Finance and Administrative Officer at African Union(AU)

Purpose of Job

• Responsible for all the Finance and Administrative Function of the office which include financial reporting, budget preparation, maintaining accurate and complete data in the general ledger and trial balances in line with the AU financial rules and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS).

Main Functions

• Manage Budget, Payments, Accounting, Procurement, Human Resources and Risk management functions of the Office;
• Provide support in the preparation and implementation of the programmes developed out of the Office’s strategic plan;
• Ensure effective coordination and implementation at various levels;
• Prepare and develop reports, budget and work programmes related to the functioning of the Office;
• Provide support to develop resource mobilization strategy with stakeholder’s coordination;
• Manage and supervise employees under his/her supervision with regard to organization and performance evaluation;
• Conduct complex analysis and generate accurate reports in a timely manner for the Office and AU’s internal use;
• Perform Human Resource management functions;
• Coordinate and manage all the activities of the procurement function within the Office;
• Liaise with the various Departments/Units of the Commission for coordination and alignment purposes;
• Actively contribute in the development of strategies, policies, programmes and plans.

Specific Responsibilities
Finance:

• Coordinate the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the budget of the Office;
• Manage and process payments in accordance with African Union Financial Rules and Staff Rules and Regulations;
• Oversee the timely payment of salaries, allowances and entitlements to staff and payments to suppliers and other service providers, leveraging suitable technology and simplifying accounting processes;
• Ensures that accurate and complete accounting and internal control systems are functioning at Office;
• Coordinate and post all accounting transactions and produce management accounts and financial statements;
• Maintain accurate and complete Trial Balance for the Office in accordance African Union Financial Rules and International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS);
• Reconcile Interoffice and Statutory Net Payable Accounts in SAP on monthly basis and ensure they are always zero;
• Provides advice and ensure compliance with Financial Rules, IPSAS, Executive Council Decisions and other determined financial policies;
• Participate and respond to internal/external audit requests and lead the implementation of audit recommendations;
• Liaise and consult with oversight bodies such as the Board of External Auditors, African Union Commission and the Office of Internal Oversight on matters relating to accounting, payments and audits.

HR & Procurement:

• Coordinate Human Resources Services such as recruitment, placement, contract management of local and international staff, performance management, skills development, leave management, employee relations and overall staff administration, ensuring compliance with AU Staff Rules and Regulations and AU Administrative Policies;
• Manage staff benefits and welfare (e.g. insurance, coordinating arrangement of medical services, counselling services and others);
• Provides advice and support to managers and staff on human resources related matters;
• Keeps abreast of developments in various areas of human resources;
• Provides induction, orientation and briefing to new staff members;
• Supervises the maintenance of the human resources filing system;
• Supervises the activities of the administrative support team i.e. transport team (Drivers) and cleaning services.
• Coordinate and manage procurement process that would ensure the Office receives quality and efficient services in line with AU rules and procedures;
• Proactively identify and manage risk in the operations of the Office;
• Coordinate and direct the day to day work and activities of the Office;
• Performs other related duties as required.

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field with Five (5) years of work experience in Budgeting, Payments, Accounting, Procurements and Human Resources management;
• Experience in supervisory will be an added advantage. OR
• A Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field with Two (2) years of work experience in Budgeting, Payments, Accounting, Procurements and Human Resources management;
• Experience in supervisory will be an added advantage.
• A professional qualification such as CPA, CA, ACCA, CIMA, Expert Comptable or equivalent is an added advantage;
• Demonstrate practical experience in applying IPSAS;
• Hands-on experience in budget preparation and administration in international organizations;
• Hands-on experience in processing payments using ERP preferably SAP;
• Practical experience in closing accounts and preparing financial statements;
• Demonstrate understanding of procurement rules and procurement of goods and services in international organizations;
• Experience in managing human resource function;
• Experience with finance module of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) such as SAP, or similar ERP;
• Advance knowledge in the application of Microsoft Office Suite particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Required Skills:

• Conscientious in observing deadlines and achieving results
• Familiarity with international and regional policy processes and policy analysis in the relevant area
• Strong communication ability both orally and in writing
• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages, fluency in another AU language is an added advantage

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Insight.
• Managing Risk.

Core Competencies:

• Teamwork and Collaboration.
• Learning Orientation.
• Communicating with impact.

Functional Competencies:

• Analytical thinking and problem solving.
• Job Knowledge and information sharing.

Tenure of Appointment

• The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period.
• Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

Languages:

• Proficiency in one of the AU working languages (Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish) and fluency in another AU language is an added advantage.

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of USD31,073.00 (P2 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment (46% of basic salary), education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.