Director, Administration and Finance At Development Aid

Position Objective

The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) in Timor-Leste, collaborating with the Government of Timor-Leste and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the Government of the United States of America, is responsible for implementing the $420 million Timor-Leste Compact, which, together with an additional contribution of $64 million from the Government of Timor-Leste, represents a total $484 million investment in Timor-Leste. The Compact aims to address human capital development as a binding constraint to economic growth in Timor-Leste through two projects: the Water, Sanitation, and Drainage (WSD) Project and the Teaching and Leading the Next generation of Timorese (TALENT) Project.

The Director, Administration and Finance leads the finance, informational technology, security and administrative unit and is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day management of the compact’s budget and ensuring the MCA’s fiduciary integrity and financial health through the life of the compact.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the overall Finance function of the MCA-Timor-Leste and ensure that sufficient finance and accounting support is provided to the operational and programmatic functions of the MCA-Timor-Leste to strengthen its ability to deliver on the targets of the Compact.
• Lead the multi-disciplined unit functions of finance, administration, information technology and security to ensure these services sufficiently support the implementation of the Compact’s projects.
• Work in close coordination with other MCA-Timor-Leste Directors to ensure a well-functioning and collaborative environment, provide reports and technical expertise to the Executive Director as required.
• Analyze MCA-Timor-Leste operational and programmatic needs and assess the capacity of a multi-fund, multi-year set of resources ($484 million USD) complex projects as well as daily operational requirements.
• Forecast cash flows, accurately project future needs, and lead the development of funding requests to ensure disbursement of funds from MCC and the Government of Timor-Leste.
• Develop policies and plans for managing the MCA’s fiscal resources, aligned with the MCA-Timor-Leste plan and in accordance with MCC fiscal accountability and transparency policies, as well as internal and external audit standards and requirements.
• Oversee the production of periodic financial reports for the decision making of MCA-Timor-Leste management, MCC, and Government of Timor-Leste stakeholders.
• Lead MCA-Timor-Leste’s management team during budget and audit exercises, including serving as the authority on compliance with financial requirements of the compact and related agreements.
• Build the finance and administrative team through recruitment of staff and identifying technical resources (e.g., external consultants, MCC technical resources) to provide external advice and expertise, aligned to the strategic needs of the MCA.
• Guide MCA-Timor-Leste program staff and implementing entities on MCC financial management and reporting regulations, and national government procedures, to ensure compliance and transparency.
• Manage the Fiscal Agent Agreement and the MCA-Timor-Leste financial audit program.
• Evaluate MCA’s and implementing entities’ fiscal and reporting system, determine their compliance with MCC standards, identify financial or compliance risks and then design and implement actions to mitigate those risks.
• Lead the efforts of MCA-Timor-Leste in the development of an integrated reporting system, including training financial and non-financial staff in the use of that system while maintaining proper segregation of duties and internal control.
• Oversee administrative, facilities management, travel, logistics and financial tasks, including operational expenses (OPEX) and petty cash, for the administration of MCA-Timor-Leste.
• Supervise the financial management specialists, IT manager, administrative manager and security specialist. This includes overseeing their management of staff to ensure the highest degree of integrity and compliance with policies and procedures.

Requirements (Education, Experience, Technical Competencies)

• Bachelor’s in Accounting, Finance or a related field. Professional Certification as a CPA or Chartered Accountant preferred.
• Minimum 7 years’ experience in finance and accounting management and supervisory experience of multi-disciplinary professionals for a program of a similar size and scope.
• Knowledge of the development environment in Timor-Leste and the challenges of program execution and coordination with government institutions.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and persuasively in English both orally and in writing