication, Creative Writing, English, French or Portuguese or related fields from a university of recognised standing.
• Five (5) years of experience as precis writer, drafter, official rapporteur, editor, content creation in respective language.
• Demonstrated knowledge of ECOWAS regional rules and regulations related to bilingual/ trilingual precis writing.
• Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering training programs or educational sessions related to a bilingual/ trilingual precis writer.
• Experience working for an international organization is an added advantage.
• Familiarity with AI post editing tools and use of Chat GTP.
• Ability to generate accurate AI Prompts.
• Advanced User of Ms Office Suite.
• Moderate ability to apply graphic design tools when necessary.
• Familiarity with content formatting for social media platforms.
• Ability to comprehend complex texts across various subject areas.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret and effectively summarise texts.
• Proficiency in crafting succinct and clear writing, summarising written content, and retaining critical information.
• Ability to self-revise for clarity, coherence and grammatical correctness.
• Ability to adhere to any prescribed word count guidelines.
• Attention to detail.
• Good time management skills.
• Strong editing and proofreading skills.

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 instil a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities.
• Ability to respect the chain of command in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval.
• Ability to utilize the Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information and resources.
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
• Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to the timeline, quality, and quantity.
• Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions.
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their needs, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs.
• Ability to counsel, 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 unbiased 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 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.
• 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.
• 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 organised manner through both writing and verbal means,
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions, and debate ideas with others in a constructive 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 develop and 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 organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators, and risks.
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.

Salary
UA 49,106.81 / USD 77,480.72 - UA 56,591.37 / USD 89,289.87 annually.

Application Closing Date
30th March 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: b50bilingtrilingpreciswriters@ecowas.int using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

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.