Capacity Building for Results (CBR) Facility Project
Project Support Unit
Finance and Procurement Adviser - National
Terms of Reference
BACKGROUND
Capacity Building for Results (CBR) Facility Project, which commenced in January 2012, aims to support the government’s effort to improve the capacity and performance of core line ministries responsible for national priority programs. The CBR project’s development objective is to assist the government in improving the capacity and performance of select line ministries in carrying out their mandates and delivering services to the Afghan people. This will be achieved through the implementation of specific capacity and institution building programs, which include systematic monitoring of and reporting on results.
Capacity Building for Results (CBR) Project Support Unit of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) would like to recruit a qualified and experienced Finance and Procurement advisor to the Afghanistan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA) to work with CBR Project Support Unit at (MoF) with the following duties and responsibilities.
Number of Positions: One Position - To be stationed at (ANDMA)
Summary of the Position:
The Finance and Procurement Advisor at ANDMA shall work closely with the State Minister to review and advise on all finance and procurement related functions, resolve any identified technical problems related to finance and procurement, to ensure close coordination with other advisers, including in engagement with finance and procurement professionals in other Afghan Government ministries and agencies, international donor and implementation bodies, relevant national and international civil society and non-governmental organizations, media and other relevant bodies.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Specific roles and responsibilities expected of the Consultant are listed below:
1. Undertaking a review of existing financial management and procurement systems, procedures and operations as implemented by the Office of the State Minister and ANDMA and preparing a report on the extent to which they are consistent with current Government legislation and regulations. The review should draw on the 2016 Altai report for the World Bank of staff capacity within ANDMA in identifying shortcomings in staff numbers or skills, systems, processes and mechanisms, be evidence-based, and make budgeted and timed recommendations for remedial action among staff in Kabul and in the provinces.
2. Undertaking a review of international good financial management and procurement practice as followed by Government and non-government bodies working in providing humanitarian assistance, disaster response and management, and building disaster resilience, to identify those systems, processes and mechanisms that could usefully be adopted, with appropriate adaptation to meet Afghanistan’s institutional and capacity context, and the perceived improved value achieved in doing so.
3. Procurement practice. Prioritised and budgeted recommendations on systems, processes and mechanisms to be adopted (3 months from deployment)
4. Providing advice to the State Minister on financial management and procurement issues and concerns within the Office of the State Minister or ANDMA, informed by consultation with other relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance and other Government ministries and agencies, international donor and implementation bodies, relevant national and international civil society and non-governmental organizations.
5. Assisting the State Minister, senior officials and advisers in drafting strategy, policy and programmatic documents on financial management and procurement issues and practices.
6. Monitoring reports issued by Afghan Government ministries and agencies, international donor and implementation bodies, relevant national and international civil society and non-governmental organizations, on the financial management and procurement performance of the Office of the State Minister and ANDMA, and making budgeted and timed recommendations for remedial action to the State Minister as required.
7. Drafting or contributing to briefings, talking points, speeches or presentations on financial management and procurement-related issues for use by the State Minister and agreed senior officials.
8. Working with finance and procurement staff in the Centre and provincial offices to identify any constraints to the application of agreed systems, processes and mechanisms, in order to make recommendations to the State Minister on improvements and changes required.
9. Developing, together with the Strategic and Organizational Reform Adviser, an action plan to respond to the findings of the 2016 Altai report for the World Bank of staff capacity within ANDMA, and to resolve any shortcomings in staff numbers or skills, systems, processes and mechanisms. The action plans to be evidence-based, and with budgeted and timed recommendations for remedial action among staff in Kabul and in the provinces.
10. Undertaking a proportional monthly audit of procurement activities and contracts entered into by the Office of the State Minister and ANDMA and producing a written report of findings for the State Minister with recommendations as appropriate.
11. Reviewing the content of financial management and procurement documentation, making recommendations on improvements as required, and devising, leading and/or supporting knowledge building activities among finance and procurement staff to increase awareness, understanding and professional capacity.
12. Monitoring the application of financial management and procurement processes and reporting on the extent to which work is being undertaken to the required standard and completed on time. As needed, producing written reports of findings for the State Minister with recommendations as appropriate.
13. Providing any other technical advice and undertaking duties as requested by the State Minister agreed as relevant to these ToR.
Deliverables:
· Measurably improved adherence in financial management, procurement and contracting matters by staff in the Office of the State Minister and ANDMA to Afghan legislation and regulations (measured through reporting to the Ministry of Economy and the Administrative Office of the President)
· Measurably improved capacity of finance and procurement staff in the Office of the State Minister and ANDMA in Kabul and in the provinces (measured through changes in capacity as a result of implementation of the Training and Capacity Development Plan)
· Measurably improved financial reporting, in terms of quality and timing, to meet the requirements of the Afghan Government and international donor partners (measured through the timeliness and completeness of verified outward reporting, plus feedback over time from external partners)
· Measurably improved value for money in the application of Government and donor funds in terms of the cost of goods and services, the degree of losses or wastage in delivery and storage, and the delivery of appropriate goods and services on time to identified beneficiaries (measured through changes in loss rates, prices held or reduced, gap analysis in provision to beneficiaries assessed through feedback processes, including Cluster reporting).
· As required by the Minister, drafts and final versions for approval of strategy, policy and programmatic documents on financial management and procurement issues and practices (throughout)
Qualifications and Experience: The successful candidate for the position of Finance and Procurement Advisor will meet the following requirements:
· University Degree in Economics, financial management, accountancy, audit, or a relevant field or equivalent qualification (Master’s level with 5 years relevant managerial or Advisory working experience or 7-year relevant experience with Bachelor degree respectively);
§ Experience of working at a senior level in the Afghan civil service, an international agency, or private sector.
§ Demonstrated ability to use professional accounting and database software for analytical and reporting purposes
§ Proven ability to develop and maintain relationships with key personnel in Government, Donor Agencies and private operators;
§ Skilled use of Microsoft Office applications is essential.
§ Fluent in English (speaking, reading and writing) is required.
Reporting and Supervision
The Finance and Procurement Adviser will report to the State Minister’s Senior Adviser and to the State Minister.
Duration: The duration of position(s) would be up to 31st December 2017 (current project closure date) with a 3-month probationary period, subject to possibility of extension (depending on performance and the extension of the project beyond 2017).
HOW TO APPLY
Interested candidates should submit their applications by e-mail or in writing (marked confidential and clearly indicating on the sealed envelope the vacancy announcement number) to:
CBR PROJECT SUPPORT UNIT (PSU), Budget Department, Ministry of Finance, Pashtoonistan Watt, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Attn: HR Unit – MoF PSU
Please note that applications received after the closing date will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Deadline for Application:
01-Apr-2017
The Capacity Building for Results (CBR) Facility Project is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing chances for employment to candidates and employees without regard to race, religion, creed, age, sex, height, weight, marital status, disability unrelated to an individual's ability to perform adequately, national origin citizenship, ancestry, or any other characteristic almost universally considered to be protected by law.
4