DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The WISER ActionFirstTM in Africa initiative for Eastern and Southern Africa is a multi-country project supporting countries across EAC, IGAD, and SADC to strengthen action-based forecasting and people-centred early warning systems. ActionFirstTM in Africa is led by the Met Office in the UK, in collaboration with the RSMC's across Eastern and Southern Africa, along with the WMO Regional Office. The initiative combines national co-production, regional harmonisation, technical mentoring, and learning to ensure forecasts lead to timely and effective action. The Project Finance Expert will provide dedicated support to ensure sound financial management, compliance, timely disbursements, accurate reporting, and audit readiness, while enabling efficient delivery of national and regional WISER ActionFirstTM in Africa activities.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the overall supervision of the Project Officer and WMO Representative for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the scientific and technical guidance of the RSMC (Pretoria Nairobi) and the UK Met Office, the incumbent will perform the following duties:
- Monitor and track project expenditures against approved budgets, funding tranches, and implementation modalities; maintain up-to-date budget tracking tools, expenditure summaries, and cash-flow forecasts to support timely decision-making and uninterrupted project delivery.
- Support the timely and compliant processing of payments, advances, reimbursements, and partner disbursements in accordance with WMO Financial Regulations, approved workplans, and Implementing Arrangements.
- Compile, consolidate, and quality-check financial data and supporting documentation for the preparation of quarterly financial reports in line with Met Office templates and timelines, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with project templates and reporting timelines.
- Review and verify financial documentation submitted by implementing partners, including invoices, CIFS, and supporting evidence; maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready financial records and compliance files.
- Maintenance and updating of financial risk registers; contribute to due diligence and verification processes for national partners; ensure application of fiduciary controls, sanctions compliance, and appropriate delivery modalities in line with risk-tiered arrangements.
- Prepare consolidated financial summaries and supporting documentation required for the WISER Project Completion Report (PCR) in line with UK Government ODA requirements, ensuring that all financial records are complete, verified, and compliant with donor and WMO requirements.
EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
- Budget Monitoring and Forecasting Outputs: Up-to-date budget tracking tools, expenditure summaries, and cash-flow forecasts.
- Disbursement and Financial Processing Support: Timely and compliant processing of payments, advances, and partner disbursements.
- Quarterly Financial Reports: Consolidated and quality-checked financial inputs in line with project templates and timelines.
- Financial Verification and Compliance Records: Verified financial documentation, compliance checklists, and audit-ready files.
- Risk and Fiduciary Assurance Inputs: Updated financial risk entries and documentation supporting due diligence, sanctions compliance, and fiduciary controls.
- Project Completion Report (PCR) Inputs: Final financial summaries and supporting documentation. | QUALIFICATIONS
| Education
A degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or a related field.
| Experience
- Minimum seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in project finance, financial management, budgeting, accounting, or fiduciary oversight, preferably within UN organizations, international development projects, or donor-funded programmes.
- Familiarity with UN as well as FCDO financial rules, audit processes, and fiduciary assurance frameworks.
| Other requirements
- High sense of integrity, responsibility, and maturity of judgment; demonstrated ability to plan, organize and manage multiple workloads.
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment and to foster innovation, diversity and team spirit. | Languages
Excellent knowledge of English (both oral and written).
Knowledge of other official languages of the Organization would
be an advantage.
(Note: The official languages of the Organization are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.) | |
