Call for Interest: Financial Management Officer (Climate and Environment Funds) (11 months with possibility of extension)

Organizational Setting

This Call for Interest is for a Temporary Professional Officer (TPO) position for 11 months, which is a short-term contract, with a possibility of extension. The appointment of a short-term staff member carries no expectation of continuous employment or conversion to any other type of appointment with IFAD

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Financial Operations Department (FOD) is a dynamic, strategic and responsive business partner responsible to set and implement IFAD's financial strategy and manage its financial and material resources. FOD ensures that IFAD's resources are efficiently, economically and effectively used to achieve the Fund's objectives in the long-term, safeguarding IFAD's financial sustainability, and delivering on its development commitments. FOD is led by the Associate Vice President & Chief Financial Officer and is comprised of three (3) divisions: the Treasury Services Division (TRE), the Financial Controller's Division (FCD) and the Procurement and Financial Management Division (PFM) and a Development Finance (DF) team.
The Procurement and Financial Management Division (PFM) ensures a robust fiduciary system across IFAD operations, identifying and mitigating project procurement and project financial management risks through rigorous processes and controls.

Job Role

IFAD oversees Climate and Environment Funds (CEF) from numerous donors included but not limited to; Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund (AF), Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP+). The Financial Management Officer for Climate and Environment Funds supports the fiduciary administration of CEF programmes and operates under the supervision of the designated supervisor. This role is essential in ensuring that all financial activities related to CEF programmes are conducted with diligence and in accordance with established guidelines.

The incumbent consults and collaborates with both the HQ PFM team and regional finance teams, as appropriate, to proactively facilitate resolution of complex operational issues, with rapid decision¿making and proportional risk management that provides adequate fiduciary assurance while maintaining delivery momentum. The CEF Financial Management Officer at this level manages a complete financial operation, encompassing a wide variety of Climate funding sources, a large volume of transactions and extensive dispersed activities.
The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the Environment, Climate Gender and Social Inclusion Division (ECG), the PFM Grant team, Country Directors (CD), Financial Controller's Division (FCD) and other programme management and technical staff across the house to ensure consistency, cohesion and synergy in the application of technical support and provision of programme development support.

The CEF Financial Management Officer supports the application of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and maintains familiarity with relevant digital tools and innovations to enhance risk-based fiduciary assurance, operational efficiency, and analytical work.

Key Functions and Results

1. Contribution to Management of Programmes

The CEF Financial Management Officer is tasked with organising, facilitating, and executing controls to guarantee standardised management that is comprehensive, objective, reliable, and relevant. Coordination of financial management (FM) and procurement of CEF-funded projects is paramount, ensuring that IFAD maintains the same level of diligence as it does for its own funds. Key responsibilities include:

• Ensuring regular and adequate application of procedures in the implementation of all operations.
• Organising the planning of administrative, financial, and accounting work to support accurate and complete record-keeping in line with set deadlines.
• Providing technical support to management units in participating countries for accurate record-keeping and contributing to regional planning efforts.

2. Financial Management

The CEF Financial Management Officer is responsible for the correct implementation of financial management information systems, safeguarding associated software and hardware, and ensuring reliable backup of applications and files. Specific duties include:

• Ensuring the appropriate PFM direct costs recovery are included in the design.
• Developing and executing action plans to ensure all ongoing projects comply with CEF reporting requirements, including preparation of semi-annual progress reports by preparing templates for programmes to use and potential engagement of external consultants for software updates or reporting matrix development.
• Assisting in the preparation of Financing Agreements with Borrowers/Recipients to accurately reflect FM conditions, including agreed lending terms.
• Reviewing project design reports to ensure adherence to CEF requirements.
• Contributing to the Project Implementation Manual, specifically sections related to accounting and financial reporting for CEF funding.
• Ensuring the annual project auditor's terms of reference include assessment of compliance with relevant CEF requirements such as expenditure eligibility and budget categorisation.
• Providing tailored advisory support to Finance Officers (FOs) on all matters related to CEF funding, focusing on technical updates and policy/procedure development.
• Delivering quality assurance for all activities associated with CEF-funded projects.
• Working with the Financial Controller's Division (FCD) to prepare semi-annual reports for the CEF.
• Organising work plans to ensure efficient administrative, financial, and accounting performance.
• Participating in the formulation of guidelines for activity forecasts and budget development.
• Monitoring budgets to ensure compliance and effective use of resources.
• Reviewing and updating the chart of accounts for host projects.
• Supervising the preparation and verification of accounting reports.
• Ensuring execution of treasury and financing procedures, especially compliance with donor and government requirements for expense justification.
• Maintaining technical quality in accounting activities, including data entry, controls, balance accuracy, and financial statement reliability.
• Verifying the validity of supporting documents for transactions, conducting timely checks to confirm payment accuracy and consistency.
• Applying AI and other emerging technologies to day-to-day fiduciary assurance.

3. Coordination and CEF Focal Point

The CEF Financial Management Officer is responsible for managing the coordination for regional activities and additional tasks such as:

• Implementing staff training plans.
• Establishing action plans to track and execute recommendations.
• Preparing periodic and annual programme reports.
• Coordinating audits and evaluations of programmes, including execution of recommendations.
• Responding to auditor findings on administrative and financial matters and organising the archiving of relevant documents.
• Consolidating financial and budget monitoring statements in collaboration with national coordination units.
• Carrying out any other tasks assigned by the relevant authority.

4. Agent of Change

The incumbent is expected to understand and apply principles of change management, acting as a role model for transformation and adaptability. Utilising expertise in results-based management, budgeting, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and information technology, the specialist develops, analyses, and encourages acceptance of new working methods and automated workflows. Change is managed through consultations with finance colleagues and engagement with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring open communication about current and planned changes in the Fund's financial standards, regulations, and rules.

5. Managerial Functions

The CEF Financial Management Officer is accountable for upholding integrity, transparency, and equity in the management of IFAD resources.

Key Performance Indicators

The CEF Financial Management Officer is accountable for authoritative advice and guidance in regard to the Fund's fiduciary policies, the applicable climate finance regulations and practices and authoritative interpretation to resolve difficult and unusual cases.

The incumbent makes recommendations to senior management on questions of financial policy, including those that may be the subject of inter-organizational consultations. The incumbent is responsible for delivering quality assurance for all activities associated with CEF-funded projects.

The KPIs include efficient performance of assigned climate finance portfolio and other responsibilities, technical quality in terms of both substantive depth and adaptive relevance to client needs and customer service approach to problem resolution and team leading characteristics, as well as maintaining data integrity on assigned portfolios.

Working Relationships

Internally, the incumbent is embedded in the Financial Operations Team (FIO), and works in close collaboration with Regional and Country Directors, as well as other programme management and technical staff including procurement officers to ensure consistency, cohesion, and synergy in the application of technical support and provision of programme development support. The CEF Financial Management Officer acts as the key PFM focal point for the climate and environment funds managed by IFAD. He/she advocates for accountability and integrity in the allocation and management of climate and environment funds.

External working relationships for the CEF Financial Management Officer normally require an exchange of information with a range of outside sources including staff from governments, specialized agencies, host agencies, Borrowers and Cooperating institutions and external auditors. External working relationships require collaboration, coordination and partnership building with local counterparts and external stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of financial rules and procedures, with particular reference to the use of donor funding through contacts with Borrowers and Contributing institutions. The incumbent may also represent IFAD and PFM in global technical fora as required.

Job Profile Requirements

Organizational Competencies:

Level 1:

• Strategic thinking and organizational development: Personal influence
• Demonstrating Leadership: Personal leadership and attitude to change
• Data analysis: capacity to use and analyse data and ensure quality research
• Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating: Continuously seeks to learn, shares knowledge and innovates
• Focusing on clients: Focuses on clients
• Problem solving and decision making: Demonstrates sound problem solving and decision-making ability
• Managing time, resources and information: Manages own time, information and resources effectively
• Team Work: Contributes effectively to the team
• Communicating and negotiating: Communicates effectively: creates understanding between self and others
• Building relationships and partnerships: Builds and maintains effective working relationships

Education:

• Level - Advanced university degree from an accredited institution in a technically relevant area. The advanced university degree may be substituted by a first university degree and at least five additional years of relevant professional experience over and above.
• Areas - Climate finance, , finance, business administration or other job-related field.
• Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php

Certifications:

• Professional qualification in climate finance, economics and sustainable financing or similar professional qualification or equivalent from an internationally recognised institution is mandatory.

Experience:

• At least five years of progressively relevant sound international professional experience in CEF programmes or in private or public sector financial management (accounting, auditing, finance, economics, financial analysis, business administration and in project administration in a multi-cultural organization or national organization providing support on a global scope.
• Position-specific experience: Experience with an international financial institution, Climate Finance Institution, audit firm, NGO with global outreach or other relevant institution would be an asset.

Languages:

• Excellent command of both English and French is required (4 Excellent)
• Desirable: Spanish, or Arabic (3 - Good)

Skills:

• IFAD financing strategy: Expertise on the Fund`s governing and financial structure, mandate, long-term business strategy, financial rules and regulations.
• Risk & compliance: Know-how in asset liability management, risk reporting, capital adequacy, quality assurance and compliance (e.g. Anti-money laundering (AML), Know your customer (KYC) processes), etc.
• Risk management (e.g. reputational): Identification and assessment of potential liabilities and risks in IFAD's activities, particularly vis-à-vis third parties; ability to handle risks via contingency and mitigation strategies.
• Strategy implementation: Ability to lead and manage the development and implementation of medium to longer-term strategies for IFAD / for respective divisions.
• Performance management: Know-how in managing performance so that staff supervised deliver on the agreed objectives and meet their development needs while meeting the needs of IFAD. Is proficient in establishing clear performance goals (operational and behavioural) and learning plans as well as in evaluating the performance of staff against the set goals.
• Basic ICT & digital fluency: High level of digital literacy and ability to quickly get familiar with new digital tools (e.g. ability to carry out EPR data entry and extraction when budgeting; monitoring security systems, uploading content to inter/intra-net websites, etc.)
• Confidentiality & Discretion: Establishes self and division as trusted advisor to internal stakeholders by maintaining high level of discretion and confidentiality in assignments; demonstrates sound judgement when dealing with sensitive and/or confidential matters; drives good governance and is a "Culture Carrier" demonstrating IFAD institutional conscience through their work.
• Leadership: Group thought leader, sought out by others and providing mentorship and effective guidance to others; Ability to build trust, inside and outside the organization by acting as a role model for IFAD's core values and competencies, and to provide a clear sense of direction, mentorship and effective guidance to the team, strategizing the IFAD's goals, giving the vision, empowering the team and ensuring a positive environment for all.

Other Information

This call is advertised as a short-term assignment with a duration of initially 11 months with the possibility of extension and expected to start shortly after selection. Should an external candidate (including consultants and staff members not meeting IFAD HR Implementing Procedures' definition of 'internal') be selected, the contract type would be that of a short-term professional (TPO). In the event an IFAD staff member, holding a Fixed Term contract be selected, the movement would be implemented as a Temporary Assignment through the applicable provisions. The temporary assignment is expected to start shortly after selection" and applicants should verify and obtain their supervisors' support to be released in the event they are selected, noting that the temporary assignment with a duration of initially 11 months is expected to start shortly after selection.

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD's Human Resources Policy, the President can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD.

IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on ethnic, social, or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size, or sexual orientation. This is in line with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy and our Policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse. Persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information, please refer to the UN disability-inclusive language guidelines.

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In accordance with IFAD's provisions, all new staff members will normally be placed at the first step in the grade level for which they have been selected. For information on IFAD's remuneration package, please visit IFAD's compensation and benefits page on our website. Applicants are invited to use the ICSC compensation calculator to estimate the salary and benefit entitlements.