Administrative Officer at the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Agency for International Cooperation) is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries.

In Nigeria, GIZ’s portfolio includes among others, a programme to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its regional integration goals. The programme aims to strengthen sector-specific capacities in the areas of Peace and Security, Customs and Trade as weir as Strategic Management and Organizational Development in the ECOWAS Commission.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Administrative Officer

Vacancy No.: 055
Location: Abuja

Background
GIZ. Solutions that work:

• As a service provider in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education work, we are dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security.
• The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe – from the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector, and governments of other countries. We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity. Our main commissioning party is the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
• The registered offices of GIZ are in Bonn and Eschborn. In 2019, we generated a business volume of around EUR 3.1 billion. Our 22,199 employees, almost 70 per cent of whom are national staff, work in around 120 countries. As a recognised development service provider, we currently have 556 development workers in action in partner countries.
• Furthermore, in 2019, the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), which is run jointly by GIZ and the German Federal Employment Agency, placed 262 integrated experts and 515 returning experts with local employers in our partner countries, or provided them with financial support, advice or other services. Personnel and business figures as at 31 December 2019.

The Project
GIZ EAT – A Vibrant new Project for the ECOWAS Region:

• The BMZ funded regional project ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) is implemented by GIZ and officially started in January 2022 with a funding of 10 Mio. EUR for 5 years. The project management unit is based in Abuja.
• Major activities will start from January 2023. The project focuses on five countries, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and three others to be determined with the partner.
• The objective of EAT is to improve institutional and technical requirements for intra-regional agricultural trade in the ECOWAS region and selected countries. The main partner is the ECOWAS commission (Directorates for agriculture, trade and customs), regional organizations and national line ministries or trade associations.

EAT Works on 3 Components:

• Strengthen the role of the ECOWAS Commission in coordinating sustainable gender-sensitive agricultural trade instruments with ECOWAS Member States
• Support sustainable gender-sensitive agricultural trade facilitation measures and services for traders at border posts and along agricultural trade value chains.
• Improve regional agri-trade promotion services and business performance of the traders.

The target group of the project comprises trade companies, organizations and actors in agri-food sector trade in the ECOWAS region. The supported agricultural commodities are raw, semi-finished and finished products that are traded form farm gate, factory or warehouse to consumer markets.

Responsibilities and Tasks

• You feel motivated to work in an Administrative and Financial team of 3 staff with a Financial Manager heading the unit.
• You manage and prioritize proactively your workload and fulfill standard tasks in time, with a high level of self-responsibility and with high accuracy.
• You are open to change ineffective routines and bring up ideas to improve administrative and financial processes within your scope of work.
• You are motivated to communicate within the team, with partners who travel or participate in workshops as well as with staff of other GIZ units, esp. the GIZ Country Office in Nigeria and other countries in the ECOWAS region.
• Planning and organizing travels, bookings and changing flight tickets through an agency on a short notice and under time pressure, following-up travel claims, receipts or other items needed for the fulfillment of a due diligent travel and cash management is one of your key strengths.
• You communicate with participants or travelers in a service-oriented way by implementing GIZ financial and administrative rules.
• You are willing to learn French in order to communicate with partners in the region who might not have good English skills.

As an Administrative Officer, you will have the following responsibilities and tasks:
Travel Management:

• Sets up an efficient travel management system at EAT project level by complaining with GIZ rules and by collaborating with Country Office Nigeria and other GIZ.
• Country Offices in the ECOWAS region – this is done in accordance with the GIZ code of cooperation
• Effectuates and processes travels requests of the project team, partners and participants of the EAT project in the ECOWAS region, follow up open claims and reports back to the Financial Manager
• Improves the travel management systems regularly, initiates and updates regularly a digital travel schedule of the EAT project team and of partners for events
• Communicates with GIZ offices in the region and with partners or stakeholders in order to proactively plan, effectuate, changes travels of participants; manages the reception and booking of the travel receipts across other GIZ offices or with service providers
• Organizes venues for workshops and conferences, manages the booking, the setup and arrangement of rooms, and catering, sound and interpreter service, per diems payments to participants; assures the correct booking of all receipts
• Coordinates effectively with colleagues in the EAT Administration and Finance Team and with procurement officers at GIZ Headquarters/ and GIZ Country Office Nigeria and other GIZ Country Offices in the region.

General Administrative and Financial Services:

• Manages logistical organization, cash payments and follow up of events by using standard operating procedures at EAT project level
• Prepares monthly and annual budgets and monitors deviations
• Carries out accounting tasks using WINPACCS accounting software and prepares monthly end-of-period accounts and bank reconciliation vouchers
• Submits the end-of-month accounts from the project accounting, cash books and account balance vouchers (through or from WINPACCS) to the officer responsible for the contract and cooperation.
• Routinely monitors costs using GIZ software in accordance with project requirements.
• Prepares quarterly/annually analyses of expenditure compared to total project budget (budget monitoring)
• Prepares financial contributions.
• Assists with the transfer of funds to projects.

Other Duties:

• Reports all problems with financial administration and compliance without delay
• Is responsible for filing in accordance with GIZ rules
• Performs other duties and tasks at the request of management.

Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience
Qualification:

• BA in Accounting, Business Administration, or similar area

Professional Experience:

• At least 3 years professional experience in a comparable position

Skills and Competences:

• Good organization and management skills for travels and workshop arrangements
• Proactive and self-responsible service mentality
• Excellent working knowledge of Office application (esp. MS Office, Excel, Word, Teams)
• Confidential handling of data and information
• Very good knowledge of the English language widely used in the country, ideally a knowledge of French or willingness to learn it
• Willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed – corresponding measures are agreed with management.
• A good team player who is willing to take on responsibility.
• Innovative and possessing a positive attitude to change towards more efficient procedures.

Salary
According to GIZ salary scale for Band 4.

Application Closing Date
1st July, 2022.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV and Letter of Motivation as one document with complete contact details via email to: [email protected] using “Vacancy No. 055” as the subject of the email.

Note

• GIZ is an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity. All qualified candidates, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, race, and religion are encouraged to apply.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.