INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional grouping of 21 African States which have agreed to promote regional integration through trade development and trade facilitation. More information can be obtained from the COMESA website www.comesa.int. Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced professionals from COMESA Member States for the following position:

A. JOB PURPOSE

To provide the Division with strategic leadership and direction in the implementation of the regional Agricultural and Industrial policies in Member States.

To facilitate regional integration through promotion and supporting efforts to drive inclusive industrialization, private sector development and agricultural growth and transformation in the COMESA region in line with COMESA Medium Term Strategic Plan and Treaty.

B. MAIN DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Assistant Secretary General (Programmes) and the overall supervision of the Secretary General, the incumbent of the post will perform the following duties:

• Provides input into long-range strategic and policy priority issues relating to COMESA's facilitating role of regional trade and market integration in line with COMESA strategic objectives;
• Consolidates Division's annual work plans and budget inputs in order to gain management's approval and funding of work plans required to execute the Division mandate;
• Monitors the implementation of Division work programs and budgets to ensure that the Division mandate is executed in line with COMESA Medium Term Strategic Plan and within approved budget limits;
• Formulates agriculture and industry related frameworks that include policies,strategies, regulations and guidelines that support regional trade and market integration;
• Guides implementation of adopted industry and agriculture related frameworks to ensure domestication into national frameworks;
• Facilitates and guides the promotion, development, and transformation of an inclusive and sustainable blue economy sector in the COMESA region for livelihoods, income, food, and nutritional security;
• Provides technical backstop support to Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade (SPS/TBT) issues that arise during implementation of the COMESA Free Trade Area to ensure that risk based, harmonized SPS measures and technical standards are implemented to facilitate safe regional and international trade;
• Leads initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable tourism development across member states and drives efforts to position the COMESA region as a premier tourism destination;
• Enhances regional integration through tourism, and facilitates the creation of socioeconomic opportunities for communities within the region;
• Provides technical and economic expertise to formulate a strategic vision for the mining sector and mineral processing in the COMESA region, to enhance sustainable mining practices that foster regional cooperation, and promote the socio-economic benefits of the mining sector;
• Develops bankable agriculture and industry related project concept notes and project proposals in order to secure/gain management's approval for potential donor funding/support;
• Develops private sector investment guidelines for implementation in order to ensure that adopted guidelines create an enabling environment for private sector investment participation in agriculture and industrial business activities;
• Leads activities related to foreign and regional investment policies and regulations, with focus on investment protection, facilitation, advocacy, dispute settlement and retention, in coordination with other related COMESA institutions;
• Supervises Division work on climate change support to member states, regional adaptation and mitigation efforts, in synergy with other regional, continental and global schemes;
• Establishes collaborative linkages with key technical and strategic partners in order to promote regional value-chains/agribusiness and mechanisms to facilitate small- and medium scale industries in the COMESA region;
• Analyses agriculture, industry, mining and related service sectors productivity in order to document and disseminate emerging productivity issues, policies, innovations and technologies to stakeholders;
• Collaborates with the Human Resource and Administration Division in the recruitment, training and development of Division staff to ensure staff disposition is aligned to achieving key mandates;
• Manages the performance management process in the Division to ensure the achievement of Division objectives that support COMESA strategy and ensure team and individual performance through technical monitoring, setting performance targets and standards, and supervision;
• Motivate, engage and build staff into a high performing team through coaching, effective communication and providing frequent feedback on work and promotes adherence to administrative procedures, processes and standards, and cultivates a culture of forward thinking, consultation, and teamwork among staff; and
• Perform any other duties as assigned by Executive Management from time to time.

C. MINIMUM ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Business Administration, or other related fields; and
• A Ph.D. in any of the above fields would be an added advantage.

D. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Minimum of fifteen (15) years' relevant experience in agriculture, industry, private sector development, investment promotion with at least five (5) years in a senior management role in an international, public, intergovernmental or regional institution.

E. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS/QUALIFICATIONS:

The following Professional certification/qualifications are desirable:

• Business Process Reengineering (BPR);
• Project management.

F. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Specialized knowledge in any of the following areas:

• Regional Economic Integration Agenda;
• Agriculture and Industrial Development;
• Industrial and Agricultural Policy;
• Strategic Planning, Regulatory Development and Analysis;
• Regional Value Chains Development and Market Access Development; and
• Private Sector development; concepts notes and proposal development, promotion and facilitation; qualitative and quantitative economic assessment methodology; partnership engagement; program planning and reporting.

WORKING LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL THE POSITIONS

Applicants must be fluent in English and/or French and/or Arabic (speaking and writing). A combination of any two (2) or all these languages will be an added advantage.

ELIGIBILITY FOR APPLICATION

Applicants must be citizens of a COMESA Member country and aged below fifty- five (55) years at the time of submitting the application.

• Provides input into long-range strategic and policy priority issues relating to COMESA's facilitating role of regional trade and market integration in line with COMESA strategic objectives;
• Consolidates Division's annual work plans and budget inputs in order to gain management's approval and funding of work plans required to execute the Division mandate;
• Monitors the implementation of Division work programs and budgets to ensure that the Division mandate is executed in line with COMESA Medium Term Strategic Plan and within approved budget limits;
• Formulates agriculture and industry related frameworks that include policies,strategies, regulations and guidelines that support regional trade and market integration;
• Guides implementation of adopted industry and agriculture related frameworks to ensure domestication into national frameworks;
• Facilitates and guides the promotion, development, and transformation of an inclusive and sustainable blue economy sector in the COMESA region for livelihoods, income, food, and nutritional security;
• Provides technical backstop support to Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade (SPS/TBT) issues that arise during implementation of the COMESA Free Trade Area to ensure that risk based, harmonized SPS measures and technical standards are implemented to facilitate safe regional and international trade;
• Leads initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable tourism development across member states and drives efforts to position the COMESA region as a premier tourism destination;
• Enhances regional integration through tourism, and facilitates the creation of socioeconomic opportunities for communities within the region;
• Provides technical and economic expertise to formulate a strategic vision for the mining sector and mineral processing in the COMESA region, to enhance sustainable mining practices that foster regional cooperation, and promote the socio-economic benefits of the mining sector;
• Develops bankable agriculture and industry related project concept notes and project proposals in order to secure/gain management's approval for potential donor funding/support;
• Develops private sector investment guidelines for implementation in order to ensure that adopted guidelines create an enabling environment for private sector investment participation in agriculture and industrial business activities;
• Leads activities related to foreign and regional investment policies and regulations, with focus on investment protection, facilitation, advocacy, dispute settlement and retention, in coordination with other related COMESA institutions;
• Supervises Division work on climate change support to member states, regional adaptation and mitigation efforts, in synergy with other regional, continental and global schemes;
• Establishes collaborative linkages with key technical and strategic partners in order to promote regional value-chains/agribusiness and mechanisms to facilitate small- and medium scale industries in the COMESA region;
• Analyses agriculture, industry, mining and related service sectors productivity in order to document and disseminate emerging productivity issues, policies, innovations and technologies to stakeholders;
• Collaborates with the Human Resource and Administration Division in the recruitment, training and development of Division staff to ensure staff disposition is aligned to achieving key mandates;
• Manages the performance management process in the Division to ensure the achievement of Division objectives that support COMESA strategy and ensure team and individual performance through technical monitoring, setting performance targets and standards, and supervision;
• Motivate, engage and build staff into a high performing team through coaching, effective communication and providing frequent feedback on work and promotes adherence to administrative procedures, processes and standards, and cultivates a culture of forward thinking, consultation, and teamwork among staff; and
• Perform any other duties as assigned by Executive Management from time to time.

• Regional Economic Integration Agenda;
• Agriculture and Industrial Development;
• Industrial and Agricultural Policy;
• Strategic Planning, Regulatory Development and Analysis;
• Regional Value Chains Development and Market Access Development; and
• Private Sector development; concepts notes and proposal development, promotion and facilitation; qualitative and quantitative economic assessment methodology; partnership engagement; program planning and reporting.

• Master's Degree in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Business Administration, or other related fields; and
• A Ph.D. in any of the above fields would be an added advantage.
• Business Process Reengineering (BPR);
• Project management.