Finance and Administration Officer, Statistics for Development Division, located at its headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia

SPC invites applications for the position of Finance and Administration Officer, Statistics for Development Division, located at its headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia.

SPC is the Pacific Island region’s principal technical and scientific organisation. It delivers technical, scientific, research, policy and training support to Pacific Island countries and territories in fisheries, agriculture, forestry, water resources, geoscience, transport, energy, disaster risk management, public health, statistics, education, human rights, gender, youth and culture. For more information, visit www.spc.int.

In applying, candidates should be guided by SPC’s vision, mission and corporate values, the role and profile of the position and the key result areas and selection criteria.

SPC’s vision for the region is a secure and prosperous Pacific Community, whose people are educated and healthy and manage their resources in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable way.

Our mission is to help Pacific Island people position themselves to respond effectively to the challenges they face and make informed decisions about their future and the future they leave for the generations that follow.

Our corporate values are underpinned by the principle of ‘making a positive difference in the lives of Pacific Island people – putting people first’. They include accountability, integrity, respect, transparency, sustainability, people-centredness, gender equality and cultural sensitivity.

The Statistics for Development Division is managed from SPC’s headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia. The division employs around 20 staff, the majority of whom are based in Noumea, with two in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, and two in Suva, Fiji. Its goal is to ‘strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems and social and economic planning agencies to provide policy-makers and analysts with a wide range of demographic, economic and social indicators to support planning and decision making’. To achieve this goal, the division’s 2011–2014 strategic plan, addressing Phase 1 of the regional Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy 2011–2020, focuses on six objectives asfollows:  (i) undertaking key statistical collections; (ii) producing the agreed core set of statistics across key sectors; (iii) developing or accessing capacity to undertake agreed core and specialist statistical functions; (iv) improving access to and use of national and regional statistics; (v) introducing new and innovative statistical tools and systems; and (vi) contributing to effective and efficient national and regional statistics governance.

The role – The Finance and Administration Officer is accountable to the Director of the Division. The position is based in Noumea, New Caledonia, and is responsible for monitoring the Division’s  growing multi-year and multi-country programme of statistical collections and the development of administrative databases,  primarily in the health and education sectors;  financial monitoring of all programme and project activities in accordance with complex and diverse requirements of financial partners; preparing regular financial implementation reports;  training National Statistical Agencies’ administrative and financial staff in financial monitoring and reporting; and providing efficient executive administrative support to the Director. The role works closely and collaboratively with the Division’s subject matter specialists in population censuses and household surveys, sectoral administrative databases and information management systems. The appointment is for three years, renewable subject to performance and funding availability.

The profile – SPC seeks an experienced financial and administrative officer with a track record in coordinating complex projects across multiple operations. He/she will be a consultative team player, with strong financial and administrative acumen, project management and organisational skills, and sound interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders and partners in adynamic, innovative, results-oriented environment.

Key result areas – The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate strong ability, and potential to progress, in the following three key result areas of the position:

1. Project management – Implementation and oversight of a growing multi-year and multi-country programme of statistical collections, such as population censuses and household surveys, and the development of administrative databases, primarily in the health and education sectors. Provide centralised coordinated support to team members working across programme areas to ensure efficient delivery of programme technical assistance and training to SPC’s member country and territory stakeholders.

2.       Financial monitoring and reporting – Provide high-quality financial advice to the Director to facilitate decision-making and planning. Assist the Director in the preparation of annual program budgets. Prepare regular financial reports in accordance with complex and diverse requirements of different financial partners, including training of National Statistics Office administrative staff in financial monitoring and reporting.

3.       Coordination of divisional administration – Provide efficient and effective administrative support to the Director and supervise two administrative staff to support the divisions operations. Manage routine communications with key financial and technical partners. Draft memorandums of understanding with development partners and national stakeholders.  Prepare tenders and consultant contracts. Assist the Director in the provision of secretariat services to bi-annual meetings of the  Pacific Statistics Steering Committee, entrusted with monitoring implementation of Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy.

Key selection criteria – Candidates will be assessed against the following selection criteria:

1. Results-oriented problem solving – Able to develop solutions to deliver tangible results for SPC, its members and other stakeholders.
2. Influencing and relationship building skills – Able to influence and guide others to achieve divisional and organisational goals. Demonstrate strong negotiation, communication and advocacy skills and excellent interpersonal skills. Contribute to building productive relationships and partnerships across the organisation and with stakeholders.
3. Qualifications – Degree in accounting, finance, business administration, management, or equivalent relevant experience. Training in project management would be an advantage.
4. Technical expertise – Demonstrated experience in budgeting, project accounting, financial reporting and contract management of diverse and complex donor funded projects. Expertise in using project management and financial management information systems, Microsoft Office and database software. Strong project management and coordination skills and track record in project delivery to tight deadlines. Experience in conference or event management, provision of executive level administrative support and/or office management and supervision of administrative staff. Experience in project coordination of technical assistance activities and provision of training or capacity building in developing countries would be advantages.
5. Language skills – Proficiency in English and French.
6. Cultural awareness – Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated understanding of developing country environments, with knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories being an advantage.

Remuneration – The Finance and Administration Officer is a Band 9 position within SPC’s 2013 salary scale, with a salary range of 1,970–3,331 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately XPF 402,163–575,969 (USD 4,300–6,100; € 3,300–4,800). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. SPC salaries are not subject to income tax in New Caledonia at the present time.

Benefits – SPC provides subsidised housing in Noumea. An establishment and relocation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave, medical insurance and education allowance are available for eligible employees and their recognised dependants. Employees are entitled to: 25 days annual leave and 30 days sick leave per annum, life insurance, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Work environment – SPC has a standardised computing environment based on Microsoft Office. Smoking is not permitted in the work place.

Equal opportunity – SPC recruits on merit, but if two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection committee, preference will be given to Pacific Islanders.

Application procedure – The closing date for applications is 29 April 2013. Candidates MUST provide: a detailed curriculum vitae; a written response stating their claims against the key selection criteria; and contact details, including email addresses and telephone numbers, for three referees.

Apply online – Please use SPC’s online recruitment system at http://www.spc.int/job.html. Important note: prepare and save your curriculum vitae, response to key selection criteria and referee information as Microsoft Word documents BEFORE attempting to submit your application online. It is not possible to partially complete your application via the online system, save it and return to complete it later. Can’t access the online recruitment system? Apply via email: recruit@spc.int; fax: + 687 26 38 18; or post to Sally Clark Herrmann, HR Adviser (Recruitment and Training), Secretariat of the Pacific Community, P.O. Box D5, 98848 NOUMEA CEDEX, New Caledonia. Need assistance? Contact SPC at recruit@spc.int or telephone + 687 26 20 00.

Background – SPC was established in 1947 and employs over 570 staff. Its headquarters are in Noumea, New Caledonia, with other offices in Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands. SPC has 26 member countries and territories including its founding members, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America, which contribute a large proportion of its funding. Other major development partners are the European Union; Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; United Nations agencies; Asian Development Bank; World Bank and Global Environment Facility, to name a few.

Languages: SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Organisational structure: SPC is led by the Director-General supported by the senior management team, which includes three Deputy Directors-General and the Director of the Strategic Engagement, Policy and Planning Facility. Also contributing to SPC’s executive management are the directors of the seven technical divisions (Applied Geoscience and Technology; Economic Development; Education, Training and Human Development; Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems; Land Resources; Public Health; and Statistics for Development); the directors of Finance, Human Resources and the North Pacific Regional Office and the coordinator of the Honiara country office.