Finance & Administrative Officer

Job Description

Finance and Administrative Officer (Local Position) - Kathmandu

Context

International IDEA, an intergovernmental organization with Member States in all continents, aims to support sustainable democracy worldwide, working with both new and long established democracies, helping to develop the institutions and culture or democracy. At the interface between research, field experience and the donor community, International IDEA provides a forum for dialogue and uses comparative experience, analysis and dialogue with practitioners to identify examples of good practices and produce tools and guidelines on democracy support. It builds networks of experts, develops training materials and provides strategic advice at international, regional and national level, working in partnership with a range of institutions.

In 2015, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) and DFID commissioned a study on the coherence of development programming and service delivery at the local level, focussed on one example district (Dailekh). This study found that development programming and service delivery is highly fragmented, implemented through multiple independent ‘silos’ or project pipes, and based upon concepts of recipients as ‘users’ of services, not citizens with rights.

Also in 2015, Nepal entered into a period of major transition with the promulgation of the new Constitution in September of that year. The new constitution proposes a federal, multi-party democratic system of governance, with a commitment to end all forms of discrimination, recognising unity in diversity. It commits to achieve this by devolving power to local and provincial levels.

This provides an important opportunity to support the opening of policy debate about options and trade-offs to remedy the problems identified in the Dailekh study, as well as operationalise the vision of the Constitution.

International IDEA, Nepal and DFID Nepal have agreed a joint project to support local government coherence (the Project).

This programme explicitly joins informed policy debate and thinking with practical, operational engagement with existing DFID programmes on the ground. The goal is to improve coherence in local development, increase the availability of discretionary resources that can respond to local priorities and reduce fragmentation at the local level. 

The practical work of the programme will focus in one or two regions and – working with DFID implementing partners and MoFALD – look for ways to improve coherence of programming (in terms of efficiency and political accountability), focusing on large DFID programmes. This will involve reducing the types of duplication and overlap identified in the Dailekh Mapping Study. It will use practical engagement to understand the implications of the Constitution, the new elected bodies and federalism. It will bring together key influencers with DFID advisers and implementing partners in the field and in Kathmandu to workshop, brainstorm and change practice. Where there are obvious gaps in practice, technical assistance will be made available to support improvements (e.g. for poverty mapping, monitoring etc.).

Duties and Responsibilities

• Contributes to the preparation of the Terms of Reference and other contractual documents for consultants and service providers;
• Provides support for planning and budgeting. Monitors the work programme and budget of the Project and reviews progress of work versus planned activities, in collaboration with the Line Manager(s);
• Processes invoices, project advance requests, project expenditure reports etc.;
• Supervises expenditure control in relation to the Project and ensures adherence to International IDEA policies and procedures; Administers funds and oversee budget expenditures; Estimates monthly revenues and expenses; Prepares, analyzes and submits financial statements and reports; Prepares for and responds to the office audit;
• Coordinates procurement and performance management of suppliers and contractors including preparing consultancy contracts in line with International IDEA policies and procedures;
• Fully manages, as proper projects, the organization of meetings, conferences and workshops (costing and booking venues, liaising with attendees, organizing travel, etc…). Assists with the preparation of meeting materials and follow-up production of documents;
• Organizes staff travel including cost control, travel advances, travel claims and other associated issues; when applicable, assists external consultants;
• Assists with registration of internal/external communications and institutional documents, in liaison with the Archivist;
• Prepares, updates and maintains proper documentation and records for the office including project finances, procurement and  Human Resources;
• Ensure financial systems are maintained in an accurate and timely manner;
• Assists with the update and maintenance of the Institute’s internal website and other social media;
• Registers all personnel leave requests, in liaison with Payroll;
• Assists with the update and maintenance of the Project social media.

General Profile

• Has developed specialized skills or is multi-skilled developed through job-related training and considerable on-the-job experience;
• Adds considerable value to team-based activities in his/her unit, and likely to act as an informal resource for colleagues; collaborates with other entities of the Institute as required;
• Follows internal procedures to ensure high standards of performance and compliance with Institutional guidelines;
• Integrates a gender and diversity perspective in all activities.

Functional Knowledge

• Is skilled in a range of processes, procedures and systems to carry out assigned tasks or has developed deep skills in a particular area.

Operational Knowledge, skills and experience

• Integrates a results-based approach into his/her activities;
• Understands how the assigned duties relate to others in the team and how the team integrates with others throughout the organization;
• Uses knowledge of how the team integrates with others to accomplish team objectives;
• Illustrates integrity, a collaborative spirit, a sense of achievement, and an understanding of risk management.

Leadership

• Provides solutions to problems in situations that are atypical or infrequently occurring based on practice and existing precedents or procedures.

Problem Solving

• Recognizes and solves typical problems that can occur in own work area; evaluates and selects solutions from established options.

Impact

• Impacts the quality, timeliness and effectiveness of the function; uses discretion to modify work practices and processes to achieve results or improve efficiency.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

• Liaises regularly with all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her projects;
• Acts in all assignments with personal energy and engagement;
• Fluency in English and Nepali i.e. oral and written proficiency, is required.

Education and Experience

• Approximately five (5) years of experience in a similar role;
• High school diploma and preferably business and/or secretarial education; university background is considered an advantage;
• Experience of working in an international context, e.g. in an intergovernmental organization, considered an advantage.

Terms of Contract

Local Post. Two (2) year contract. Salary NPR 93,283 per month

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Nepal.

Deadline for applications:

Applications should be submitted no later than 20 January 2017. Please note that all applications must be made in English.

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality.

Apply Instructions

Apply Link : http://idea.easycruit.com/vacancy/1763099/25038

This Job is expired. The Company is no longer accepting applications for this position.