Senior Court Reporter (Portuguese) 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: Senior Court Reporter (Portuguese)

Job Code: ECW/CCJ/SCRP/009
Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Job type: Full-time
Grade: P3 / P4
Status: Permanent
Department: Registry
Institution: Court of Justice
Division: Verbatim Report
Line Supervisor: Registrar Verbatim Report
Supervising: Court Reporters

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Registrar Verbatim Report, the Senior Court Reporter (Portuguese) shall ensure the availability of verbatim records of Court proceedings in Portuguese to the Judges in a timely manner to facilitate the efficient discharge of their functions.

Role And Responsibilities

• Attend all Court sessions.
• Ensure that all court proceedings are electronically recorded, faithfully transcribed, and verbatim reports are produced for all Court proceedings in the Portuguese language.
• Make full and accurate recordings of the Court proceedings.
• Prepare a table of allocation of duty to Court Reporters.
• Supervise and provide necessary information to the Court Reporters.
• Ensure that recording equipment is properly set up and ready for use during court sessions.
• Allocate audio recordings for transcription to Court Reporters and Assistant Court Reporters.
• Verify verbatim reports produced by each Court Reporter and Assistants.
• Produce and distribute accurate verbatim transcripts in a timely manner to the judges.
• Ensure the submission of monthly reports on the status of verbatim report of proceedings.
• Collate the monthly reports of the Court Reporters and assist Court Reporters.

Academic Qualifications And Experience
Education:

• A Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in Law, with a specialization in international, administrative or commercial law from a recognized university.

Experience:

• 5 years of progressive practice experience as a lawyer in the legal office of an intergovernmental organization or government.
• Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts, and approaches relevant to international law.
• Knowledge and understanding of International Law; theories, concepts, and approaches relevant to organized crime, illicit trafficking, drug demand reduction, etc.
• Knowledge of relevant regulations and rules of international organizations, as well as of applicable jurisprudence; legal and administrative expertise to analyze a diverse range of issues and problems in the context of the disciplinary process, and to develop innovative and creative solutions and to litigate employment related matters.

Ecowas Key Competences
Leadership:

• 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 instill 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 the organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.

Client Service Orientation:

• Interpersonal skills with the ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to 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 need, mitigates issues, and 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.

Multicultural Sensitivity And Advocacy:

• 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:

• 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.

 Analytical And Critical Thinking:

•  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.

Communication:

• 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 organized 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.

Planning And Implementation:

• 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 coordinate 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.

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 37,431.66 /  52,379.70.

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

6th June, 2025. (External Candidates)