Background
| The ECOWAS Commission and the World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR) entered into a four year “Grant” Agreement (2016-2019) to support ECOWAS in the development and implementation of programmes to strengthen disaster risk reduction coordination, planning and policy advisory capacity in West Africa. In the “Agreement” The World Bank GFDRR Group is acting as the “Grant” administrator and implement some activities under the Bank Executed (BE) procedure, while the ECOWAS Commission will also implement activities under the Recipients Executed (RE) procedure. Within the framework of the “Agreement”, programmes and activities are currently being implemented by the Department of Social Affairs and Gender along four major components: (i) Strengthen DRR policies and institutions at national and regional level, (ii) Strengthen regional flood management capacity, (iii) Enhance regional post disaster recovery planning and (iv) Capacity strengthening and coordination. Under the Bank Executed (BE) procedure, a consortium of national, regional and international institutions experienced in research and capacity building have been contracted to support ECOWAS in the implementation of the Plan of Action (POA) and to facilitate the research and capacity building component of the POA. The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use is the lead institution of the implementation consortium. Based on the results of the inventory of the existing early warning/flood forecasting systems in ECOWAS member countries and region, the World Bank has recruited WASCAL to develop and implement a transboundary flood, regional flood forecasting mechanism and recovery planning and intends to apply part of the proceeds for an internship programme with WASCAL. |
Duties and Responsibilities |
| The incumbent will carry out the following tasks: Assist with administrative and clerical duties in preparing and drafting work plans, budgets, revisions, progress reports and summaries.Maintain a proper filing system. Select information and records in specified format or on the basis of general instructions for use by others in preparing reports, correspondence, technical papers, project or programme plans and general reference documents.Assist with solicitation for contributions (stories, events, etc.) from national and regional HydroMet agencies for the ECOWAS HydroMet newsletterCoordinate the preparation of a policy brief on one or more aspects of disaster risk management at regional scale to be agreed with ECOWAS and WASCAL (e.g. flood management, recovery planning, capacity development, etc.) Assist in the preparation of documents for use in the formulation of the work plans, progress reports, and periodic reviews with national counterparts Assistance in the organization of seminars, workshops and training activities. Assist in the preparation of terms of reference, programmes and logistics for visiting experts, missions, delegations, and donor representatives.Maintain projects and office activities. Makes travel and hotel reservations, prepares travel orders and assembles information pertinent to the purpose of travel. Advises and makes arrangements for shipment and receipt of office and project supplies and equipment and household effects. Assist in procurement processes and proper assets management, monitoring, recording and disposal. Perform other duties (such as general correspondence, attendance at meetings, minutes of meetings, reports, follow-up, etc.) as required. |
Duration of internship The internship will last for a period of three (3) months (1st Feb. to 30th April 2020) Eligibility The candidate must be a citizen of an ECOWAS country Competencies |
| Professionalism: Demonstrable commitment to the values of ECOWAS, particularly integrity in daily activities and behaviours; demonstrated professional competence: Ability to perform a range of administrative functions, including event planning and organizing; Shows pride in work and achievements;Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges. Accountability: Takes ownership of responsibilities and honours commitments; Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, and quality standards; Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; Teamwork: Proven interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity. Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; Willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. Planning & Organizing: Able to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor work while prioritizing competing demands; able to work on tight deadlines;Monitor and adjusts plans as necessary; uses time efficiently. |
Required Skills and Experience |
| Education: Have graduated with a university degree Relevant field of study include environmental science, water resources, disaster risk management, social sciences (e.g. policy and public administration) and related fields A master’s degree in any of the fields mentioned above will be a plus Experience: Computer literacy, specifically advanced skills in Microsoft office applications such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc Language: English, French and Portuguese are the working languages of ECOWAS. For the post advertised, fluency in English and French (both oral and written) are essential. Application procedure: Application letters, curriculum vitae and support documents with names and addresses of three referees should be emailed to candidature@wascal.org. Please indicate “Internship Opportunity” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted up to 23rd December, 2019. The position will be based in Abuja, ECOWAS. Applications will be acknowledged, but only short listed candidates will be contacted. |