Electrical Engineer at the West African Power Pool (WAPP) – 2 Openings

The West African Power Pool (WAPP) is a Specialized Institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) established by the Authority of Head of States and Governments of ECOWAS Member States to ensure the integration of the national power system operations into a unified regional electricity market in order to provide the citizens of ECOWAS Member States with regular, stable and reliable electricity supply at affordable costs over the medium to long term. This aims to encourage industrialisation, improve health and education, reduce poverty, create employment opportunities, etc…

The Headquarters of the WAPP General Secretariat is based in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

The WAPP Secretariat, in view of achieving its global Vision, intends to reinforce its staffing by filling the job vacancy below:  The candidates will support the current team in the Information and Coordination Center (ICC) which is a Department of WAPP Secretariat. They will report to the Director of ICC.

Job Title: Electrical Engineer

Location: Cotonou, Benin
Department: Information Coordination Centre(ICC)
Position Type: International Recruitment
Contract Type: Permanent
Open to: All interested
Reports to: Director, ICC
Slot: 2 openings

A. Electrical Engineer – Profile “1”

Scope of Service
The Electrical Engineer shall among others, participate in;

• defining the vision of the Customer and Market Division within the Department of ICC;
• setting strategy, giving direction, managing people / staff by objectives and deploying resources to achieve the division agreed objectives;
• providing senior / high level technical leadership and management expertise in development, implementation and reliable operation of the WAPP uniform regional wholesale electricity market and whole functions and processes of the system;
• overseeing all the aspects of market applications and services vendor management;
• overseeing all aspects of WAPP transmission market operations and services of market design, business rules, regulatory policy, grid code to support market planning and implementation of transparent operation of uniform regional electricity market;
• coordinating the tasks entrusted to his division and controls the quality of the expertise delivered.

Minimum Qualifications Required
Education:

• Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (with specialization in electric power)
• Additional qualification (preferably a degree at least) in Economics, or Business Administration is an advantage

Professional Years’Experience:

• 10 years of experience in the related field
• 5 years of experience in Electricity Market Development or operations; Experience in Power System Operations and Power System Planning is an added advantage;
• 5 years of supervising or lead position experience;

Experience & main skills:

• Decision making, leadership, assertive communication, complex thinking, analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal skills; excellent teamwork, written and verbal communication skills
• Good knowledge of the electricity market principles is an added advantage
• Good understanding of power system operations and analysis
• Familiarity with Power Systems Modeling Applications such as PSS/E, etc. is an added advantage
• Experience with power system risk analysis and mitigation
• Experience with applicable labor laws
• Complete understanding and ability to anticipate system and market behaviors, analyze results and provide market enhancements based on market outcomes and system evolution
• Strong computer skills in MS Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, e-mail and internet programs.

Preferred:

• Experience related to ECOWAS electricity market rules, protocols and procedures (Task Force, working group, committee, etc.);

Language:

• Fluent (Oral and Editorial proficiency) communication skills in English or French with a good working knowledge of the other.

B. Electrical Engineer – Profile “2”

Scope of Service
The Electrical Engineer shall among others, participate in;

• defining the vision of the System Operation Coordination Division within the Department of ICC;
• setting strategy, giving direction, managing people / staff by objectives and deploying resources to achieve the division agreed objectives;
• providing senior / high level technical leadership and management expertise of network system supervision;
• Overseeing all the aspects of engineering relating to network system studies, analysis, technical standards, transmission regulatory policy, rules and grid code studies, reliability coordination of grid to support its development, planning studies, implementation and transparent operation of uniform regional electricity market;
• Coordinating, ensuring and guarantying reliability, security, monitoring, sound and efficient network and all the operations of the system;
• Guarantying a continuous capacity building of the division;
• Other missions as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications Required
Education:

• Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (with specialization in Electric Power)

Professional Years’Experience:

• 10 years of experience in the related field
• 5 years of supervising or lead position experience;

Experience & main skills:

• Decision making, Leadership, assertive communication, complex thinking, analytical skills;
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills along with excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Demonstrated Experience in power system operations (unit commitment, security constrained unit commitment etc.), power system planning studies (network modeling, power system contingency analysis, optimal power flow, dynamic stability analysis etc.), power system risk analysis and mitigation;
• Electric utility industry experience including emphasis in any combination of the following: Power System Operations, Power System Planning, EMS Network Applications etc. Knowledgeable and experience with power flow applications such as PSS / E, DigSilent, PSS-MUST, EMS or equivalent;
• Experience and knowledgeable in development of power system operational and planning procedures, guidelines, policies etc.
• Knowledgeable in Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS);
• Experience with applicable labour laws;
• High level knowledge in electricity system operation;
• Complete understanding and ability to anticipate power system and network behaviors, analyze results and provide operation enhancements based on market outcomes and system evolution;
• Strong computer skills in MS Office applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, e-mail and internet programs.

Preferred:

• Experience related to ECOWAS electricity market rules, protocols and procedures (Task Force, working group, committee, etc.);

Language:

• Fluent (Oral and Editorial proficiency) communication skills in English or French with a good working knowledge of the other.

Contracting Information:

• The successful candidate will be issued a full-time appointment subjected to a one-year probation period. The appointment shall be confirmed upon a successful appraisal during the probation period.
• The position is on Grade P4 of the WAPP Secretariat Pay Scale. The starting point will depend on the qualifications and experience of the incumbent. The WAPP Secretariat offers a competitive compensation packages comparable to those offered by similar regional / international organizations.
• WAPP is an equal opportunity employer that offers equal chances to men and women. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates should not be over 50 years old at the point of recruitment.

Application Closing Date
19th September, 2020.