Closing date: Monday, 12 January 2015
Position title: Head, Programme Financial Assessment
Location: Geneva
Purpose of the position: Lead the team that assesses the capacity of recipients of Gavi support to safeguard and account for the financial resources provided through Gavi.
Team: Programme Financial Assessment
Reports to: Managing Director, Finance & Operations
N° of positions supervised: 3
Career step level: 5
The Programme Financial Assessment team is central to Gavi's ability to ensure the proper use of donors' monies. The team seeks to ensure that the financial management and internal control systems of country programmes supported by Gavi operate to effectively safeguard and account for the financial resources provided through Gavi, by:
- Engaging with countries eligible for Gavi support prior to grant commencement to evaluate the country's readiness to receive and manage Gavi grant funding in accordance with the grant agreement.
- Identifying the means by which a country's financial management systems can be strengthened to provide Gavi with greater assurance and to facilitate the development of stronger country systems, through Financial Management Assessments.
- Advising Gavi's Country Programmes team on the modality by which cash grants should be channelled to Gavi-eligible countries, through government systems or other channels, and whether additional safeguards should be introduced to ensure funds are securely managed.
- Undertaking ongoing monitoring and follow-up for assurance, through Monitoring Reviews.
Located within Gavi's Finance & Operations department, the Programme Financial Assessment (PFA) team is a key component of the second line of defence within Gavi's risk management structure, which provides three lines of defence against fiduciary risk. PFA team members interact extensively with programme implementing organisations in Gavi-eligible countries (such as Ministries of Health and Finance) and with Gavi colleagues in teams such as Country Programmes and Programme Audit. Frequent travel to Gavi-eligible countries is a feature of this work.
Key results expected:
- Assurance is provided that Gavi-supported country programmes have financial management and control arrangements that enable fiduciary accountability and transparency on the use of Gavi grants and mitigate the risk of misuse of funds;
- The scope and frequency of PFA team engagement with countries is appropriate to nature of each country's Gavi-supported programmes and seeks to ensure compliance with Gavi's Risk Policy, Transparency and Accountability Policy, and other relevant policies;
- Gavi's cross-functional Country Teams, which focus on enabling countries to make best use of Gavi support, are well supported by PFA team input on financial and fiduciary management matters;
- The PFA team has appropriately skilled personnel who are well motivated to undertake its work in support of Gavi's mission, and the resources available to the PFA team are well managed and put to best use.
Main duties/ Responsibilities:
- Lead the PFA team, providing day-to-day management, and participate directly in PFA activity, which is centred on undertaking Financial Management Assessments (FMAs) and Monitoring Reviews (MRs) of Gavi-supported programmes to inform grant management decisions;
- Refine the PFA work approaches, including tools, guidelines and procedures, to optimise their fitness for purpose. As this is a new team which is taking on an existing activity from a current team, a key early responsibility is to review existing procedures for the conduct of PFA work to determine whether they are appropriate, and develop them further as needed. The refresh of FMAs on a three year cycle is a new activity for which it will be necessary to develop new procedures;
- Prepare annual work plans and budgets for the activities of the team; monitor and report on progress;
- Engage and oversee external expertise and capacity to help achieve successful execution of the PFA workplan;
- Share knowledge to ensure that lessons learned can improve the approaches applied by FMA team and others;
- Interact with Gavi partners and other development partners in areas of common interest.
Note: The essential functions listed in this section are not exhaustive of the job responsibilities; other duties may be assigned consistently with the department needs. Professional/Academic qualifications:
- Professional qualification in audit and accountancy with membership of a professional regulatory body is a prerequisite;
- Further degrees and qualifications in relevant fields will be advantageous.
Work Experience
Essential:
- Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible work experience in relevant fields;
- Extensive experience in financial management and accounting and/or audit, ideally in developing countries and preferably including engagement with Ministries of Health and Finance;
- Many years' experience of leading and managing teams, including staff and external consultants.
Advantageous:
- Familiarity with public sector accounting and financial management practices;
- Public health and development field experience;
- Interactions with bilateral and multilateral development agencies.
Competencies:
- Excellent management skills, with ability to lead, mentor and develop a team of professionals;
- High standards of personal conduct, integrity and accountability;
- Ability to build and maintain trusted working relationships with constituencies within and outside Gavi;
- Strong team-working skills in a multi-cultural environment that promotes country ownership;
- An open and collaborative interaction style, exercised with respect and cultural sensitivity;
- A self-starter with energy and enthusiasm, able to deliver under pressure;
- Capacity to simultaneously manage multiple projects, while maintaining focus on priorities;
- Brings creativity and innovation to complex and changing environments;
- Well-developed negotiation and conflict management skills;
- Strong oral and written communication skills.
Languages:
- Written and spoken fluency in English is essential;
- Written and spoken fluency in French is highly desirable;
- Competency in other languages of Gavi-eligible countries is desirable.
Contacts:
- GAVI Secretariat, especially with the Country Programmes team and the Programme Audit team;
- Donor government development departments and agencies;
- Ministries of health and finance in Gavi-eligible countries;
- Gavi partners including UNICEF, WHO and the World Bank, and other development organisations.
GAVI is committed to diversity within its workforce and encourages applications from all qualified candidates.
If you wish to apply, please email your cover letter and resume to: recruiting@gavi.org by the closing date and reference to 'Head, Programme Financial Assessment' in the subject line. Only short listed candidates will be contacted.