Finance Officer

GIZ-Internal/External Vacancy Announcement #136/2021

WIDU – Employment Promotion in the Informal sector in Africa and together with the Diaspora

GIZ is seeking a Finance Officer to support the project “Employment promotion in the informal sector by leveraging diaspora money transfers” - WIDU.africa platform. The GIZ project is a regional project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) that gives (financial and non-financial) incentives to invest remittances in friends’ and families’ micro and small businesses and thereby improve the employment and income situation in Africa. Through the digital WIDU.africa platform (www.widu.africa), grant applications are submitted jointly by members of the African Diaspora in Germany and business start-ups and micro-entrepreneurs in Africa. Entrepreneurs are supported by improved access to finance through the topping-up of diasporas’ transfers of funds and capacity-building of entrepreneurial skills.

After successfully piloting the project in Ghana and Cameroon it is being rolled out to Ethiopia in Q1 2021.

Contract Duration: September 01,2021-December 31,2021

Job Requirements

Responsibilities and Tasks

Responsibilities

• The Finance Officer is responsible for:
• Ensuring that financial administration functions well in accordance with GIZ standard procedures
• Effectively coordinating with the staff of the cluster accounting team and the GIZ country office Ethiopia
• Process payments via bank transfer and/or mobile money and deposits at the bank
• Financial planning, monitoring, and accounting for the WIDU project, in close cooperation with the WIDU finance manager

Tasks

Financial services

The Finance Officer

• Cooperates with the WIDU financial manager at headquarters to improve the accuracy of spending and cash flow estimates
• Assists in preparing tentative budgets for specific activities in collaboration with WIDU coordinator
• Monitors and follows up on real accounts (payables, receivables) and reports regularly to the responsible accounting manager at GIZ Country Office.
• Ensures correctness of cost booked to WIDU project.

 Internal control

The Finance Officer

• Checks the vouchers and receipts submitted by entrepreneurs (online on WIDU.africa) and by the project for completeness and allocation to cost units and categories and corrects these where necessary.
• Ensures internal control system is in place.
• Ensures the project signature regulation is adhered to.
• Ensures preparation of internal controls and external audits
• Carries out accountability checks of partner organizations and entrepreneurs receiving grants.

 General services for GIZ-assisted projects

The Finance Officer

• Is responsible for the financial management of the project in Ethiopia in coordination with the head of the project, e.g. project accounts keeping, preparation of payment requests for the project, etc.
• Manages and monitors a substantial number of small-scale mobile money and/or bank account transfers and/or cheque payments to small business owners and start-up entrepreneurs receiving WIDU grants
• Records and maintains accurate financial reports including a financial reports on the online platform WIDU. africa
• Monitors project funds and activity budgets by ensuring that all expenditures incurred are according to budgeted lines using SAP data
• Prepares the annual cash flow forecasts for the country office with the support of the coordinator, the WIDU financial manager, and the Cluster finance managers.
• Maintains the WIDU project Winpaccs cash and bank books and prepares the bank and cash reconciliations

 Other duties and additional tasks

The Finance Officer

• Keeps up to date with current Procedures and Rules of GIZ and gives regular updates on changes and new relevance to the project
• Carries out verification of the identity of entrepreneurs, investment reports, and electronic checking of sanctions lists
• Provides direct advice and coaching on aspects of financial management to finance officers in the partner organizations
• Checks travel claims submitted by staff for approval by the superior
• Reports all problems with financial administration and compliance without delay
• Performs other duties and tasks to support members of the project.

 Required qualifications, professional experience, and additional competencies

 Qualifications

•  University degree in accounting, financial management, or another relevant field
• Experience in GIZ in the relevant subject context

Professional experience

• Proven experience of at least 5 years of professional working experience in finance and contract management in an international context

Other knowledge and additional competencies

•  Experience with IT-based accounting programs
• Very good working knowledge of ITC technologies (related software, phone, fax, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g. MS Office) and openness to work with new platforms
• Excellent communication in English and Amharic.
• Able to work independently and perform well under pressure
• Ability to handle confidential data and information, use of good judgment and discernment
• Ability to work as part of a project team
• Willingness to strengthen skills and competencies as required by the tasks.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates shall submit their motivation letter along with their non-returnable recent CV via Email: [email protected]

Note: Please make sure you mention the Vacancy Number ‘Finance Officer #136/2021’ in the subject line of your email application.

• Due to a large number of applications, we categorize applications with vacancy numbers.
• Applications without vacancy numbers in subject lines might not be categorized in the appropriate folder and could be disqualified.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted
• We encourage persons with disabilities to apply for the position. In the case of equal qualification, persons with disabilities will be given preference.
• Applications from qualified women are encouraged.

“Please refer to our brochure to learn more about GIZ’s attractive benefits package.”