Vacancy Announcement

The Commercial Advisor for Development Partnerships Special Initiative Training and Employment Project

 The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federally owned international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. GIZ has worked in Rwanda for over 30 years. The primary objectives between the Government of Rwanda and the Federal Republic of Germany are poverty reduction and promotion of sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, GIZ Rwanda is active in the sectors of Decentralization and Good Governance, Economic Development and Employment Promotion, Energy and ICT (Information and Communications Technology).

The Special Initiative Training and Job Creation (SI) aims to improve the conditions for sustainable economic and employment growth in Rwanda and to promote investment. The Special Initiative together with the Rwandan partners facilitates interventions in the following fields of action: “The conditions for investments of European or international enterprises in Rwanda are improved; the capacities of Rwandan SMEs in selected sectors/clusters for sustainable, employment-generating growth are improved; the business ecosystem of selected sectors/clusters is improved”. The project provides advisory services and facilitates the access to funding schemes and instruments for the development and implementation of business projects.

One approach to achieve the goals of the programme are development partnerships with private companies, private sector organisations or public partners. Joint project development might lead to matching grants or financing agreements. In order to support partner organisations to fulfil all accounting and procurement requirements of GIZ for such grants or financing agreements, and in order to provide professional services, the project Special Initiative Training and Employment (SI) is searching for one candidate for the position of Commercial Advisor for Development Partnerships, with focus on GIZ accounting and procurement procedures.

Location: Kigali.

Fixed Term: 31.09.2021

A.    Responsibilities

 The Commercial Advisor for Development Partnerships is responsible for:

• Ensuring that partners which have received a grant or financial contribution of GIZ comply with all GIZ rules and regulations for accounting, financial management and procurement
• Support the partners with advice how to set up an appropriate accounting system; explain and supervise on GIZ procurement rules, at the same time ensuring compliance with Rwandan governmental regulations for procurement
• Advise partners how to prepare financial statements for disbursements of grants
• Support GIZ to collect all documents needed for commercial eligibility checks of potential partners for receiving grants
• Ensuring proper documentation of the cooperation with the partners
• Ensuring that all procedures comply fully with GIZ financial, administrative and procurement regulations and specific procedures of SI

B.    Tasks

The Commercial Advisor for Development Partnerships performs the following tasks:

1.    Prepare all documents for the commercial eligibility check for potential partners or the commercial reassessment on existing partners 

• Support the programme to collect all necessary documents and information from the potential or existing partner for first assessment or renewal of the commercial eligibility for financial support through the SI programme (precondition to receive any kind of financial support)
• Follow up with the GIZ Country Office Rwanda on the process; being the liaison person between the programme and the Country Office for the commercial eligibility checks
• Ensuring that all commercial eligibility checks are always up to date; ensuring that process of renewal is started on time
• Advice partners, if requested, how to improve their system in case the commercial eligibility check did not prove sufficient capacity of the partner organization for financial support

2.    Support the selected partners to comply with GIZ rules and regulation during the preparation and the implementation of matching grants and financing agreements 

• Awareness creation for potential and selected partners on specifics of GIZ rules and regulation on accounting and procurement
• Assess with the potential partners if the accounting and procurement structures are set up to follow the GIZ rules and regulations
• Advice partners if requested on how to improve their accounting procedures in order to comply with GIZ rules and regulation
• If requested by the partners, secondment (on a weekly/daily/hourly base) to the partners to support them in accounting, financial management and procurement
• Be the liaison person for all questions related to GIZ rules and regulations with the SI programme, GIZ Country Office and if applicable with GIZ HQ in Germany
• Crosscheck the financial statements prepared by the partner for GIZ on compliance before they are sent for disbursement/reimbursement
• Support the partner in the preparation of the commercial project proposal and disbursement plan
• Assess together with the technical team of GIZ the commercial project proposals and assess the viability of the proposals if necessary.

3.    Ensuring compliance with data protection regulation of GIZ    

• Depending on the type of cooperation, ensuring the compliance with the data protection regulation of GIZ
• Informing the partners on requirements regarding data protection as well as preparing all necessary documentation needed to be sent to GIZ HQ on data protection

 4.    Other duties/task 

• Advice other GIZ programs on how to improve accounting and procurement procedures for their partners
• Perform any other duties and tasks at the request of the Management including the Head of Admin and Finance

C.    Required qualifications, competences and experience   

Qualifications and professional experience

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, management, finance or business administration; Master’s degree is an additional asset

• At least 5 years’ professional experience in a comparable position; ideally with strong focus on accounting, financial management and procurement; having held a first Senior Position will be an asset
• Working experience in an international organization/NGO in financial management and/or procurement
• Working experience with an auditing company, financial management advisory or professional accounting firm is a strong asset

 Other knowledge, additional competences

• finely tuned organisational skills and ability to work on one’s own initiative
• able to work under little supervision but at the same time being a real team player
• strongly skilled in project management
• quick learner; affinity to numbers as well as good understanding why details matter
• persistent and focused on the tasks, but at the same time creative and open minded
• excellent communication skills; able to ask the right questions
• ability for abstraction; not only fulfilling instructions without scrutinizing
• very good working knowledge of ICT and computer applications (e.g. MS Office); good knowledge of excel and power point essential
• excellent knowledge of English, orally and written; ability to express oneself in clear sentences with relevant context; being able to write English with rigour and precision in grammar and spelling is an absolute must
• excellent knowledge of Kinyarwanda
• knowledge of German will be an asset (independent reading/ understanding of written communication)
• willingness to upskill as required by the tasks to be performed

Interested candidates should submit their application (motivation letter, updated CV, certificates and references) until 18^th August 2020 at 4:00 PM, by e-mail to [email protected] 

The email attachment (max. size 2 MB) should be a PDF file. Please quote the job title in the subject

GIZ is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified candidates. This includes the provision of reasonable accommodation, if needed, in order to participate in the job application and interview process and to perform essential job functions.

Please, let us know if you have any particular requirements should you be invited for assessment/interview or that you wish us to take into account when considering your application. Women and persons with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for test and interview.

GIZ Office Rwanda

KN 41 St. / Nr.17, Kiyovu

P.O. Box 59, Kigali, Rwanda

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