Finance Officer

The Global Competitiveness Facility (GCF) with a budget of VND 216 Billion for the period Jan. 2011 and Dec. 2013 is one of the components of the Danida supported Business Sector Programme Support (BSPS).(www.ambhanoi.um.dk/en/menu/Developmentpolicy/Business/ )

The objective of the GCF is to increase the competitiveness of private Vietnamese businesses in export-oriented sectors through better access to relevant business services and exposure to innovative business models. To this end, Danida has set up a matching grant facility designed to strengthen the delivery of relevant business services and to stimulate innovative business models to tackle development bottlenecks of selected export-oriented sectors and value chains comprising of agriculture, aquaculture and fish processing, handicraft production, tourism etc.

GCF assists innovative business models and private delivery of business services with the aim to stimulate strategic thinking in the chosen sectors and provinces through grant-funding to share the risks of innovation. Successful new business models are then expected to be replicated by other investors in the provinces and throughout Vietnam.

GCF strictly follows Danida anti-corruption policy. The GCF Secretariat wishes to recruit a Finance Officer (FO) to work in Hanoi till the end of 2013 with an initial probation period of 2 months.

The FO is the focal point to develop and implement a solid structure of internal control, which consists of financial policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance that specific objectives will be achieved.

She/he is also responsible for:
 - Maintain an efficient and accurate bookkeeping of GCF’s and projects’ finances  complying with prevailing rules for GCF
- Make budgets for GCF and maintain clear cash flow projections for GCF funds (project and secretariat accounts)
- Ensure accurate and timely financial reports to the Danish embassy, Component Steering Committee, and relevant Vietnamese authorities
- To assist in the management and development of GCF
- To assist in analyzing entrepreneurial finance performance of GCF grantees
- Supervise and coach the Accounting Assistant

Generally, the tasks of the FO shall include, but not be restricted to the following:

1. GCF’s financial policies and procedures
- Update financial policies issued by the Danish Embassy, Vietnamese authorities
- Update GCF internal financial procedures including rules and financial formats to ensure that GCF financial resources are efficiently used.
- Maintain and update GCF accounting manual in accordance with Danida rules for decentralized projects
- Develop and update financial instructions and requirements in general for the GCF grantees
- Regularly update the finance related articles in GCF’s standard Grant Agreement for the grantees in compliance with the prevailing norms / rules of Danida.
- Provide and inform GCF’s staff and grantees updated financial procedures and rules.

2. Finance Management
- Review all internal payment requests and ensure that they are made in accordance with GCF and Danida rules.
- Review PIT declaration and payment
- Settle VAT issue including VAT registration code, VAT input declaration and VAT refund
- Maintain an efficient and accurate financial bookkeeping as mentioned in GCF accounting manual

Budgeting
- Collect information from advisors about expected project disbursement for quarterly and annual cash flow projections
- Prepare disbursement requests to Danish Embassy
- Make budgets for GCF secretariat and project implementation
- Make budget revision at least once a year to submit to the Embassy for approval
- Maintain clear cash flow projections for GCF funds (project and secretariat accounts)

Reporting
- Make and ensure accurate and timely financial reports including MRF to the Danish Embassy, financial reports to the Component Steering Committee.
- Prepare and ensure the quality of all kind of necessary reports available for external audit visit of GCF office
- Make and ensure the accuracy of related financial reports to Vietnamese authorities
- Make consolidated project financial reports from all grantees

Audit
- Coordinate with external auditor to conduct external audit for GCF office and GCF grantees
- Make annual inventory of GCF fixed assets 
- In charge of conducting internal audit and in-house trainings for GCF grantees

3. Monitoring grants and grantees
- Advise PAs in screening, monitoring and follow up on Financial reports from grantees to ensure that reports comply with the requirements of the grant agreements, GCF guidelines and procedures
- Whenever necessary, coach grantees on the preparation of Financial reports following the requirements of the grant agreements, GCF guidelines and procedures
- Screen disbursement requests from grantees including checking the disbursement conditions, grant agreement, grantees’ contribution, grantees’ bank statement and financial reports.
- Update GCF grant status.

4. Any other task assigned by the Senior Advisor
Desired Qualification
- Bachelors in Accounting/Finance, preferably ACCA/CPA holder or Masters in Finance.
- Minimum of five (5) years of finance management experience as Grant officer/Finance officer for a Facility or relevant sector.
- Vietnamese citizens preferably with extensive knowledge and experience in finance management, ODA finance management and private sector in Viet Nam.
- Analytical and results oriented; Honest and accurate; Mature and reliable (strongly required)
- Strong English language skills (written and spoken) required. Fluency in Vietnamese.
- Strong interpersonal and facilitation skills
- Good understanding of needs and challenges of Vietnamese private enterprises and the developments issues preferred by donors.

Apply by e-mail only with CV in English, scan copies of relevant certificates and recommendations before 31 March 2011 to [email protected] .