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Finance Officer

Ankara

  • Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Location: Ankara
  • Grade: Consultancy - SB-4 (SC8/SC9), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Operations and Administrations
    • Banking and Finance
    • Other
    • Capacity Development
    • Malaria, Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP has been providing implementation support services for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, within the scope of the Göksu Taseli Watershed Development Project (GTWDP) and the Uplands Rural Development Project (URDP). Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MOAF) has the overall responsibility for the management and the implementation of GTWDP and URDP. UNDP’s role is to support the project in dealing with flow of funds arrangement, recruitment of project staff, contracting of technical assistance, accounting, auditing and ensuring procurement of goods, civil works and services. The both Projects are co-funded and hence will be monitored, supervised and approved by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) (Financier).

 

The overall objective of Göksu Taşeli Watershed Development Project (GTWDP), is to reduce rural poverty by supporting economic diversification through value chain development and sustainable natural resource management.  The Project targets to increase farmers’ income from improved agricultural production and marketing activities in the targeted area with strengthened resilience to climate shocks. The Project would also contribute to improving the standards of living of the nomadic Yörük tribes in the highlands of the Taurus Mountains, through capacity building that would assist them to organize for improved management of the common natural resources. The project outcomes include:

 

i)          sustainably increased farm productivity,

ii)         higher product prices received by smallholder producers.

 

The GTWDP is being implemented in selected villages of 11 districts of Konya and Karaman provinces of Central Anatolia. These districts are located in the Göksu sub-catchment, one of the four in the East Mediterranean Watershed. The Project area includes 238 villages that are situated in the mountainous parts of the 11 districts where the elevation varies between 600 m and 1 800 m. Each component would focus on elements of the identified value chains (VCs).

The GTWDP includes three components namely:

i)          Agricultural Productivity and Natural Resource Management,

ii)         Market Access Enhancement and

iii)        Project Management.

The overall objective of the Upland Rural Development Project (URDP), on the other hand, is to enhance the welfare and socio-economic resilience of small farmers in highlands. This objective can be attained by making the use of natural resources sustainable and improving the resilience and economic opportunities of poor people in rural areas based on farms and agribusinesses linked to more profitable economic clusters. The key strategy of the Project includes developing rural production, encouraging sustainable use of soil and water, and enhancing the adaptation capacity of smallholding farmers to climate change. This strategy depends on two basic complementary outcomes (outputs): (i) Development of critical agribusinesses through better natural resource management and high added value for rural transformation by using an economic clustering approach, (ii) Enhancing access of small farmers to financial services by strengthening special financial resources.

At the first stage, the Project will be implemented in the Eastern Mediterranean (Adana, Mersin, Osmaniye) and the Western Black Sea (Bartın, Kastamonu, Sinop) regions targeting 45 districts and 30,000 households. At the second stage of the programme, the inclusion of additional provinces will be evaluated by IFAD depending on the successful implementation of first phase. Quantitatively URDP’s two phases are expected to benefit about 60,000 households, or 294,000 beneficiaries. URDP beneficiaries are divided into three main categories: (i) economically active poor households, (ii) economically active households with upsides, and (iii) contributors to rural development and clustering investments. URDP has three components: (i) Clustering for Flexible Rural Transformation, (ii) Inclusive Rural Finance, (iii) Project Management.

Objectives of the Assignment

Under the supervision of the IFAD Projects Manager, the Finance Officer will ensure that project financial management and accounts are correctly maintained and operated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Government of Turkey, and relevant plans and reports are prepared as requested, in line with the procedures of IFAD.

The Finance Officer is responsible for implementing project activities, ensure that project financial management and accounts are correctly maintained and operated in a timely manner according to the project plans, relevant project documents/mission reports and UNDP´s programme procedures and delivering high-quality outputs in a variety of project implementation processes. 

The Finance Officer works in close collaboration with the MoAF Survey and Projects Department’s (SPD) Finance Unit to ensure smooth and timely management of inputs as well as other Project staff to coordinate activities and seek synergies.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Finance Officer is expected to assume the following tasks:

Measurable Outputs

Key Results Expected/Major Functional Activities

Preparing budget operation plans

  • Ensuring the interaction with UNDP for proper management of project funds and their disbursement in accordance with the accounting, budgeting, and financial control procedures established for the Survey and Projects Department in the light of IFAD and other donors’ requirements,
  • Preparing, and securing approval of budgets based on the operation plans of the projects' subcomponents.

Financial implementation and monitoring

  • Evaluating periodically the financial reporting and internal control arrangements for the projects' subcomponents and prepare proposals for improvements,
  • Performing a monthly, quarterly and yearly review of the projects’ general ledgers with a view to identifying and clarifying any errors and anomalies, and particularly with reference to receivables and payables which have been overdue for more than one month,
  • Scrutinizing financial reports submitted by project components and subcomponents and agencies or institutions implementing or managing such components and subcomponents to ensure that they follow established procedures, and to take corrective action where necessary,
  • Monitoring the status of budget utilization weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly by project component and category of expenditure and reporting to MoAF Surveys and Projects Department of General Directorate of Agrarian Reform on any significant variances, together with recommendations for appropriate actions.

Ensuring necessary communication in terms of financial management between partners

  • Liaising with officials of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Republic of Turkey and other concerned government bodies on financial issues pertaining to the project, and particularly on the timely payment of government counterpart funds,
  • Preparing and submitting requests for the replenishment/withdrawal of the projects’ Designated Accounts in accordance with IFAD Disbursement Handbook in accordance with the grant/financial agreements signed/ratified by the Turkish government.

Preparing, financial documents and providing financial information during audit periods

  • Ensuring the timely preparation of financial, activity and monitoring reports to the Turkish Government, IFAD, and provide the projects' internal and external auditors with all information, documentation and explanations required for the purposes of audit,
  • Preparation and updating the projects Financial Manual and ensure adherence to its provisions,
  • Preparing reports for the annual external audits to Portfolio Administrator; technical and financial assessment of auditors’ proposals; preparing annual financial statements and explanatory notes in accordance with IFAD requirements and with IAS, to the extent applicable; agreeing with the auditors the form of their report.

Capacity Building

  • Organizing and providing training workshops in accounting and financial management topics for finance staff of SPD department and components,
  • Supervising the operation of the projects' Designated Accounts and project accounts in accordance with IFAD’s procedures.

Reporting Structure

The Finance Officer reports to the IFAD Projects Manager.

Performance Indicators for Evaluation of Results (Expected Outputs)

  • Weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly financial evaluation and disbursement monitoring reports are prepared and regularly submitted to MoAF,
  • The project financial management staff and accounting information system is designed, set up and run effectively to ensure completeness and reliability of the FM data,
  • Financial Statements & reports, interim financial reports and Withdrawal applications are generated automatically,
  • Annual audit reports timely submitted with unqualified opinion,
  • Other related tasks assigned by UNDP.

 

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
  • Promotes vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
  • Treats all people without favoritism
  • Avoids any kind of discriminatory behavior including gender discrimination and ensure that
  1. Human rights and gender equality are prioritized as an ethical principle within all actions
  2. Activities are designed and implemented in accordance with “Social and Environmental Standards of UNDP”
  3. Any kind of diversities based on ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, class, gender is respected within all implementations including data production.
  4. Differentiated needs of women and men are considered
  5. Inclusive approach is reflected within all actions and implementations, in that sense an enabling and accessible setup in various senses such as disability gender language barrier is created
  6. Necessary arrangements to provide gender parity within all committees, meetings, trainings etc. introduced.

Functional Competencies:

  • Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
  • Excellent interpersonal skills: encouraging colleagues to work within and respect an enabling gender equality environment on non-hierarchical bases
  • Promotes gender sensitive environment in the office through leadership and personal example
  • Ability to manage gender barriers and gender-blind behaviors within the project team and with our partners
  • Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of national counterparts
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
  • Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
  • Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure  
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities 
  • Team player, self-motivated and initiative taking, dedicated, creative, resourceful, flexible, energetic with sound judgment
  • Capacity to work under pressure, manage stress and adapt to rapidly evolving situations  
  • Excellent analytical, communication, writing and presentation skills
  • Ability to function at both policy advisory and project implementation levels
  • Ability to consider that men and women are affected differently from different interventions and needs to be approached differently.

Other considerations

  • Interested individuals shall provide a letter of motivation as a part of their online application focusing on the applicant’s skills and capabilities against the required qualifications (in English).
  • Female candidates are encouraged to apply.
  • UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
  • All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

 

Required Skills and Experience

 

Minimum Requirements

Assets

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or Economics

  • MBA or equivalent qualification in accounting and finance

Experience

- Minimum of 8 years of experience in a relevant donor funded project with similar responsibilities in budgeting, accounting and reporting procedures of international donors

- At least 3 years hands-on experience of running a project financial management and accounting information system.

  • Certified training on financial management in internationally funded projects
  • Certificate of Financial and/or Accounting Expert
  • Experience in training staff of local counterparts and subcontractors in disbursement procedures and in accounting theory and practice

Language Requirements

Excellent knowledge of English and Turkish.

 

Professionalism

More than 2 years of experience in preparing reports and presenting financial information in a clear, concise manner to non-technical audience

 

Computer Skills

Literacy at Microsoft Office, Windows-based applications

 

Nationality

Turkish

 

Notes:

(i) Internships (paid/unpaid) are not considered professional experience.

(ii) Obligatory military service is not considered professional experience.

(iii) Experience gained prior to completion of undergraduate studies is not considered professional experience.

 

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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This vacancy is now closed.
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