Country Administrator in Tanzania at Istituto Oikos

Istituto Oikos is an independent association founded in 1996 in Milan, which operates in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America, to promote the conservation and sustainable management of natural resources as a tool for economic and social development. To this end, it encourages cooperation and partnerships between organizations of the Global North and Global South; it implements training and education programs and supports responsible tourism initiatives (http://www.istituto-oikos.org/).

Istituto Oikos collaborates with public and private entities, both internationally and in Italy. The main funders of its programs are the European Union, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, public entities such as regional and provincial governments, and individuals.

Since 1999 Istituto Oikos has a local office in Tanzania (Oikos East Africa).

POSITION: Country Administrator

COUNTRY: Tanzania

DUTY STATION: Arusha (with field missions in project areas)

DURATION: 12 months (renewable)

STARTING DATE: April 2016

SALARY: to be defined according to qualifications and working experience

General competences:

The Country Administrator will be responsible for the administrative management of the office in Arusha and will have to ensure uniformity of administrative procedures in accordance with the requirements of the donor and the organization, overseeing the regular reporting of projects and ensuring proper bookkeeping for the organization. She/He will be responsible of the planning, supervision and periodic reporting of all the administrative tasks for projects and programs: accounting, budget control, procurement, financial reporting and monitoring.

Specific skills:

1) Economic and financial management of projects

Responsible for the administration and management of the project budget. In particular:

Ensure that the financial resources made available by the projects are spent in accordance with the project budget and following the donors’ procedures;

Authorize the current and extraordinary expenses and verify their correct execution and cost allocation, based on the project budget and the annual budget of Oikos East Africa, as defined every year by Istituto Oikos in collaboration with Oikos East Africa;

Ensure that a correct and comprehensive record of accounting is maintained and recorded in accordance with the regulations and administrative procedures of the leading donors (EU, UN, USAID and Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MAE) and according to the internal procedures of Oikos;

Check the proper accuracy of accounting, including management of current accounts, the monthly closings and periodic reconciliations. Prepare reports on the control and management of financial flows of the different projects, monitoring expenses and cash flows (budget and financial analysis of the budget);

Check the available cash and forward quarterly transfers requests from Istituto Oikos headquarters to Oikos EA, on the basis of expenditure estimates of each single project and following Oikos’ internal procedures;

Supervise the administrative staff and project managers in Tanzania in the compilation of the petty cash book and in the aspects of accounting management of the projects budget;

Taking care of the preparation of contracts with local donors, suppliers and customers;

Support the preparation of specific Collaboration Agreements (MoU) with local partners.

Support the preparation and submission of new project proposals through the production of specific project budgets.

2) Administrative management of Oikos East Africa and support to the locally created social enterprises

Supervise and manage the general budget of Oikos East Africa;

Collaborate with the external Auditors of Oikos East Africa and supervise the preparation of the annual balance sheets and the annual audit of the organization;

Give technical feedback and support the sustainability of the social enterprises promoted by Oikos: MESULA, Mkuru Training Camp Maasai Women Art.

3) Human Resources management

Responsible for the administrative management of the local staff contracts. In particular, in coordination with Oikos East Africa Director and together with the Project Managers, the Country Administrator will coordinate and supervise:

Recruitment, assignment of responsibilities, salary level, performance evaluation, termination of contracts, additional benefits, concerning Oikos East Africa staff;

Efficiency and compliance with the Terms of Reference included in the contracts of both international and local staff.

4) Logistics

In collaboration with the Logistician & Procurement Officer:

Supervision of the warehouse and of the stock of materials and equipment;

Management and supervision of procurement for the provision of services, materials and works, according to the regulations of the major donors (EU, UN and MAE);

Preparation, updating and management of the inventories according to the internal Oikos procedures.

Skills and abilities required:

Degree in economics.

Master in: Management of social enterprises, non-profit organizations and cooperatives; Administration and financial management, or similar.

At least five years of work experience in a similar sector in developing countries. Previous experience in East Africa would be an asset.

Accounting/administrative background and experience in the area of ​​administrative and financial management.

In-depth knowledge of the reporting procedures of the major institutional donors (EU, UN, USAID).

Experience in management of development projects funded by EU, USAID, UN.

Knowledge of procurement procedures required by the EU guidelines, USAID, UN.

Experience / knowledge of procedures for NGOs.

Fluency in written and spoken English; knowledge of Swahili language is an asset.

Good computer skills (office suite, internet, skype) and autonomy in the management of administrative software.

Good ability to produce reports.

Good interpersonal skills and teamwork.

HOW TO APPLY:

For application send a short cover letter and CV to selezione@istituto-oikos.org by 11th of March 2016. Indicate in the object “REF TZADM/16- Country Administrator”.