Proofreader (French) at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice

The Community Court of Justice was created pursuant to the provisions of Articles 6 and 15 of the 1993 ECOWAS Revised Treaty as the principal legal organ of the Community. The Court’s main Mission is to “discharge and promote its judicial function of interpreting and applying Community texts as well as to ensure the protection of human rights in an efficient, timely and cost-effective manner with the support of well-trained and motivated staff.” The Court imbibes Independence, Impartiality, Integrity and Accessibility as its core values.

To effectively carry out its mission, the Court seeks applications from suitably qualified candidates to fill the underlisted position below:

Job Title: Proofreader (French)

Job Code: ECW/CCJ/PR/012
Location: Abuja (FCT), Nigeria
Job Type: Full-time
Grade: P1 / P2
Status: Permanent
Department: Registry
Division: Judicial Records, Archives & Publications
Institution: Community Court of Justice
Line Supervisor: Registrar, Judicial Records, Archives &Publications
Supervising: N/A

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Registrar, Judicial Records, Archives and Publications, the Proofreader shall assist in ensuring the accuracy and consistency of all legal documents and publications.

Role and Responsibilities

• Liaise with Judges, Chief Registrar and Printer to determine the composition of specific texts in the publication of law reports.
• Compare type set proof against original copy to identify errors or omissions.
• Use word processors and other specialized software to make changes to typeset documents.
• Evaluate the dimensions of page elements such as text spacing and positioning to ensure they conform to set specifications.
• Ensure page numbers are in the right order and not repeated or omitted.
• Analyse legal documents to ensure chapter titles match the list of contents.
• Use symbols that are standard and recognized by printing and publishing companies.
• Mark corrections highlighted by the Chief Registrar and Deputy Chief Registrar and ensure they reflect on the expert set proof.
• Rephrase written text to ensure document structure and content are consistent.
• Stay abreast with grammatical development as well as new terminologies in a language.
• Ensure illustrations are suitably captioned and referenced.
• Contact Printers directly to clarify grammatical inconsistencies related to style and text choice
• Forward proofread materials for approval and publication.
• Ensure projects are completed within set time constraints.
• Read and evaluate written manuscripts of judgments and other legal documents for grammatical error.

Academic Qualifications and Experience
Education:

• Bachelor’s or equivalent Degree in Arts, Literature, or related field from a recognized university.

Experience:

• 2 years of work experience in publications production, desktop publishing, and editing / proofreading texts for international agencies or institutions.
• Thorough knowledge of English, French, or Portuguese usage, including grammar, diction, style, punctuation, organization, and idea development and presentation, which may include technical material appropriate for the intended audience.
• Demonstrated skill in applying standard English, French, or Portuguese rules and correcting grammatical and writing errors.
• Familiarity with established reference manuals and guidelines; ability to maintain up-to-date writing/editing standards and guidelines.

ECOWAS Key Competencies
P1-02-01 Leadership:

• Ability to motivate self and/or others to engage in and successfully complete tasks at hand.
• Demonstrated experience leading conversations that will either provide participants with new information, ideas, or awareness or elicit feedback.
• Ability to positively influence co-workers when faced with challenges and work problems to help trigger solutions and build confidence.
• Ability to respect the chain of command in an appropriate manner.
• Ability to lead in the management of own career and performance and to seek assistance/coaching when required.

P1-03-01 Client Service Orientation:

• Well-developed client service skills, including a positive attitude, creative thinking skills, good work ethics, teamwork experience, time management skills, and flexibility.
• Ability to take initiative to resolve problems and improve quality and/or quantity of work by identifying alternative solutions and discussing appropriateness/approach with supervisor.
• Strong desire to help others and capacity to empathize to generate mutual understanding.
• Ability to work as part of a team in supporting and addressing the needs of clients and stakeholders.
• Ability to multitask and to meet client service/stakeholder management standards and objectives of pertinence to assigned responsibilities.

P1-04-01 Multicultural Sensitivity and Advocacy:

• Ability to perceive the moods and feelings of others from various cultural backgrounds and to understand interests, needs, and perspectives to prevent/address misunderstandings and complaints.
• Well-developed ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds and sound understanding of diverse cultural differences, especially within West Africa.
• Ability to listen attentively to people’s ideas, requests, and concerns and to understand and internalize the need for diversity management in everyday workplace practices.
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• Ability to factor in diversity when providing services, responding to requests, recognizing and releasing preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certain groups and individuals.

P1-05-01 Knowledge of ECOWAS:

• Basic understanding of the ECOWAS organization mandate and its functions.
• Ability to explain the ECOWAS programs and projects relevant to tasks and demonstrated
• understanding of data used by the department/institution/agency, including knowing where data resides in the system, the ability to see how the data in the system interrelates and how data entries and changes may impact data in other parts of the system.
• Knowledge of ECOWAS’s routine procedures and practices related to assigned responsibilities.
• Ability to apply ECOWAS standards in emailing, reporting, correspondence, etc. and to accept and implement changes as directed.

P1-06-01 Analytical and Critical Thinking:

• Excellent numeracy skills with the ability to collect, collate, classify, and summarize data systematically.
• Demonstrated ability to assist in conducting primary and secondary research activities in accordance with instructions and/or best practices in research techniques (e.g. interviews, tests, desk research).
• Ability to identify inconsistencies in reasoning and to articulate findings clearly.
• Ability to use creativity and initiative in the generation of alternative solutions to a problem.
• Ability to gather, analyze, and arrange information in a logical sequence.

P1-07-01 Communication:

• Ability to provide useful feedback when asked and to use feedback constructively when given.
• Demonstrated ability to use computers with superior word-processing skills and proficiency in the use of databases (e.g., Access), spreadsheets (e.g., Excel), inter/intranet, email, and social media. 
• Tact, diplomacy, and well-developed interpersonal skills.
• Ability to write accurate, clear, and well-organized text.
• 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.

P1-08-01 Planning and Implementation:

• Well-established time management skills with the ability to make well-considered/reasoned decisions regarding own work and to follow them through.
• Ability to use action planning skills, set priorities, develop work goals, and identify the steps needed to achieve goals of relevance to own work area.
• Ability to work well and meet objectives of tasks when under pressure or when exposed to uncertainties, challenges, and/or changing work environments.
• Ability to understand and contribute to team/work unit goals and plans as well as to collective decision-making.

Eligibility:

• Must be a citizen of an ECOWAS Member State.
• Must not be more than 50 years of age at the time of recruitment. This does not apply to internal candidates.

Annual Basic Salary
USD 25,161.13 / USD 38,869.03

Application Closing Dates
25th April, 2025. (Internal Candidates)

6th June, 2025. (External Candidates).

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their complete Application Documents to: prooffr_25int@courtecowas.org (Internal Candidates), prooffr_25ext@courtecowas.org (External Candidates) using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Click Here To Download Application Form (MS Word)

Application Documents
Applicants who meet the requirements must submit:

• An ECOWAS job application form
• An updated Curriculum Vitae,
• A signed motivation letter.

Note

• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
• Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.
• Offers of employment will be subject to a satisfactory background check.
• Candidates must be ECOWAS citizens
• Candidates must be under 50 years. (This condition does not apply to internal candidates)
• The documents submitted shall not be returned. Only short-listed candidates shall be contacted.

• Offer of employment will be subject to a satisfactory background check and official documentation attesting nationality.