Description
The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our organisation 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 and it aims to achieve this by advancing human rights, equality and social inclusion for all Pacific people, grounded in cultural values and principles. The work of this Division includes work previously undertaken by the Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) in the area of human rights and the Social Development Programme (SDP) in the areas of gender equality and social inclusion, culture and youth development.
In line with its vision, the work of the Division will encompass the following focal areas:
- Objective 1: Pacific institutions are strong, transparent, and responsive for upholding and promoting human rights and implementing inclusive, gender sensitive and culturally respectful development.
- Objective 2: Pacific Civil Society understand and can advocate for their rights and uphold cultural values.
- Objective 3: Pacific culture is protected, preserved, and promoted and culturally relevant and appropriate knowledge and systems are integrated across all work.
- Objective 4: All PSC programs and operations are grounded in people centered approaches and consider the rights and cultural values of diverse groups including women, children, youth and persons with disabilities.
- Objective 5: HRSD Division teams work collectively, coherently, and efficiently and to a high standard to achieve shared success for Pacific societies.
The role – Finance and Administration Assistant will support the administrative and financial delivery of a range of projects in accordance with 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, 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
- Support the delivery of financial and procurement reports using SPC financial systems.
- Monitor project expenditure against approved budget on a monthly basis.
- Conduct financial analysis of project delivery for decision-making.
- Ensure financial transactions and project procurements comply with SPC’s Financial and Procurement guidelines.
- Support and build capacity with country counterparts (including project coordinators and support staff) to deliver on SPC procurement and financial requirements.
Travel and logistics management
- Manage travel requirements for programme staff, including liaising with travel agents on itinerary 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.
- Prepare Country Circulars to SPC focal points to advise on workshops and events
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 3 years of experience in project finance and administration.
- Demonstrated experience in donor project accounting.
- 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 – Until 30 June 2026 – subject to extension depending on funding and performance.
Remuneration – The Finance and Administration Assistant is a Band 7 position in SPC’s 2024 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 are competing 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.
How to apply
Application procedure
Closing Date: 19 May 2024 at 11:59pm (Fiji time)
Job Reference: JM000656
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 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):
- 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?
- Please describe your background in financial administration (including reporting) and procurement (including facilitation of procurement processes) for donor-funded projects.