Program Officer – Benefits Officer at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Full Time

Job Title: Program Officer – Benefits Officer

Job Code: 20000134
Location: Abuja
Commission: ECOWAS Commission
Grade: P3/P4
Division: Staff Welfare & Employee Services
Directorate: Human Resources
Line Supervisor: Principal Officer, Staff Welfare & Employee Services
Supervising: HR Assistant Compensation & Benefits
Status: Permanent

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Officer, Staff Welfare & Employee Services, the incumbent is responsible for the administration of staff benefits in the organization and provides special guidance and assistance to staff members on various employee benefit plans.
• He/She shall also carry out benchmarking in similar industries and/or communities to determine the Institution’s competitive position in employee benefits and develops, recommend, and implement approved new or modified plans and staff benefits policies.

Role and Responsibilities

• Administer staff benefits programs such as retirement plans; medical, dental, vision plans; life insurance plans; temporary disability programs; and wellness programs.
• Ensures the accuracy of all benefits enrollments in the HRIS to provide vendors with accurate eligibility information.
• Assists with new-hire orientations on benefit matters.
• Performs quality checks of benefits-related data.
• Assists employees regarding benefits claim issues and plan changes.
• Responds to benefits inquiries from Staff Members on plan provisions, benefits enrollments, status changes, and other general inquiries.
• Evaluate and compare existing benefits with those of other employers by analyzing other plans, surveys, and other sources of information.
• Participate in industry surveys. Analyze results of surveys and develop specific recommendations for review by management.
• Develop specifications for new plans or modify existing plans to maintain the Commission’s competitive position in the labor market.
• In collaboration with the line supervisor, obtain uniform benefit package for all institutions and agencies where possible.
• Work with line supervisor to recommend classes of eligible employees for new or modified plans.
• Prepare announcement materials, plan summary documents, and other media for communicating plans to employees.
• Recommend and counsel management and employees on existing benefits.
• Prepare and execute, with legal consultation, benefits documentation, such as original and amended plan texts, benefit agreements, and insurance policies.
• Ensure prompt and accurate compliance of all approved benefits to staff members.
• Assist in the development of organizations bargaining proposals for employee benefits and analyze benefits demands.
• Ensure compliance with provisions of Employee Retirement, Pension Act etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Human Resources Management, Employee and Labour Relations, Business Administration, Social Sciences, or in a similar field from a recognized University.
• Five (5) years of relevant experience in a private/public sector or international organizations.
• Knowledge of HR Management best practices.
• Knowledge of human resources management operations including compensation and benefits salary policy, pension administration, employee terms and conditions of employment, monitoring, analytics, and reporting.
• Knowledge of Staff Regulations, directives, and policies of relevance to the execution of duties associated with the position.
• Knowledge of database creation and management, and use of specialized computer systems and programs for operationalizing a variety of HR business processes and reports.
• Practical Knowledge of ERPs such as SAP will be an added advantage.

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 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 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 the 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 that 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, 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 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.

Assessment Method:

• Assessment of qualified candidates may include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.

Salary
USD 77,480.72 – USD 89,289.87 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.