Director, Information Technology Services 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, Information Technology Services

Job Code: 20000176
Location: Abuja
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: D1
Status: Permanent
Line Supervisor: Commissioner for Internal Services
Supervising: Office Manager

Role Overview

• Under the direct supervision of the Commissioner in Charge (Commissioner for Internal Services), the Director will be responsible for providing leadership and direction in the development and implementation of IT strategies, policies, and systems to support ECOWAS’s goals and objectives. 
• S/he will have a strong background in IT management, technical expertise, and strategic planning.

Roles and Responsibilities
Technical:

• Develop and maintain IT systems and infrastructure.
• Ensure the security and integrity of IT systems and data.
• Develop and implement IT solutions to support business needs.
• Stay up to date with latest IT trends and technologies.
• Ensure the reliability, security, and efficiency of IT systems and infrastructure.
• Oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of software applications and databases.

Management:

• Provide leadership and direction to the IT department.
• Develop and implement IT strategies, policies, and procedures.
• Manage the IT budget and resources.
• Represent ECOWAS in IT forums and conferences.
• Develop and implement IT strategies, policies, and procedures.
• Oversee IT budgeting, planning, and resource allocation.

Strategy:

• Develop and implement IT strategic plans and roadmaps to support organizational goals and objectives.
• Align IT strategies with organizational goals and objectives.
• Identify and evaluate new technologies to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Collaborate with senior management to develop and implement digital transformation initiatives.
• Identify and prioritize IT projects and initiatives.

Compliance:

• Ensure IT systems and practices comply with relevant regulations and  industry standards and best practices.
• Develop and implement IT security and risk management plans.
•  Conduct regular IT audits and risk assessments.
• Ensure IT compliance with organizational policies, legal requirements, and industry regulations.
• Oversee IT risk management and disaster recovery planning.
• Ensure data privacy and security.

Administrative:

• Oversee IT procurement, asset management, IT vendor relationships and contracts.
• Ensure IT service continuity and availability.
• Develop and maintain relationships with IT vendors and partners.
• Develop and manage IT administrative policies and procedures.
• Ensure IT services are delivered efficiently and effectively.

Reporting:

• Provide regular IT reports to senior management and the board.
• Develop and maintain IT dashboards and metrics.
• Ensure transparency and accountability in IT operations.
• Identify and report IT risks and issues.

Documentation:

• Develop and maintain IT policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Ensure accurate and up-to-date IT documentation.
• Oversee IT knowledge management and sharing.
• Develop and maintain IT documentation and knowledge base.
• Ensure IT policies and procedures are up-to-date and accessible.

Learning / Development:

• Identify IT training and development needs.
• Lead and manage the IT team, including staff and consultants.
• Develop and implement IT training programs.
• Provide IT advice and guidance to management and stakeholders.
• Encourage IT staff to pursue continuous learning and professional development.
• Supervise and mentor IT staff.
• Encourage IT innovation and experimentation.

General:

• Collaborate with other departments to ensure IT alignment with organizational goals.
• Ensure IT customer service and support are prompt and reliable.
• Represent the organization in IT forums and industry events.
• Provide occasional out-of-hours support.
• Perform any other duties as may be required from time to time.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• IT system uptime and availability
• IT project delivery on time and within budget
• IT customer satisfaction
• IT security and compliance
• IT innovation and adoption.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• Relevant IT Certifications (e.g., relevant OEM Certifications, CISSP, PMP) will be considered as an added advantage.
• Minimum 12 years of experience in IT management and five (5) years at leadership roles.
• Proven experience in IT strategy, management, and technical expertise.
• Strong understanding of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies
• Excellent communication, leadership, and management skills
• Experience working in a regional or international organization
• Knowledge of IT regulations and standards.

Age Limit:

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

Ecowas Key Competencies:

• Recent and progressive 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.
• 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; develops a culture where people hold themselves personally accountable for results.
• Ability to provide leadership, management, and technical oversight for all project activities and program deliverables in accordance with ECOWAS legal and administrative practices and standards. (e.g. Code of Ethics, Procurement Code, legal institutional framework).
• 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 exemplifies 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 outcomes.
• Ability to create synergies with client groups (e.g. ECOWAS institutions/specialized agencies, management cadre, member-state representatives, programme interest 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 services (e.g. dashboards, incentive management, feedback mechanisms);
• Well-developed 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 manner. (e.g. public/private partnerships, service level agreement, feedback loops, surveys).
• Knowledge of anti-discriminatory/human rights regulatory environment and ability to advance strategies to foster an inclusive, healthy organization, respectful of the cultural diversity and gender of people and their skills and free from harassment and discrimination.
• Sound understanding of diverse cultural views especially within west Africa, being sensitive to group differences, gender issues and ability to contribute to, advocate for, and/or develop policies which are gender neutral and sensitive to various cultures.
• Ability to create 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 to remain objective during appraisals, evaluations and when managing conflict regardless of cultural differences positions or opinions while encouraging staff to overcome cultural barriers and background differences.
• Practical understanding of the ECOWAS organizational structure, workplace culture and dynamics with a keen ability to identify/address strengths and weaknesses, stimulate creativity, reduce resistance to change and improve the achievement of strategic objectives.
• 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 state/trends of member states.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills on matters relating to policy and strategy development are important to the realization of the ECOWAS mandate and the improvement of outcomes for Western Africa and its member-states.
• Ability to analyse reports/dashboards as well as dynamics between people and between organizations and recognize areas of potential obstacle or challenge and develop solutions or alternatives to remove barriers and achieve strategic/operational priorities.
• Ability to anticipate the effects of environmental changes (e.g. economic trends, social crisis), interpret context and implications of key issues and develop and make sound recommendations.
• Ability to inform an analysis by way of a thorough understanding of the environment, of well thought out insights and meaningful dialogues.
• Ability to make prudent decisions relating to the management of human, financial and material resources, considering both quantitative and qualitative sources of information.
• Ability to actively listen to understand the impact of issues and perspectives of others before making assertions, decisions or recommendations.
• Builds multiple external collaborative relationships to support strategic and operational objectives; identifies the key issues and accommodates the key players with well thought out communication and stakeholder management plans.
• Ability to communicate with clarity and conviction, make compelling presentations which promote new insights, ideas and perspectives and a better understanding of issues/challenges.
• Proficiency in oral and written French and English languages with the ability to give honest feedback, recognize performance and manage non-performance while creating opportunities for open and constructive dialogue.
• Excellent negotiation and conflict management skills focus on building and nurturing effective and collaborative relationships.
• Fluency in one of the three ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese)
• Superior planning skills are exemplified by setting clear expectations and conducting consistent and effective oversight of performance management practices to ensure goals and standards are met.
• 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 ambiguity.
• Ability to enable the development of organizational and individual talent throughout the implementation of strategic, operational, programme, project and individual plans.
• Ability to implement plans, mobilizing/engaging people, identifying critical success factors, mitigating risks, monitoring indicators and feedback, initiating course corrections and building capacities for sustainability.
• Ability to institute rigorous monitoring, and evaluation practices and to learn from setbacks and mistakes to ensure continuous improvement.

Salary
UA 81,435.54 (USD 128,488.99) annually.

Application Closing Date
21st April, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: b52directorinfotechservices@ecowas.int using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Note
Disclaimer:

• Selection and appointment will be subject to background and reference checks and other administrative requirements.
• ECOWAS does not charge for any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing in connection with application or recruitment processes and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.
• Assessment method: Assessment of qualified candidates may include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.