The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) program aims to improve the long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, in protected areas and surrounding communities. It is an initiative of the ACP Group of States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund (EDF), jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC). Building on the first five years of activities financed by the 10th EDF, BIOPAMA’s second phase provides tools for data and information management, services for improving the knowledge and capacity for protected area planning and decision making, and funding opportunities for specific site-based actions. (www.biopama.org)

Protected Areas (PA) and the landscapes within which they are located have a central role to play in preserving the biodiversity and ecosystem services that the majority of rural communities depend on for sustainable livelihoods. However, protected areas, particularly in developing nations, are underperforming for many reasons, notably lack of resources, lack of political support, limited capacity to address conservation and development challenges, insufficient support from local communities, and insufficient up-to-date information for good policy and decision making. The overall aim of the project is to contribute to improving the long-term conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and, natural resources in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific ACP regions in protected areas (PA) and surrounding communities. The project will continue to build institutional and technical capacity at the regional, national and site levels for improved PA and biodiversity management with access to and application of data and information related to biodiversity and PA management and governance being used to inform and strengthen policy decisions and management actions.

These actions are structured around the work of a series of Regional Observatories (RO) for protected areas across the ACP, managed by regional institutions, and housing Regional Reference Information Systems (RRIS) with tools and services that stakeholders can use to monitor and report on the status of biodiversity and PAs. In Central Africa, the observatory is hosted by COMIFAC and in West Africa by CSE.

The project also implements an Action Component which comprises a substantially funded and high-profile grants program to support specific actions on the ground in priority conservation landscapes that are aimed at strengthening PA and natural resource management effectiveness and governance. The Action Component involves the implementation of a comprehensive portfolio of small to medium sized grants. The finance officer will play a fundamental role in carrying out the Action Component. The position will have a go-to function both for the IUCN BIOPAMA II personnel and external parties.

IUCN PACO is recruiting an accountant to support the management the BIOPAMA project’s accounts.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Administrative and financial
. Administration, accounting, finance and logistics: Recording of financial transactions and day-to-day bookkeeping of the project
. Ensure that financial reports are prepared and analyzed in accordance with IUCN and donor standards and policies, and submitted monthly to the Administrative and Financial Management Specialist for validation
. Ensure cheque writing and preparation of the monthly reconciliation of the BIOPAMA project bank account.
. Set up an archiving and filing system for the project’s accounting and financial documents, to facilitate audit missions
. Maintain petty cash and have the minutes signed monthly by BIOPAMA’s Administrative and Financial before approval by the Regional Coordinator.
. Support the organization of workshops and missions, in particular logistical follow-up with regard to the selection of hotels and travel agencies and the running of the workshops
. Support the administrative and financial officer in the revision of BIOPAMA’s subgrantees reports
. Ensure that all travel documents and original expense vouchers are available and filed for all workshops and missions.
. Ensure the proper management of BIOPAMA’s fixed assets file, including the tracking of purchases, the allocation of equipment to beneficiaries and the periodic inventory in accordance with the provisions of the project’s Procedures Manual.
. Manage the stock of supplies, carry out periodic inventories
Audit
. Support the BIOPAMA and IUCN team in the preparation of audits of the BIOPAMA project and in monitoring the implementation of recommendations.

Procurement
. Support in the preparation of tender documents, requests for quotations and proposals
. Support the Procurement Specialist in the opening and evaluation of bids;
. Support the Procurement Specialist in the preparation of notification letters, reports and minutes, as required
. Assist with the acceptance committee for supplies and equipment.

In general, support the BIOPAMA team and IUCN in administrative, financial and accounting tasks as part of the smooth execution of project activities.

Please Note: The above TORs contain the main responsibilities and duties of this position. However, in an ever-evolving organization such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular TORs. Where any task becomes a regular part of staff member’s responsibilities, the TORs should be changed in consultation between the manager, the staff member and the HR Unit. Any one of the three may initiate the consultation.