CILSS is seeking to recruit a Coordinator for the PAGR/SANAD Project Regional Coordination Unit

Coordinator for the PAGR/SANAD Project Regional Coordination Unit ( Reférence : S0119N18 )

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply

The Permanent Inter-state Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) is seeking to recruit a Coordinator for the PAGR/SANAD Project Regional Coordination Unit.

The « Improving Governance of Resilience and Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture in West Africa (PAGR-SANAD) Project » is a project financed by the European Union in favour of the ECOWAS Commission, the UEMOA Commission and CILSS.

Scheduled to last for a total 54 months, the Project aims to improve the regional and national governance of agricultural and Food and Nutrition Security policies and programmes in West Africa and the Sahel in the context of resilience. Its specific objective is to develop the required capacities within regional and national institutions to strengthen the regional governance of food and nutrition security and agricultural policies in the context of Resilience in West Africa with a view to achieving the « Zero Hunger by 2025 » objective. The main expected outputs are a joint biennial report on SANAD-Resilience results and progress for the West Africa region, with a focus on gender equality; good management of agricultural investment and nutrition policies and programmes, food security information and early warning systems at the regional and national levels and resilience.

1.  Hierarchical subordination

Under the authority of the Deputy Executive Secretary and the supervision of the PRA/SAN Coordinator, the RPCU Coordinator is a Team Manager. He/she will be based in Ouagadougou, at the Executive Secretariat of CILSS and is answerable to the Executive Secretary of CILSS (SE/CILSS) and the European Union, for the overall implementation of the project, which he/she will ensure that it is implemented according to the terms and conditions specified in the grant agreement.

He/she shall work in collaboration with the Management Support Units (UAM), including Human Resource Management (HRM), Administration, Finance and Accounting (AFC) and Communication Information and Documentation (CID) and, the CILSS Programme Officer. He shall be the focal point of the European Union for all PAGR-SANAD matters. He/she will be linked to CILSS by an initial two (2) year renewable contract based on performance, with a three (3) month probation period. As the head of the RCU, he/she shall benefit from the support of the Technical Assistance to the Project based at the CILSS level, in Ouagadougou.

2. Responsibility/tasks

The Project Regional Coordinator is the Head of the Project Regional Coordination Unit. He/she is responsible for the technical coordination of the activities that will be executed by the Project implementing partners (ECOWAS, UEMOA, OPR, etc.) under the supervision of the PRA / SAN Coordinator.

 In this capacity, he/she will be responsible for the following tasks:                                           :

• Coordinate the technical and financial implementation of the project activities in relationship with the different institutional actors implementing the project (CILSS, ECOWAS, UEMOA, Regional Professional Organisations) in the countries and at the regional level;
• Ensure the day-to-day management of the project, including team management activities;
• Monitor and participate in the development and implementation of the annual implementation schedule of the different project activities;
• Monitor, in close relationship with the other project implementing actors (ECOWAS, UEMOA, RPOs), the progress of the implementation of project activities;
• Regularly liaise with the other implementing actors (ECOWAS, UEMOA, RPOs, SWAC, etc.) for monitoring and consistency in the implementation of the various Project Components in tandem with the Technical Assistance of the Project;
• Collaborate closely with the Technical Assistance of the Project to be based at the CILSS level, in Ouagadougou, for better synergy and complementarity.
• Monitor, in collaboration with the UAM-AFC, the implementation of the draft annual activities and budgets, the approval of current expenditures and disbursements with the banks in favour of the project, the suppliers and service providers;
• Ensure the representation of the project;
• Supervise and contribute to the preparation of the interim and final project implementation reports in accordance with the contractual provisions applicable to EU funding;
• Supervise the timely production of periodic project implementation reports and reports submitted to the Regional Steering Committee for Projects and Programmes, under the coordination of CILSS;
• Contribute to the practical organisation of Regional Steering Committee (RSC) meetings and meetings with the various project implementing partners (ECOWAS, UEMOA, RPOs, International Technical Assistance, EU etc.);
• Contribute to the preparation of the bi-annual progress report on food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture and resilience in West Africa and the Sahel;
• Contribute to the promotion of communication and visibility activities around the project;
• Organise and contribute to the smooth running of all external monitoring missions (ROM) and external evaluations commissioned by the European Union as part of the project;
• Work closely with the Technical Assistance to the Project;
• Ensure synergy and complementarity with EU-funded programmes and projects in the countries and throughout the West Africa and Sahel region;
• Perform other tasks related to the achievement of the Project objectives.

3. General qualifications and competencies (minimum requirements):
   

The incumbent should:

• Hold a post-graduate degree (at least 5 years of university studies) or equivalent in Economics, Agronomy, Agro-economics, Development Planning, Earth Sciences;
• Be computer  literate (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.);
• Have a good knowledge of French (written and spoken) and be able to speak English.

4. General professional experience (minimum requirements)
   

• At least 12 years experience in leadership positions in the management of rural development, food and nutrition security, resilience, agricultural development projects, if possible at the regional level.

5. Specific professional experience (minimum requirements)
   

• Have a working knowledge of food and nutrition security, resilience and agricultural and resilience policy analysis;
• Have practical experience in support of the management, or coordination, or monitoring and evaluation of regional projects or programmes for food and nutrition security or rural development in West Africa or the Sahel;
• Have a good knowledge of agricultural, food and nutrition security and resilience policies at the level of CILSS-ECOWAS-UEMOA countries and at the regional level;
• Have completed at least two regional programme management or evaluation assignments;
• Have much knowledge of the issues and challenges of food and nutrition security, resilience and sustainable agriculture in the Sahel and West Africa;
• Have a good knowledge of the REACH (Renewed Efforts Against Child Hunger) global partnership and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) international movement;
• Have a working knowledge of issues facing regional organisations;
• Be familiar with the regional food and nutrition security governance system, including the Crisis Prevention and Management System (PREGEC) and the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA), and the resilience of the region;
• Have experience in supporting countries in building capacity in agricultural and food and nutrition security policies.

6. Duration

54 months, full-time on the basis of an initial two (2) year renewable contract based on performance, with a probation period of three (3) months.

7. Duty station

Based in Ouagadougou, with trips to the project area.

HOW TO APPLY 

 Applications should include the following documents:

•  An application letter addressed to the Executive Secretary of CILSS;
•  A cover letter;
•  A Curriculum Vitae updated and certified true by the candidate;
•  An extract of birth certificate or a substitute birth certificate: the candidate must be not more than 50 years of age at his/her first recruitment with CILSS;
•  A certified copy of degrees, diplomas and certificates of qualifications;
•  Copies of work or service certificates;
•  A copy of the nationality certificate or any other document justifying the nationality of the applicant: the candidate must be a national of a Member State of CILSS;
•  The addresses of three (3) reference persons.

Deadline and application submission address

Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope to the mail department (Service Courrier) of the Executive Secretariat of CILSS or mailed to 03 BP. 7049 OUAGADOUGOU 03 – BURKINA FASO Tel. : (+226) 25 37 41 25/26 or 25 49 96 00 – Fax: (+226) 25 37 41 32 by specifying the title of the position, followed by: « Not to be opened until the meeting of the group examining the applications » or e-mailed to the following address: recrutements@cilss.int no later than January 31, 2019