Legal Officer – Enforcement at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Full Time

Job Title: Legal Officer – Enforcement

Location: Banjul, Gambia
Job Code: 20003596
Institution: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P3/P4
Agency: ECOWAS Regional Competition Authority (ERCA)
Status: Permanent
Department: Economic Affairs & Agriculture
Directorate: Investigations & Law Enforcement Monitoring
Division: Legal, Investigation, Compliance & Enforcement
Line Supervisor: Principal Officer, Legal, Investigation, Compliance & Enforcement

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the of the Principal Officer, Legal, Investigation, Compliance & Enforcement, the incumbent shall provide legal services and advice to the Authority and on all matters of enforcement of the established rules and regulations geared towards the protection of the interests of the Community.

Role and Responsibilities

• Conduct investigation into matters that may be in contravention of rules and regulations of competition in the community and recommend appropriate legal remedy.
• Coordinate and participate fully in mutual evaluations of Member States as assigned.
• Coordinate the identification, design, and implementation of capacity-building activities in the legal and law enforcement sectors.
• Supervise the organization of capacity building activities on issues in Legal and law enforcement for relevant stakeholders in Member States.
• Conduct thorough investigations into legal matters, analyzing evidence and gathering information.
• Collaborate with legal teams, regulatory authorities, and other relevant stakeholders to develop effective enforcement strategies.
• Recommend appropriate courses of action based on legal analysis and potential risks.
• Compile comprehensive reports to present findings and recommendations to senior management.
• Carry out research into legal and regulatory regimes internationally and in the sub region and provide advice that will serve the best interest of the Community.
• Implement relevant guidelines/procedures/manual pertaining to enforcement procedures and ethics, confidentiality issues, exemptions, etc. under the Competition Regulations and Rules.
• Keep an update on all key developments or best practices at regional and international levels in competition law and recommend appropriate policy and legal review.
• Draft legal documents and general notices for publication.
• Provide performance reports to the Principal Legal Officer as required.
• Perform any other task assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree (or equivalent) in Law, with a specialization in International, Administrative or Commercial Law from a recognized University;
•  5 years of progressively 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.
• Strong understanding of relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards
• Knowledge of relevant regulations and rules of international organziations, as well as of applicable jurisprudence; legal and administrative expertise to analyzing 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.
• Experience in drafting legal documents and representing organizations in legal proceedings.
• Ability to work collaboratively and cross-functionally.
• Excellent investigative and analytical skills

Age Limit:

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

Ecowas Key Competencies

• 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 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 organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.
• 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 needs, 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.
• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness, and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, genders, ethnicities, races, 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 co-ordinate 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.

Salary
USD62,213.20 – USD72,846.21 annually.

Application Closing Date
6th March, 2024.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their correctly filled Application Form, Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation letter to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• Female applications are encouraged.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications initially submitted with only the CV remain acceptable.
• ECOWAS does not charge a fee for recruitment and will not request for your account details.