Finance and Administration Assistant

Description:

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organization in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organization owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organization works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Human Rights and Social Development (HRSD) Division has a vision for just, equitable, and resilient Pacific societies. It aims to achieve this by advancing human rights, equality, and social inclusion for all Pacific people, grounded in cultural values and principles.

In line with its vision, the work of the Division encompasses the following objectives:

Objective 1: Governance for human rights and social development: Strengthen inclusive, transparent, and active governance for human rights and social development.

Objective 2: Gender equality and social inclusion: Mobilise, empower, and build conditions for gender equality, equity, and social inclusion in society and development.

Objective 3: Culture: Promote, preserve, and protect positive expressions of culture.

Objective 4: Enhance knowledge, learning, and innovative solutions to accelerate impact on human development priorities.

The USD 20 million donor-funded ‘Promoting Just, Engaged, Civic-minded and Transparent Governance in the Pacific Project’ (‘PROJECT Governance’) is focused on strengthening democratic institutions and promoting sound, just, and responsive governance in the Indo-Pacific region. The activities of Project Governance will improve the functioning of government institutions, civil society organizations, and media as well as promote transparency and accountability, opportunities for representation and inclusion of citizen interests in political and decision-making processes, upholding the rule of law, strengthening democratic institutions, and protecting rights and civil liberties, especially of women and other marginalized sectors.

The Finance and Administration Assistant will support the administrative and financial delivery of PROJECT Governance by SPC and Donor requirements. The responsibilities will include the management of project accounting, audit, and budgetary controls, monitoring of project sub-contractual requirements, support for procurement of works and services contracts, and support for the development and acquittal of country grant agreements funding with Pacific Island countries.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

Financial and procurement support:

• Manage day-to-day administration and operations work.
• Manage and monitor project filing systems, including the archiving and backup of project documents, information, and data in a format suitable for supporting mid-term and terminal evaluations.
• Effectively manage project assets records.
• Provide support on programme-related matters as and when required.

Travel and logistics management:

• Manage travel requirements for program staff, including liaising with travel agents on itineraries and tickets.
• Ensure travel is budgeted for and in line with the work plan.
• Support the development of budgets for regional workshops and field travel needs.
• Facilitate travel arrangements for regional and national workshops.

Administration and operations support:

• Manage day-to-day administration and operations work.
• Manage and monitor project filing systems, including the archiving and backup of project documents, information, and data in a format suitable for supporting mid-term and terminal evaluations.
• Effectively manage project assets records.
• Provide support on programme-related matters as and when required.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria:

Qualifications:

• A degree in a relevant field such as accounting, financial management, or business administration.

Technical expertise

• At least 5 years of experience in project finance and administration.
• Demonstrated experience in donor project finance and administration.
• Demonstrated experience in financial audit administration.
• Strong analytical ability and demonstrated understanding of complex accounting or finance issues in a development context.

Language skills

• Excellent English communication skills (oral and written).

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Ability to work in a multicultural, inclusive, and equitable environment. 

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – This vacant position is budgeted until 31 May 2026 subject to extension depending on funding and performance.

Remuneration – The Finance and Administration Assistant is a Band 7 position in SPC’s 2023 salary scale, with a commencing taxable salary range of FJD 2,287-2,859 per month, plus local staff benefits. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will normally be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates compete in a selection process that is fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilingualism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander.

Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s Privacy Policy.

Application procedure:

Closing Date: 14 January 2024 at 11:59 pm (Fiji time)

Job Reference: JM000524

Applicants must apply online at http://careers.spc.int/

Hard copies of applications will not be accepted.

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience, and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions

Your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at the shortlisting stage if all the above documents are not provided. Applicants should not attach copies of qualifications or letters of reference. Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

SPC does not charge a fee to consider your application and will never ask for your banking or financial information during the recruitment process.

Only Fijian citizens are eligible to apply for this role. 

Screening Questions (maximum of 2,000 characters per question):

1. Describe an example of when you were responsible for organizing a large event. How did you organize and schedule the tasks? Was the event successful? If so, how did you know? Is there anything that you would have done differently?
2. Please describe your background in financial administration (including reporting) and procurement (including facilitation of procurement processes) for donor-funded projects.

Position Description