Senior Finance and Administrative Assistant - G7(DC) at International Labour Organization

Vacancy no.: DC/DAR/GS/2020/05
Application deadline (midnight local time Nairobi, Kenya): 21 April 2020

Job ID: 3406
Department: RO-Africa
Organization Unit: CO-Dar es Salaam

Contract duration: 1 Year

Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.

In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.

The Following Are Eligible To Apply

ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the Staff Regulations.
External candidates*

The recruitment process for General Service positions is subject to specific local recruitment criteria. The ILO may only offer a contract to persons are Kenyan

Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given. Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.

Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade. The entry level salary for this position is 2,818,220 (Kenyan Shilling) yearly.

Introduction

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is implementing a three year United Stated Department of Labour (USDOL) funded project that aims to contribute to strengthening the capacity of the Kenyan Government to Address Child Labor and/or Forced Labor/Trafficking in Persons, and Violations of Acceptable Conditions of Work. The project seeks to promote enhanced enforcement of the legal framework and policies pertaining Child Labor and/or Forced Labor/Trafficking in Persons, and Violations of Acceptable Conditions of Work – this includes improvement of assistance services for victims of child labour and forced labour and strengthening partnerships to accelerate progress in addressing child labour, forced labour and violations of acceptable forms of work.

The Project is seeking to recruit a Senior Finance and Administrative Assistant (FAA) Position located in the Project Office in Nairobi, which is under the ILO Country Office (CO) for East Africa Dar Es Salaam and working closely with the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for Eastern and Southern Africa (DWT-Pretoria). The ILO Office for East Africa covering the countries of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi works with the member states governments, social partners – workers and employers organizations to enhance freedom of association, social dialogue, entrepreneurship, skills development, ending child labour, among others. The Office also supports technical cooperation projects in a number of areas related to its mandate in close collaboration with the umbrella organizations for employers and workers.

As a team member of the Project, the incumbent provides para-professional finance and administrative services and is responsible for managing the completion of a range of support services in an efficient, effective and client-oriented manner. These relate to the delivery of administrative and office support, and will finance, travel and logistics and other operational related areas. Work involves the use of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. She or he ensures the correct application, interpretation and adaptation of established rules, regulations, policies, procedures and guidelines. The position holder evaluates, anticipates needs, determines priorities and provides inputs into the design and development of improved finance and administration support services and delivery processes. Work assignments are carried out under minimum supervision with the incumbent operating with a high degree of independence in delivering and evaluating the finance and administration services provided. Work is reviewed for feasibility of recommendations and impact of end results.

Introduction Continue

Reporting line

Under the overall responsibility of the Director, ILO Country Office, Dar es Salaam and under the direct supervision of Project Manager, the incumbent will be responsible for the timely completion of finance and administration support services in a range of Finance and Administrative areas encompassing general administration and office support and may also encompass some HR related, travel and logistics and other operational areas. S/he shall evaluate and follow up on service provision to ensure optimum delivery in compliance with applicable standards; as well as ensure strategic and efficient management of project financial resources within the Donor expectations and ILO requirements.

Internal contacts are with staff and managers in field offices, project locations and headquarters to enlist support and cooperation and to provide advice for the resolution of complex issues in compliance with applicable standards. Contacts are also to coordinate activities with other units for the delivery of interrelated services.
External contacts are primarily with counterparts in UN agencies and other international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), embassies, permanent missions and concerned authorities to coordinate and resolve pending issues and seek opportunities for synergies and process improvements aiming at quality and cost effectiveness.

This position will be based in Nairobi.

Description Of Duties

• Project support and Administration
  • Coordinate all project finance and administration activities, including, human resources, procurement, transport, IT, security, and administration and ensure they follow ILO rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Participate in the preparation and control of the work unit’s accounts regarding allocations and expenditures. Perform operations for effectuating expenditures and make adjustments to optimize utilization of funds. Act as certifying officer and approve actions in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
  • Review administrative correspondence and forms, including of a non-routine nature, prepared by other staff, and finalize correspondence requiring research and understanding of operational matters and knowledge of programme areas. Undertake quality control of outgoing documents for accuracy of information, grammar and style and compliance with applicable standards.
  • Evaluate and propose improvements to work methods and processes. Assess the impact of changes and make recommendations on follow up actions. Liaise closely with other administrative areas to ensure effective and smooth service design and delivery, recommending improvements on interrelated processes.
  • Conduct research and statistical analysis related to Finance and Administration issues. Coordinate and prepare budget-related reports and statistics to support the preparation of programme and budget and work plan documentation and financial and technical progress reports for donors. Provide other inputs for internal policy papers or for use in interagency meetings.
  • Keep abreast of changes to administrative rules, regulations, policies, procedures, guidelines and other developments and provide guidance and deliver training to team members and staff with the view to building knowledge. Provide briefings to staff on operational and administrative issues. Resolve non-standard issues.
  • Attend and participate in meetings and workshops of UN agencies dealing with operational and administrative UN Common System matters. Prepare information notes on key issues and developments and follow up as required.
• Budgeting and Finance
  • Undertake project budgeting, budget revisions and rephasals in order to respond to implementation strategy. Offer technical advice to the project manager on the best course of action in order to align budget with emerging implementation issues. Draft budget related correspondences for review by the Project Manager. Monitor allocation and activity expenditure to advise on the project status through project highlighting approved funds, allocated funds and committed funds for purpose of determining project delivery rates
  • Ensure Project Office compliance with Internal Control Framework, Delegation of Authority and segregation of duties and responsibilities through innovative solutions that respond to project implementation. Review emerging practices and where necessary design and recommend financial controls that respond emerging financial risks.
  • Manage projects assets and liabilities and ensure up-to-date records on inventory. Prepare annual assets inventory summaries on asset movements and balances. Ensure that assets are well taken care of according to applicable guidelines and are in working conditions. Ensure that project records are safely kept.
  • Process different financial transactions such as purchase orders, travel requests and claims, payment vouchers, payment journals, bank transfers through online banking platform
  • Participate or support in ILO and Donor project audits, review audit and verifications findings, come up with corrective plan, and engage relevant project staff for successful corrective actions
  • Perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

Education

Completion of secondary school education supplemented by a formal training in accounting and/or finance and administrative field from a recognized commercial school or equivalent.

Experience

7 years of progressively responsible finance/accounting and general administration experience. Office support work experience including various senior level support services. Experience of working with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system could be an advantage..

Languages

Excellent spoken and written knowledge of English. Good knowledge of another official language of the duty station.

Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of a range of operational areas.
• Good knowledge of PC software (including word processor and spreadsheet and presentation software) such as Microsoft Office.
• Knowledge of methods and techniques for assessing quality and efficiency of process execution.
• Knowledge of the substantive nature of ILO programmes and activities.
• Knowledge of UN Common System policies in the area of administration and operations.
• In addition to the ILO core competencies [Integrity and transparency, Sensitivity to diversity, Orientation to learning and knowledge sharing, Client orientation, Communication, Orientation to change, Takes responsibility for performance, Quality orientation, Collaboration], this position requires:
• Ability to interpret and work within the applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Ability to adapt quickly to new software and systems.
• Ability to coordinate and oversee a broad range of administrative activities.
• Ability to search, retrieve and compile information from a variety of sources.
• Good drafting skills.
• Analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to supervise support staff.
• A high degree of discretion with sense of responsibility in dealing with confidential matters.
• Interpersonal skills, tact and diplomacy when dealing with others.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to demonstrate gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory behaviour and attitudes.
• Demonstrated to ability to work and communicate with people in a polite, courteous and cooperative manner.
• Ability to apply conceptual approaches to accounting and finance.
• Must display high standards of ethical conduct.

Recruitment process

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application form. To apply, please visit the ILO Jobs website . The system provides instructions for online application procedures.

Candidates assessed by the Panel and considered to be eligible for appointment but who are not selected for this vacant post may be offered an assignment to another position at the same or lower grade provided that they meet the minimum qualifications required.

Fraud warning

The ILO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process whether at the application, interview, processing or training stage. Messages originating from a non ILO e-mail account - @ilo.org - should be disregarded. In addition, the ILO does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.