Technical Director, Public Financial Management (PFM) at DAI

Job Code: 7254
Location: Abuja, Nigeria with frequent travel, up to 75% of work time, to core states (Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe, Sokoto), and other locations as needed
Project: USAID Nigeria State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity.

Background

• The purpose of the five-year (2020-2025) “State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness” (“State2State”) Activity is to increase the accountability, transparency, and effectiveness of governance in selected state and local governments (LGAs) in Nigeria.
• From the project main office in Bauchi, State2State is currently working in the following six core states, along with a small project component at the national/federal level: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Gombe and Sokoto.
• There may be expansion to additional states, pending programmatic considerations. State2State’s overall purpose will be achieved by supporting three mutually supportive development objectives:  
  • Strengthening public financial management (PFM) systems that include public procurement, and how these systems relate to better delivery of services in three key sectors, namely basic education, primary health care, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
  • Increasing government responsiveness to citizen needs and priorities.
  • Improving government and civil society capacity to manage conflict (through work on prevention, mitigation, and reconciliation with the earlier mentioned three sectoral partners, not stand-alone assistance to the police or judiciary).
• State2State will strengthen subnational governance systems in a sustainable manner, supporting the efforts of local reformers and building on locally derived solutions including, to the extent possible, good practices and reforms that are already working well in other parts of Nigeria.

Position Objectives

• The Technical Director PFM will have both a technical leadership and activity management role, leading and ensuring high-quality and timely implementation of PFM technical activities across the project states.
• S/he will provide technical leadership to PFM specialists based in the core states as well as intermittent consultants in specialist areas of PFM, and travel to state offices to engage with stakeholders and State2State teams, working closely with state government structures through which technical assistance is closely coordinated.

Responsibilities

• Working together with the state-based teams and technical advisors, the Technical Director will provide technical leadership to PFM technical assistance to beneficiary states, and this support will include new perspectives and approaches that are aligned with good practices and cross-cutting lenses such as gender, equity, and social inclusion (GESI), and conflict management. Ongoing and prospective areas of technical assistance that will be led, managed, or overseen by the Technical Director PFM include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Mentoring team members and working with project beneficiary states and partners to update or complete participatory and bottom-up initiatives in policy and planning such as State Development Plans (SDP) and Medium-Term Sector Strategies (MTSS).
• Supporting the development and execution of states’ annual procurement plans that promote greater transparency, reduce risk, and support efficient service delivery.
• Facilitating capacity building in PFM areas such as internal auditing and development of resources such as training manuals.
• Helping to design, develop, and implement strategies for greater internally generated revenue (IGR), and public-private partnerships.
• Working in tandem with and managing, as appropriate, technical staff and short-term technical assistance in support of PFM activities.
• Other duties of a reasonable nature as assigned by the Chief of Party (COP).

Minimum Requirements

• A relevant Degree in Economics, Finance, Business, Accounting, Development Studies, or relevant field required.
• MBA or other relevant master’s degree preferred; PhD/doctorate is ideal.
• At least twelve (12) years professional experience, with at least seven (7) years of demonstrated experience in design and implementation of interventions regarding improving PFM. Previous experience designing and using Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) framework preferred.
• Previous successful experience in working for or with government counterparts and/or community organizations to improve PFM, including taxation and fiscal decentralization.
• Demonstrated effective training, capacity building and coaching skills; networking and interpersonal skills; creative problem solving; conflict resolution and ethical management skills.
• Demonstrable experience in integrating gender into PFM activities. 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; fluency in English language.
• Computer literacy in word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software (Microsoft Office).