Finance and Administration Officer

Description

• Heading MOZ is recruiting a full time Finance and Administration Officer for the Flanders Chancellery & Foreign Office, Delegation of Flanders in southern Africa, based in Maputo (Mozambique)
• The Flanders Chancellery & Foreign Office is looking for a Finance and Administration Officer for the country office of the Delegation of Flanders in southern Africa in Maputo, Mozambique. This position comprises on the one hand the smooth financial, administrative, and logistical operation of the country office, and secondly, the financial management of projects in Mozambique that are funded by the Government of Flanders
• Do you see yourself working in Flanders’ country office in Maputo as a Finance and Administration Officer, and are you convinced that you have the relevant competences and experience for this position? Are you comfortable and confident with numbers, financial administration, and control, and do you have an undisputed professional integrity? Then don’t hesitate to apply for this position. We encourage everybody to apply
• The Flanders Chancellery & Foreign Office manages the international relations of the Government of Flanders (Belgium). It is responsible for coordinating Flanders' actions at both international and European level and is therefore in charge of Flanders' relations with foreign governments, the European Union, and international organisations
• The Flanders Chancellery & Foreign Office is responsible for the following, inter alia:
• Cooperation with foreign partners
• Flemish development cooperation, with a geographical focus on Southern Africa
• Creation and transposition of European legislation, and conclusion and ratification of international treaties
• International and European trade policy
• Control of the import, export and transit of arms and other strategic goods from Flanders
• To carry out this remit, the Flanders Chancellery & Foreign Office relies on the enthusiastic commitment of:
• Some 280 members of staff at the central administration in Brussels
• The Flemish team within the Belgian Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels, led by a Diplomatic Representative of Flanders, and Diplomatic Representations of Flanders in the neighbouring countries and with a number of selected countries and international organisations worldwide: the Netherlands (The Hague), Germany (Berlin), France (Paris), UNESCO, OECD and Council of Europe (Paris), the United Kingdom and Ireland (London), Italy (as well as FAO, WFP and IFAD, Rome), Scandinavia (Copenhagen), Poland and the Baltic States (Warsaw), Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic (Vienna), United States (New York), southern Africa (Pretoria) and the United Nations in Geneva
• Purpose: you will be the Finance and Administration Officer reporting to the Deputy General Representative of Flanders based in Maputo. You will also collaborate closely with our project partners in Mozambique, and you will be a key player in maintaining effective communication channels with the Flanders’ Chancellery and Foreign Office in Brussels, Belgium. We are seeking candidates with a high level of integrity to join our team. The working languages are English and Portuguese
• The main responsibilities are financial control of projects financed by the Government of Flanders as well as and administrative and logistical office management
• This position is part of the Delegation of Flanders in southern Africa. The head office is in Pretoria (South Africa), with satellite offices in Maputo (Mozambique) and Lilongwe (Malawi)
• More information on the Delegation of Flanders in southern Africa is available at http://www.flanders.org.za

Duties

• The job in a nutshell

Financial control of projects financed by the Government of Flanders, including

• Financial management and control of the projects
• Participation in financial technical meetings with the Government of Mozambique and other development partners
• Advise the Deputy General Representative of Flanders on fiduciary risks, financial procedures, regulations, and laws
• Assist project partners in precise and robust financial management of their project

 Administrative and logistical operation of the office, concerning

• Management of all financial records at the country office of the Government of Flanders in Maputo
• Office accounting
• Information management, including archiving and drafting of notes
• Supporting tasks such as agenda management, mail handling, reception service, booking flights and accommodation for local and international travel, telephone calls, and event management

Result Areas

• Finance-related
• Financial data collection
• Collection, completion, and administrative processing of financial data to have files and documents with complete and correct information at one’s disposal
• Examples of activities:
• Collect and manage all data of the office expenditures
• Collect and update all data on the disbursements made by the Government of Flanders to the subsidy recipients in Mozambique
• Financial data verification
• Verify and check documents and data to guarantee that formal requirements, procedures, and regulations are respected
• Examples of activities:
• Verify compliance of all project expenditures according to the organisation’s internal procedures, approved budget, and project agreement
• Check project expenditures against the list of invoices, the bank statements and whether the expenditure is justified within the framework of the project
• Perform physical checks at the level of the implementing organisations
• Verify audit reports and audit findings
• Follow up on financial recommendations and if required, advise on the necessary actions
• Financial data follow-up
• Exchange information and answer various questions to correctly inform clients and other parties involved
• Examples of activities:
• Follow-up of financial findings and recommendations formulated by external auditors on specific projects and organisations subsidized by the Government of Flanders
• Work relations
• Cultivate excellent working relationships to ensure the efficient progress through effective collaboration with project and Government partners

Administrative and logistics related

• Processing data and dealing with files
• Carry out the steps that are planned with respect to the processing of data and files in order to guarantee a good service through timely and correct handling
• Internal information exchange
• Exchange information and answer various questions to correctly inform partners and other parties involved
• Examples of activities:
• Advice the Deputy General Representative on all relevant matters and provide feedback to colleagues in headquarters and other development partners
• Supporting tasks
• Carry out operationally executive tasks to contribute to a smooth operation of the office
• Examples of activities:
• Make sure the office is at all times equipped with the necessary office supplies
• Make sure all invoices are paid in time
• Take care of incoming/outgoing mail/post
• Be responsible for the reception task in the office
• Manage agendas

Formal Selection Criteria

• You may take part in the selection procedure if you meet the following criteria at the closing date for applications:
• Holding a higher education diploma (Licenciatura or Master’s level) with a minimum of 4 years of higher education at an institution/university recognised by the Mozambican Government (or equivalent), preferably in Accountancy, Business Administration or Finance plus a professional qualification such as ACCA or CIMA
• Having Mozambican nationality or being in possession of a permanent residence or other legal permission to work in Mozambique. Please note that the employer will not be able to assist with obtaining a work visa for this position
• Having at least 8 years work experience in a relevant position with proven responsibility for financial control
• Having 5 years demonstrable experience in financial monitoring and evaluation of projects within the development sector, preferably for an INGO, UN, donor agency of similar. Work experience in auditing is considered an asset
• In possession of a valid driver’s license

Requisites

• Technical competences:
• Expertise in accounting, financial controls, procurement procedures and all relevant laws about financial management
• Knowledge of various accounting packages such as ACCPAC or QuickBooks
• Proficient skills with Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
• Oral and written knowledge at proficiency level in Portuguese and intermediate level in English
• Following competences are an advantage:
• Knowledge of, and experience in, the health sector in Mozambique; experience on a decentralized level (Provinces, districts, communities)
• Experience with pooled funding mechanisms and donor coordination is an advantage
• Personal competences:
• Taking responsibility: You act in accordance with the organisation's interests, values, and standards
• Flexibility: You change your method, approach, or style to achieve goals. You adapt your behaviour efficiently, in different situations or towards different organisations and people
• Communication: You convey information and ideas in writing and/or orally in a comprehensible manner
• Cooperation: You contribute to a joint result in a team or project, even if this is not immediately of personal interest
• Initiative: You identify opportunities and take/propose action on your own initiative
• Partner focus: You recognize wishes and needs of different stakeholders inside and outside the organisation and respond to them appropriately
• Planning & organisation: You can effectively and independently set goals and priorities and identify the necessary actions, time, and resources to achieve them in an efficient way
• Carefulness: You act with attention to quality and focus on preventing mistakes

Benefits

• You will be part of an open and energetic organisation that vigorously anticipates the evolutions and needs of society. Together with all the stakeholders, you will contribute to a sustainable service provision with confidence and in the public interest
• You will have a full-time position with an indefinite contract
• There is ample opportunity for (further) training and support with modern ICT tools
• The workload can be high, but we value the best possible life/work balance. We offer 30 days of annual leave on top of the days between Christmas and New Year as well as public holidays
• Based on the job requirements, relevant professional experience may be recognised by the line manager
• The employer will pay up to 85% of a standard health plan
• Your first 6 months will be a trial period with an individual training programme

Selection Procedure

• Module 1: First Screening:
• Screening based on formal selection criteria:
• We will verify that you meet the formal selection criteria mentioned in section 4.1 based on your CV, diploma and motivation letter
• The candidates who fulfil the formal criteria and have the most relevant competences and demonstrable experience will take part in the subsequent selection procedure
• This screening will take place during the week of 12 January 2024 (date subject to change)
• Preselection 1 based on psychometric computer tests
• This pre-selection will only take place if more than 25 candidates meet the formal selection criteria for participation.  During this phase, a few requested competences are tested
• This preselection is eliminative. The 25 best candidates will be invited to the next module
• This phase will take place during the week of 22 January 2024 (date subject to change)
• Preselection 2 based on administrative skills, language tests and tests case
• Test Administrative Skills
• LANGUAGE TESTS: The following competencies will be tested by means of a written and oral language test, conducted by an independent language centre:
• Written knowledge of English (intermediate level)
• Written knowledge of Portuguese (proficiency level)
• CASE: The test will consist of:
• a case studies
• a reading comprehension test
• The language tests and the assessment (case and reading test) will take place in the period from 22 January to 2 February 2024. (date subject to change)
• This preselection is eliminatory. To participate in the next module, candidates must pass the language tests and score at least 50% on each of the components, and rank among the 8 highest-scoring candidates. These 8 highest-scoring candidates will be invited to take part in the next module. Should one of the 8 highest-scoring candidates withdraw their candidacy during this preselection, the next best scoring candidate can be invited to participate

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• Your motivation
• Your vision on, and understanding of, the job
• Your technical competencies, including language competences
• Your personal competencies
• Your employability in the job and within the organisation
• This module will be eliminatory and will take place in Maputo in the week of 12 February 2024. Online interviews for candidates who are unable to travel can be considered. (Location and date subject to change)
• Based on the overall picture obtained, you will be deemed to have 'passed' or 'not passed' the job selection procedure
• An additional personality test may be part of the selection process
• Your application must be in English or Portuguese to be considered and be assessed
• If you would like additional information on the job content, selection criteria and conditions of employment, please contact: Veerle Cnudde - maputo@flanders.eu, +258 844442476
• If you want more information on the selection procedure or have technical or practical issues, please contact: Shelcia Cuamba - shelcia.cuamba@heading.co.mz, +258 844141752