Expert in Public Finance Management and Grant Administration (m/f/d) for Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Grant Agency

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a global service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Owned by the Federal Republic of Germany, GIZ has over 50 years of experience in providing technical assistance, capacity development and project management services for a wide variety of specialised development areas, including education, health, governance, public finance management, agriculture, social development, gender equality etc.

For our operations in Maputo/Mozambique, we are looking for an Expert in Public Finance Management and Grant Administration (m/f/d) for Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Grant Agency

Assignment period: 05/01/2024 – 12/31/2028 / full-time

Field of activity

In 2023, GIZ has successfully undergone the accreditation process for the role as Grant Agent for Global Partnership for Education (GPE) funding. In February 2024, GIZ was selected as GPE Grant Agent in Mozambique.

The GPE is a major international fund that provides financial support to education systems in developing countries, including many African nations. It mobilizes resources from various donors to support initiatives aimed at improving access to quality education, strengthening education systems, and promoting equity in education. 

In its role as GPE Grant Agent, GIZ is now requested to assist the Mozambican government, more specifically the Ministry of Education and Human Development (MINEDH), in the application for and implementation of the GPE System Capacity Grant (SCG) (3,3M USD) and the GPE System Transformation Grant (STG) (107M USD).

Your tasks

The Expert in Finance Management and Grant Administration will be a key member of the grant agent Team for the GPE grants managed by GIZ. He/she will be part of a small team responsible for analyzing and assessing Public Finance Management (PFM) processes and functions within Mozambique’s education sector, identifying risks, capacity development needs, advising on grant management mechanisms, coordinating results-based financing approaches and serving as a liaison to Fiduciary experts and financial oversight, as well as the programme development unit at GIZ headquarters.

The Expert in Finance Management and Grant Administration will be responsible, among other things, for:

• Conduct analysis and assessment of PFM processes and functions in the education sector at central and decentralized levels.
• Evaluate risks associated with PFM functionalities, processes and capacities .
• Identify capacity development needs within the education sector and develop strategies and recommendations for Capacity Building interventions tailored to address gaps and risks.
• Provide advice on the existing basket funding modality and its development to ensure efficient, effective and transparent utilization of funds and lean coordination.
• Participate in the PFM Working group of the Ministry of Education and partners of FASE.
• Support the management of the grant at the interface with the role of the World Bank as another key contributor to the basket fund.
• Plan and support coordination of results-based financing approaches to incentivize the achievement of reform objectives.
• Act as liaison between the grant agency team and fiduciary experts at GIZ Headquarters, ensuring their involvement in risk management and collaboration.
• Support capturing key insights, lessons learnt, best practices and challenges encountered in PFM and budget support/ fund management approaches for stakeholders in Mozambique, GPE HQ and GIZ HQ.

Your profile

Qualifications and skills

• Master Degree in Economics, Finance, Public Finance Management, Public Administration or a related field Business Administration / Management, Accounting and Budgeting, or  Master Degree or equivalent in Public Policy, Development Studies, International Development
• Good command of Portuguese and excellent command of English; good command of German will be considered a strong asset
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for effective liaison and for navigating complex stakeholder environments
• Strong analytical skill and ability to conduct assessments of PFM capacities and processes
• Perfect command of standard IT tools (MS Office suite)

General professional experience

• Minimum requirement of 5 years of professional experience in the field of Public Financial Management preferably within the education sector or in the international development context, particularly in the context of budget support
• Prior work experience in international development cooperation, including abroad and preferable in Sub-Saharan Africa would be desirable.

Specific professional experience

• At least 5 years of expertise in implementing or backstopping projects covering public expenditure review, analysis of costs, costing of actions plans, budget elaboration for ministries; reforming or updating accounting standards, procedures, references and applying accounting in a ministry; financial reporting (non-exclusive, nor exhaustive list)
• Track record in risk assessment, capacity development and advising on grant management mechanisms
• Any prior experience with GPE-funded projects or GPE-procedures, or other basket funds would be considered a strong asset
• Any previous working experience with a development financial institution (e.g. KfW, WB etc.) will be considered a strong asset
• Familiarity with results-based financing approaches and performance monitoring frameworks
• Any experience with GIZ financing rules and procedures would be considered an asset

If we caught your interest, we are looking forward to your application until 05/26/2024.

For further information: https://jobs.giz.de/index.php?ac=jobad&id=71674

You can find the full job advertisement and further detailed information in our job market on the GIZ job and career pages at www.giz.de, Job-ID V000058419.

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