Financial Systems Expert
| Location | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Date Posted | August 24, 2021 |
| Category | Accounting Consultancy Finance |
| Job Type | Contract |
| Currency | ETB |
Description
Call for Submission of CVs from Individual Consultants to assist in:
Strengthening the Institutional and Financial Capacity of the newly established Civil Society Organisations’ Council
BACKGROUND
ICE International Consulting Expertise (Belgium) has been contracted by the European Commission to operate a Technical Assistance Unit (TAU) to support the implementation of the third phase of its Civil Society Fund (CSF-III), which runs from November 2018 to November 2022. The overall objective of the programme is ultimately to increase the contribution of citizens and CSOs in the development and democratisation process of the country.
Following the overall nationwide reforms in Ethiopia since April 2018, the Organisations of Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019 was enacted in March 2019. This recognises the importance of non-state actors in the development agenda, and more importantly, the right of citizens to have a voice in their national affairs. The new proclamation has removed the restrictive conditions of its predecessor and is creating an enabling environment for the operation of non-state actors, allowing them to engage in any lawful activity, including democracy, human rights, elections and peace building, etc. Article 85 of the Proclamation allows for the establishment of a Council governed by the full participation of all CSOs. The Federal Agency for Civil Society Organizations (ACSO) – which was also created under the new legal framework- convened and coordinated the founding meeting of the Council. The first General Assembly (GA) of the Ethiopian CSOs’ Council (ECSOC) was held on 31 December 2020. The GA has now democratically elected twenty-one Executive Committee (EXCOM) members who are responsible for coordinating and leading the Council in fulfilling its mandates.
The EXCOM has already begun to function by conducting regular meetings, mainly related to its structure and the division of roles. In addition, the drafting of the necessary working documents has commenced, such as its by-laws and the CSOs’ code of conduct, and an annual work plan. The Committee is also in the process of identifying the resources needed for its operations; establishing its secretariat office, and consulting potential partners who could support the Council to put its internal operational systems in place and assist with some start-up programmatic activities. The recruitment process for appointing an Executive Director is also ongoing.
Given EU CSF-III’s concern with the creation of an enabling environment for the operations of CSOs, the EXCOM of the CSO Council has requested Technical Assistance to support its efforts in strengthening the Institutional & Financial Capacity of the CSO Council; enhancing its recognition nationally, and increasing the contribution of CSOs in policy dialogue. The expected outcome of this support is to establish an independent, influential, accountable and transparent Council with the
capacity to lead, implement and manage the mandates, responsibilities and functions vested in it by the appropriate laws.
POSITIONS REQUIRED
The European Union and Technical Assistance Unit for CSF-III have already agreed to use some of its current team of short-term experts to support the Council and its Executive Director (once appointed) in areas such as Communications and Visibility; Policy Dialogue, and Resource Mobilisation. However, to provide the full range of support required to assist the EXCOM to operationalise its Secretariat, ICE Belgium and the CSO Council wish to recruit the following Short-Term Consultants:
FINANCIAL SYSTEMS EXPERT
SCOPE OF WORK –
The Financial Systems Expert, working closely with the Management Expert, shall support the EXCOM and Executive Director in developing the financial management and accounting systems and related procedures manuals of the secretariat in accordance with best international standards. In order to meet these objectives, the incumbent, under the guidance of the EXCOM’s president and the TAU’s Team Leader, will carry out the following tasks:
- Formulate a written policy on financial management, accounting and key related areas, such as payroll, procurement and assets management, vehicle and transport management, internal and external auditing and financial reporting, and other general office operations.
- Develop a manual detailing the required financial management systems, procedures and templates to ensure adequate control over all financial transactions.
- Establish an appropriate accounting and double-entry book-keeping system (manual and electronic) to record all payments, advances and bank transactions, and to identify and verify all income and expenditure.
- Provide orientation to relevant secretariat staff and EXCOM members on the practical implementation of the policy and procedures and systems manual developed.
- Undertake any other related tasks as assigned by the EXCOM president, Executive Director, TAU TL or their representatives.
LOGISTICS AND TIMEFRAME
The operational base for the Financial Systems Expert will be the CSO Council’s Secretariat Office, which is currently being provided by the Ethiopian Civil Society Forum in Addis Ababa. Office accommodation with basic furniture as well as access to telephone, internet, copying and printing
facilities can also be made available as required at the TAU’s office in Bole. The Expert is expected to provide his/her own personal computer and cell phone.
The start date tentatively shall be mid November 2021. The performance period is currently set at 20 working days, to be delivered over a period of one calendar month.
DELIVERABLES-
a. An Inception Report within 5 working days of commencing the assignment, describing the expert’s understanding of the ToR (including any suggested changes), proposed approach to accomplish the tasks required, and a detailed work plan showing activities and milestone dates. The Report should be no more than 5 pages long, excluding annexes. Following a review and approval of the Inception Report by the EXCOM of ECSOC and TAU/EUD, and quality clearance by ICE HQ, the report will be considered final.
b. A Final Progress Report (maximum 10 pages excluding annexes) at the end of the assignment describing the tasks planned and completed, the outputs produced, including any problems encountered, solutions found and detailed recommendations and guidelines for the EXCOM of ECSOC to take forward the operationalization of the proposed financial systems. All finalised deliverables (Inception Report, financial management policy and manual, etc, as detailed in the scope of work section above) required under these ToR shall be attached to the final report as annexes.
BY : ICE International Consulting Expertise (Belgium)
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Short-Term Contract
Job Requirements
REQUIREMENTS
The Financial Systems Expert should possess the following qualifications, skills and experience:
Required qualifications and skills
- At least a University degree (and preferably a master’s degree) in Accountancy, Finance, Auditing, or related field.
- Familiarity with a wide range of contemporary financial management software packages.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Fluency in written and spoken Amharic and English.
Required general professional experience
- At least five years working experience in financial management.
- At least two years of the above experience should be in a senior or advisory position.
- Knowledge of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and experience with their application.
- Experience in managing audits.
- Experience in establishing financial management systems and developing financial policies and manuals.
- In depth knowledge of the Civil Society sector in Ethiopia.
Preferred professional experience
- Knowledge and experience of working with donor-funded projects.
Applying Instructions
Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply
ONLY CVs SUBMITTED IN THE EU’s FORMAT WILL BE CONSIDERED
you can't the format from the link below
Interested and eligible individual consultants should submit their CV in EU format (see following pages) to info@csf3.org by Monday 30 August 2021.
ICE Belgium, for the European Union Civil Society Fund III
Tel. 0991 189 689
Addis Ababa