TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A NATIONAL ECOWAS VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME ASSISTANT

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A NATIONAL ECOWAS VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME ASSISTANT I. Information Post title: Programme Assistant Place of assignment: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Category: ECOWAS National Volunteer (with supervisory responsibilities) Contract type: ECOWAS Volunteers Programme. Unaccompanied post Desired start date: 1 July 2023 Duration of assignment: One (01) year, renewable subject to budgetary availability and satisfactory performance Deadline for applications: 15 June 2023 II. Preamble The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded by the Treaty of Lagos in May 1975 and is a regional group comprising fifteen countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Togo and Tuvalu The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded by the Treaty of Lagos in May 1975 and is a regional group comprising fifteen countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The Community’s objective is to promote cooperation and integration, leading to the establishment of an economic union in West Africa in order to raise the standard of living of its peoples, maintain and strengthen economic stability, foster relations between Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African continent. Through its departments and various agencies, ECOWAS implements important and strategic programmes that will strengthen cohesion and gradually remove the identified barriers to full integration. In this way, the citizens of the Community can ultimately take ownership of realising the new vision of moving from an ECOWAS of States to an ‘ECOWAS of the People: peace and prosperity for all’ by 2050. With a view to realising this vision, the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), which was established by Decision A/DEC.13/01/05 of 19 January 2005 in Accra, Ghana, as a specialised agency, implements policies, activities and strategic action plans, as well as the ECOWAS vision in the fields of youth and sport, including the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP) under the Department of Human Development and Social Affairs of the ECOWAS Commission. It is based in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) under the headquarters agreement signed between the Burkinabe authorities and the ECOWAS Commission. The CDJS/ECOWAS implements the activities set out in the policies and strategic action plans, as well as the ECOWAS vision in the fields of sport and youth, including volunteering. The CDJS aims to initiate, develop, coordinate, monitor and implement youth and sports programmes within the Community. To this end, it aims to: - mobilise various sections of the population to ensure their effective integration and participation in the region’s social development, and to promote youth organisations and professional associations in order to ensure public participation in the Community’s activities; - to provide a permanent institutional framework within ECOWAS through which issues relating to youth and sporting activities in the sub-region can be developed and promoted. III. Organisational structure of the Centre Since its official launch in Monrovia, Liberia, on 26 March 2010, the ECOWAS Volunteer Programme (EVP) has devoted time, resources and expertise to promoting regional unity, peace and development through volunteering. ECOWAS volunteers, young men and women from across the Community, have remained true to ECOWAS’s vision of a community of people supporting people, and have demonstrated their collective conviction that peacebuilding and reconciliation can be valuable tools for development, helping to establish peace in Member States and across the West African region. The ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (EVP) is a flagship, demand-driven programme of the ECOWAS Commission. It aims to harness and channel the expertise and professional and personal contributions of mainly young citizens into the process of implementing the national development programmes of their host countries and communities. In doing so, they also develop and strengthen their own capacities through exposure to their new professional and socio-cultural environment and the skills derived therefrom. The EVP is organised according to a centralised approach, but is decentralised in its implementation to allow for flexibility and adaptation of the mechanism to the realities of each country. The strategic guidelines, including the formulation of the programme’s overall vision, aims and objectives, are set by the Regional Coordination Council (RCC), whose role, amongst other things, is to ensure that the PVC becomes a genuine ECOWAS volunteer body. As a cross-cutting programme, the PVC Regional Council comprises representatives from the relevant departments of the ECOWAS Commission. The CRC is chaired by the Commissioner responsible for Social Affairs and Gender at the ECOWAS Commission. She is assisted by the Director of the ECOWAS Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS/ECOWAS), who serves as Deputy Chair of the CRC. The CRC’s executive body is the Regional Bureau (BR), hosted by the CDJS/ECOWAS in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Regional coordination activities are carried out by a Regional Co-ordinator under the supervision of the Director of the CDJS/ECOWAS. Although based within the Youth Division of the CDJS/ECOWAS, the Regional Co-ordinator, to ensure effectiveness, is supervised directly by the Director of the CDJS/ECOWAS. At national level, the National Co-ordination Council (CNC) is the primary national body responsible for setting national policy guidelines for the Programme. This Council works to promote understanding of and embed volunteering within the national context. It also acts as an adviser to the Country Office responsible for coordinating the Programme. The CNC is chaired by the Head of the ECOWAS National Office in the country. It comprises focal points/representatives from various ministries, civil society organisations, United Nations agencies and local youth associations involved in implementing the Programme at national level. IV. Job Description Under the supervision of the Regional Coordinator of the ECOWAS Volunteers Programme (ECOWAS VP), the Programme Assistant carries out a wide range of duties on behalf of the CDJS/ECOWAS. Their main role, within the framework of the PVC’s implementation, is to provide technical support and expertise to assist the regional coordination office, particularly with regard to database management, the deployment process, volunteers’ administrative files, as well as communication and relations with the various national programmes. The Programme Assistant works closely with all CDJS/ECOWAS staff and other partners to ensure the successful delivery of high-quality services. To this end, he/she will carry out the following tasks: • Monitor and maintain records of the contractual status of all active ECOWAS Volunteers and follow up on contract extensions, renewals and changes of assignment; • Keep up-to-date records of volunteers’ leave and ensure that all ECOWAS volunteers are granted leave; • Maintain up-to-date contract files for all ECOWAS volunteers currently on duty; • Undertake all necessary tasks to ensure that all preliminary arrangements are made for the successful deployment of recruited volunteers, both on departure and on arrival; • Provide support in responding to and liaising with all PVC country offices on financial and administrative matters; • Maintain the regional office’s general records and store reference information and materials in a manner that allows for easy reference and retrieval; • Carry out tasks such as photocopying, collecting and distributing incoming post, sorting outgoing post, locating files, etc.; • Provide administrative support in updating and maintaining the candidate database and in the recruitment of volunteers; • Support the organisation of activities for International Volunteers’ Day, ECOWAS Volunteers’ Day and other collaborative efforts with local volunteer agencies in Burkina Faso; • Provide the necessary support for projects implemented by PVC in general; • Facilitate networking with local volunteer organisations and build relationships; • Support the implementation of the visibility and communication strategy; • Scan documents, compile relevant data and information from various sources and the internet; • Contribute to articles/reports on field experiences and submit them for publication in journals, on websites, in newsletters, press releases, etc.; Required qualifications and experience: Education and experience: Hold a Bachelor’s degree (Bac+3) in social sciences, project management, economics, international relations or any other relevant qualification, with at least 3 years’ professional experience. Key Skills: - Proficiency in the project life cycle; - A results-oriented management approach; - Good writing and research skills, with the ability to analyse and synthesise information; - Confidence in communicating and engaging with the target audience; - A predisposition for working in networks and a good understanding of networking; - Good organisational skills; - Good knowledge of human resources and data management; - Proactive and enterprising (able to take the initiative); - Good IT skills – Microsoft Office suite; - Good interpersonal skills. Additional skills should include: - Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team; - Good oral and written communication skills; - People management skills; - Analytical skills; - Leadership skills; - Attention to detail; Knowledge of voluntary work would be an asset. Language requirements: - A perfect command of French or English, both written and spoken, is essential. - A working knowledge of Portuguese will be considered an asset. Contents of the application pack: Applications must include: - A signed cover letter addressed to the Director of the CDJS/ECOWAS; - A detailed Curriculum Vitae highlighting the candidate’s specific experience and skills; - Certified copies of qualifications, employment certificates and a birth certificate (originals or certified copies will be required prior to deployment); - A copy of the passport or National Identity Card; - A criminal record check issued within the last three months (to be provided before deployment). Submission of applications Applications must be submitted by email to: eysdc.nevprogramassistant@ecowasvolunteers.com (cc: cdjs@ecowas.int) with the subject line ‘Application for the position of PVC Programme Assistant’. To avoid disqualification, all candidates must: - Submit their application by email with the required subject line, - Combine all their documents into a single (1) PDF file, - Meet the deadline stated above. V. Terms of Service An initial 12-month contract will be offered with a basic monthly subsistence allowance of 683.13 US dollars or the equivalent in local currency. Other allowances, as provided for in the terms and conditions of service for ECOWAS volunteers, will also be paid. Where applicable, a settlement allowance is provided at the start of service, as well as a resettlement allowance at the end of service. Life and health insurance cover will be provided for the successful candidate. Other conditions of service, as set out in the Management Manual and the Terms and Conditions of Service for ECOWAS Volunteers, will apply. VI. Other criteria The post is open exclusively to nationals of Burkina Faso, aged 35 or under on the date of recruitment. The salary for this post is that of an ECOWAS National Volunteer without dependants, with supervisory responsibilities. ECOWAS is committed to promoting gender equality and equity. To this end, applications from women are strongly encouraged. ECOWAS reserves the right to terminate the recruitment process without notice. ONLY PRE-SELECTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.