Administrative and financial assistant

The ILO is the United Nations agency whose mandate is to improve access for men and women to decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and dignity. Its main strategic objectives are to promote rights at work, encourage the creation of decent jobs, develop social protection and strengthen dialogue in the search for solutions to problems in the world of work.

In Benin, domestic work is an essential component of the care economy. Domestic workers play a vital role in providing care, including direct and indirect care services to private households. Domestic work represents 1.4% of total employment in Benin and 2.3% of women’s employment. Considering only salaried employment, domestic workers then represent more than a third of women in salaried employment (35.7%). Almost all domestic workers are in informal employment (98.4% of all domestic workers and 99.4% of women). They are, therefore, not affiliated with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) and moreover 97% of employment contracts in this sector are verbal. Despite social security legislation offering legal coverage, particularly for pensions, maternity and work accidents, due to lack of application, the vast majority of domestic workers have no access to any protection. 

It is in this context that the unions organized on September 28 and 29, 2023, a high-level national forum on domestic work with a view to engaging in dialogue and raising awareness among parliamentarians and members of government in order to obtain their commitment to the ratification of C.189, and in parallel with this process to examine possible points of improvement in the living and working conditions of domestic workers. 

The initiative “Creation of decent work opportunities in the care economy, with particular emphasis on domestic workers in Benin” financed by CBSO/RBSA funds from the ILO responds to a request from the seven trade union centers in through the National Network of Domestic Workers (RNTD) which is working towards the ratification of Convention No. 189 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in favor of domestic workers in Benin. 

In this context, the ILO Country Office in Abidjan (BP-Abidjan) which covers Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Burkina

Faso, Niger, Togo and Mali is looking for an Administrative Assistant and

 project financier (AAF). 

Hierarchical structure

• The post holder will work under the general responsibility of the Director of BP-Abidjan and the direct supervision of the national project coordinator. He/she will be responsible for supporting project operations.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Maintain project financial documents and tracking systems to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for daily transactions and reporting.
• Verify, review, process and prepare all documents, including contracts, and ensure accuracy and precision for financial approvals and payments.
• Prepare, on own initiative, letters to verify data, answer questions and ensure necessary follow-up with project and ILO staff, consultants and counterparts. Call the attention of relevant officials to matters requiring immediate attention.
• Review the financial reports of the project implementing partners and request additional information on them, ensuring that these reports comply with ILO rules before submitting them to the finance unit.
• Classify and assign budget codes, verify and process payment requests, verify slips, prices and invoices for compensation payments.
• Provide project staff and consultants with administrative and financial support and advice on payments, entitlements, travel claims and other accounting and financial requirements.
• Consult with the finance unit and project team on rules, regulations and procedures and inform project staff, partners and consultants of new or revised procedures and practices.
• Prepare recurring reports as scheduled and assist in the preparation of special reports for reporting to donors, budget preparation, audits or other reasons.
• Calculate and compile cost estimates and participate in the development of budget analyzes and projections, as required.
• Provide support, if necessary, in the preparation and organization of project workshops and meetings.
• Perform other relevant duties as requested.

Required Qualifications

Training

• The incumbent must have completed secondary education. A diploma in accounting and/or finance and in the administrative field would be an asset.

Experience

• At least five years of financial and administrative work, with increasing responsibilities.

LANGUAGES

• Excellent knowledge of French and good working knowledge of English.

Source: https://jobs.ilo.org/job/Cotonou-Assistant(e)-administratif(ve)-et-financier(%C3%A8re)-G5/1071757301/