Project Financial Officer - Environmental Protection Agency

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to recruit suitable qualified persons for the positions for the National Adaptation Project (NAP) Ghana Project.

BACKGROUND

The Government of Ghana, through the Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, has successfully obtained a grant of USD 2,950,634 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for a three-year project to build capacity to advance National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process in Ghana. The UN Environment is the Delivery Partner for the project, with the role of supporting and overseeing the project implementation.

The project entitled "Enhancing multi-sector planning and capacity for effective adaptation in Ghana" will be implemented by a small project team headed by a National Coordinator. The new NAP project will support multi-sectoral, medium- to long-term adaptation planning and budg­eting in Ghana and promote the integration of climate change adaptation aspects into develop­ment planning processes and policies.

The key positions required under the project are:

PROJECT FINANCIAL OFFICER

The applicant will work under the direct supervision of the National Coordinator for the Ghana National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project to ensure the achievement of the expected Outcomes and Outputs of the NAP project as set in the approved GCF Funding Proposal document and the Project Coope.iation Agreement (PGA) between the Environmental Protection Agency of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and UN Environment. He/She will be responsible for the overall financial management issues for effective implementa­tion of the project.

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Corporate Competencies

The incumbent must demonstrate commitment to EPA's mission, vision and values. S/he must display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Tasks

Under the supervision of the National NAP Coordinator (NC), the Financial Officer will responsi­ble for the execution of financial management activities such as maintaining project accounts, undertaking bank reconciliations, preparing quarterly and annual expenditure reports, preparing budget revisions and cash advance requests. The Finance Officer will be based in the Project Management Unit located in the premises of the Environmental Protection Agency. Specifically, the Financial Officer will have to:

• Keep the accounting records of the project;
• Arrange and archive accounting records in an appropriate manner in accordance with UN International Accounting Standards and Procedures Manual and the provisions of the Financing Agreements;
• Under the supervision of the National NAP Coordinator. prepare quarterly, mid-year and an­nual financial reports of the project at the established frequency and forward them no later than the fifteenth day at the end of each reporting period, while ensuring prior control of all financial information;
• Regularly monitor the financial implementation of the project within the approved budget and in accordance with the provisions of UN Environment and the provisions of the financ­ing agreements;
• Carry out the year-end inventory (fixed assets, inventories, depreciation):
• Carry out the closing of the accounts at the end of the year;
• Prepare and facilitate the conduct of annual project audits, and improve internal control procedures by taking into account audit recommendations;
• Perform any other tasks assigned by the National NAP Coordinator.

Knowledge Management and Learning

The incumbent must be willing to share knowledge and experience of the project implemen­tation with stakeholders within the confines of the PCA. S/he must actively work towards contin­uing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Qualification and Experience

The successful candidate for the Financial Officer position will have the following profile:

• Have a degree in Accounting, Finance or any other equivalent degree;
• Must possess at least Level II of a professional accounting/finance certificate in addition to the degree;
• Have at least five years of professional experience in Accounting within a program, protect or reference structure, experience with the United Nations system will be preferable:
• Knowledge and experience in applying procurement processes of Government of Ghana and UN;
• Experience in working with EPA internal accounting procedures and process is a plus:
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, is required to obtain, evaluate and interpret factual data and to prepare accurate and complete reports and other documents
• Proficiency in oral and written English is required;
• Ability to work under pressure, with short lead times;
• Have mastery computer skills and a good knowledge of Microsoft Office applications and finance software (especially Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint);

Salary is commensurate with background and experience.