FCA Nepal Vacancy for Operations and Compliance Specialist

Function / Unit: Nepal Country Office, Finance and Admin Unit

Grade: 8 

Place of Assignment: Kathmandu, Nepal

Position is: For a fixed term; 01.07.2024–31-12-2025; With possibility of extension

Supervisor: FCA Nepal Finance and Admin Manager 

Subordinate Staff: NA 

Other reporting responsibilities and internal cooperation parties: 

FCA Nepal Country Office (NEPCO) Senior Management Team (SMT), Program Team, Finance & Admin Team; FCA’s Head Office: Service and Accountability Centre (SAC), University of Helsinki HY+, TECSES Project Support Unit (PSU), Provincial Coordination Units (PCUs)

Primary purpose of the position

The Operations and Compliance Specialist for FCA Nepal will assist the the Project Support Unit (PSU) of Technical Support Cooperation to Education Sector in Nepal (TECSES) project and to HY+, the lead agency, by providing operational advisory support on office establishment and set up, human resource, administrative, procurement, security, and legal compliances. This project, being supported by FCA Nepal, falls under the education sector collaboration between Finland and Nepal, aimed at enhancing teacher education, both pre-service and in-service, across all levels of governance. TECSES is fully aligned with the goals, strategies, and activities outlined in Nepal's School Education Sector Plan (SESP 2030) and is further guided by Finland’s Country Programme for Development Cooperation in Nepal (2021-2024).

Description

Main tasks

Office Establishment and Set-up

• Provide advisory support for the establishment, organization, and operational management to the Project Support Unit (PSU) and Provincial Offices.

• Advise to develop plans and timelines for the establishment process, considering the regulatory and administrative requirements in Nepal.

• Travel to the project implementation areas to assess the appropriate location, office buildings for Provincial Offices including security related aspects and ensure the complete set up of the offices. 

Human Resource Management

• Provide guidance on human resource management practices, including recruitment, training, and performance evaluation of staff members within the PSU and Provincial Offices

• Guidance on development of job descriptions, advertising, recruitment procedures, staff contract and documents, and performance evaluation framework tailored to the project structure and needs of the PSU and Provincial Offices.

Logistics, Procurement, Administration and Security

• Advise on logistics, procurement, and administration standard processes to ensure efficient and transparent operations of the PSU and Provincial Offices.

• Advise PSU to develop Project Implementation Manual (PIM) which includes procurement policy and administrative rules, inventory management, and asset disposal in compliance with relevant regulations, best practices, required forms and formats etc.

• Provide recommendations on security measures and operational support mechanisms to safeguard personnel, assets, and information within the PSU and Provincial Offices.

• Facilitate to Liaise with relevant authorities to address security concerns and ensure a safe working environment for staff members.

Legal Compliance, Including Taxation

• Provide guidance on legal compliance requirements, including taxation, labor laws, and other regulatory obligations applicable to the operations of the PSU and Provincial Offices.

• Support to coordinate with legal experts and regulatory bodies to ensure adherence to local laws and regulations, minimizing legal risks and liabilities.

Coordination, networking, and representation

• Maintain close coordination with HY+, the Project Implementation Unit (PSU), and other relevant stakeholders.

• Liaise with legal experts and regulatory bodies to ensure adherence to local laws and regulations.

• Represent FCA in various relevant external forums

Special tasks

• Perform any other duties as may be required by the line manager 

Authority: 

• Officer-in-Charge as delegated by line manager whenever relevant.

• Approval/decision making authority as outlined in Nepal Country Office Procedure (COP). 

Competence, experience, skills, knowledge needed

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in financial management and compliance, preferably in the non-profit sector.

• Prior experience in Human Resource management.

• Extensive experience in procurement.

• Advanced knowledge in MS Office applications (Word, Excel Access, Outlook, and PowerPoint). 

• Ability to work under pressure in a structured, organized, and responsive manner.

• Results-oriented, excellent team player with strong decision-making skills; team building and management skills with good knowledge of institutional capacity assessment and capacity building.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Nepali.

Impact

• Efficient and effective project Finance, Administration and HR management

Responsibilities and independence (please choose the most suitable option)

• Problem solution requires an ability to independently search for, select and combine existing information in a novel way. Work is based on plans and the position holder’s expert status, and it may include responsibility for operations, finances, or personnel.

• The tasks require independency and sometimes responsibility in preparing problem solutions, and also making decisions. The position holder works as a specialist of a sub-sector of function. The work may include demanding responsibility for operations, finances, or personnel.

Reason for choice: Finance and Compliance Specialist position requires independency, problem-solving, and making decisions.

Physical and psychological burden imposed

• Frequent travel to field locations/project sites 

• Instability (political) 

• Fraud and corruption threats

Interaction needed

• FCA SAC and NEPCO colleagues 

• Responsible staff of Lead agency and project support unit 

• Partner staff

Substitution and representation

• Representing FCA in different forums/events as assigned by line manager.

Application Deadline: Friday 14th June,2024

To apply visit: p2p.com.np