Finance Officer at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).  We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Finance Officer

Requisition ID: 561
Duty Station: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Organization: African Union Commission – AUC
Reports to: Senior Finance Officer (Finance Directorate)
Directorate: Finance
Division: External Resource Management
Number of Direct Reports: 0
Number of Indirect Reports: 0
Grade: P2

Purpose of the Job

• The African Union Commission (AUC) has secured funding from the European Union for the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) through the Intra-ACP Climate Services and Related Application programme.
• The programme addresses the issue of climate information throughout the entire supply chain of climate services covering generation and provision of climate services, access to information, user interface platforms, and capacity enhancement of critical players including, but not limited to, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of Member States, and Regional Climate Centres (RCCs). It aims to enable Member States to develop and incorporate science-based climate information and prediction into development planning and decision-making at all levels, and to better manage risks of climate variability and change, Furthermore, it enhances policy and decision-making at continental, regional, national, community, and individual levels.
• The AUC is responsible for the overall continental coordination of the programme implementation, which includes the development and application of weather and climate information services; facilitation of capacity building for RECs and Member States; fostering sharing of best practices and coordinating knowledge management; procurement and supply of equipment for Member States and Regional Climate Centres; establishing and operationalization of the continental monitoring and reporting framework; facilitation of preparation of Africa State of Climate Reports and Outlooks; prudent management of financial resources; and monitoring and evaluation.

Main Functions

• The Finance Officer is responsible for maintaining financial and accounting services in order to ensure that expenditures of the programme are incurred as per the partner agreement and periodic reports are submitted on time.
• S/He ensures that proper books of accounts and records are kept up to date while ensuring the appropriate documents, authoritative signatures and approvals are acquired in timely manner according to AU Financial Rules and Regulations.
• The officer is also responsible for ensuring that the ECCAS RCCs (CACP-AP) and ACMAD receive appropriate orientation of AU and EU financial procedures.
• S/he provides support to the AUC and RCCs on financial management, expenditure verification as well as financial reporting.
  The Officer supports other related financial and administrative activities with respect to the programme.

Specific Responsibilities
The Officer shall:

• Review and update the status of the GFCS programme funds ;
• Maintain and generate accurate financial records, in line with the AU Financial Rules and Regulations and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS);
• Prepare periodic financial statements and analyze expenditures and balances relating to the transactions of the GFCS programme;
• Liaise with finance counterparts from ECCAS and ACMAD to ensure timely processing of requests and reporting;
• Allocate expenditures to the appropriate fund or account and monitor proper budget utilization to ascertain that budget appropriations are not overspent;
• Provide support in preparation of budget for the GFCS programme;
• Prepare reconciliations, journal entries and review of the financial documents and ensure that all payments, receipts and adjustments under are adequately supported;.
• Establish and maintains active relationships with RCCs as appropriate;
• Work closely with colleagues and regularly update partners to ensure the effective delivery of the programme;
• Ensure that all project procurement are in accordance with AU Financial Rules and Regulations and procedures;
• Support GFCS programme events including workshops, seminars and regional meetings.
• Assist in identifying training needs for ECCAS RCCs (CACP-AP) and ACMAD on AU Rules and Regulations and contributes to the development and implementation of strategies and training programs to meet these needs for the GFCS programme.
• Prepare information for the Auditors, draft responses on audit queries and takes the lead in making proposals for resolving audit findings and implementation of their recommendations.
• Prepare performance report for the attention of the GFCS programme Management;
• Ensure that payments are processed by the deadlines and that payables and receivables accounts are updated;
• Certifies the availability of funds before any commitment is made on the programme;
• Participate in GFCS Programme Management Unit (PMU) meetings;
• Perform any other related duties assigned by supervisors.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Candidates must possess a minimum of a University Bachelor Degree in Finance, Accounting, Commerce or Business Administration from a recognized University with at least three (3) years relevant work experience OR a Masters Degree in same areas of study with at least two (2) years relevant work experience.
• Additional professional qualification such as CPA, CA, ACCA, CIMA etc, or a Masters level academic qualification etc. will be an added advantage.
• Work experience should be in financial accounting and reporting function. Strong knowledge of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) is desirable;
• Demonstrable experience working with standard software (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint) and working knowledge of ERP (preferably SAP) is desirable.
• Experience in performing financial and accounting tasks for donor funded projects (including EU-funded projects) is desirable.

Required Skills:

• Conscientious in observing deadlines and achieving results;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural environment;
• Sound planning and organizational skills;
• Strong communication skills (oral and in writing)
• Ability to negotiate diplomatically
• Ability to delegate the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority with regard to performance management and professional development.
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages, fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Insight L2
• Developing Others L2
• Change Management
• Managing Risk L2

Core Competencies:

• Teamwork and Collaboration L2
• Accountable and Complies with Rules.
• Learning Orientation L2
• Communicating with Influence.

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical thinking and problem solving.
• Job Knowledge and information sharing L2
• Drive for Results L2
• Continuous Improvement Focus L2

Tenure of Appointment

• The Appointment will be made on a fixed term contract for a period of one (1) year, of which the first three (3) months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract may be renewed for a similar period subject to funding availability, satisfactory performance and agreed deliverables.

Remuneration

• The salary attached to the position is an annual lump-sum of US$ 85,212.07 (P2 Step 5) inclusive of all allowances for internationally recruited staff, and US$  66,751.81  inclusive of all allowances for locally recruited staff of the African Union Commission.

Application Closing Date
1st July, 2021.