Finance & Travel Assistant At Pacific Community

The Pacific Community (SPC) invites applications for the position of Finance & Travel Assistant within its Micronesia Regional Office (MRO). This position will be located at its regional office in Pohnpei, Micronesia.

Description

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 27 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are known for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Micronesia Regional Office (MRO) situated in Kolonia, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), is the main hub for SPC’s projects and partnerships with the Micronesian members of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Republic of Palau, and the United States territories of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam. The MRO opened in January 2006.

The role – the Finance & Travel Assistant will provides financial and travel services to the Regional Office’s programmes and projects, provides travel and workshop assistance, and supports the implementation of the shared services vision in the Regional Office which supports a new way of working through collaboration between Finance, technical divisions & the Regional Office.

The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

Process payments.

• Process all payment requests received from programmes and other sections.
• Liaise with other SPC offices and SPC banking partners to facilitate all payments.
• Manage finance office petty cash floats.
• Arrange per diems and issue advances.

Vendor and payment reconciliation.

• Perform monthly reconciliation of vendor ledger balances; clear all reconciled items with suppliers in a timely manner.
• Liaise with programmes/sections on invoices; ensure Navision (NAV) is regularly updated; approve customer invoices in NAV.
• Track and follow up on outstanding invoices.
• Process vendor payments in a timely manner.

Financial processing

• Post all financial transaction in Navision.
• Perform vendor and customer reconciliations.

Travel and workshops

• Assist, as assigned, to provide support to the Director regarding travel.
• Coordinate visa requirements for Director when travelling through international organizations.
• Support/advise divisions on travel options into Micronesia region.
• Other SPC event or workshop duties as assigned.

General office activities

• File all general ledger and payment documentation appropriately and in a timely manner.
• Maintain the finance archiving system; ensure bank signatory lists and driver authorisations are kept up to date.
• Attend to audit requests and queries.
• Provide basic training to MRO staff on finance and travel processes and systems including Navision and TMS.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• Diploma in Accounting, Finance or related discipline

Technical expertise

• Have at least 3 years of experience in a similar position
• Have sound knowledge of MS Word, Excel and Windows computing environment, and accounting software
• Have good working relationship with other team members
• Driver’s license

Language skills

• Have good written and oral communication skills in English and Pohnpeian

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• A proactive and positive team player able to work effectively in a multicultural environment
• Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage

Salary, terms and conditions

Contract Duration – This position is budgeted for 3 years and is subject to renewal depending on performance and funding.

Remuneration – the Finance & Travel Assistant is a Band 3 position in SPC’s 2023 salary scale, with a starting taxable salary range of USD 18,555–23,193 per year, plus local staff benefits. An offer of appointment for an initial contract will be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration being given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews.

Benefits – SPC provides medical and life insurance for eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave. Provident Fund and/or Social Security will be according to FSM’s local legislation.

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

Recruitment principles – SPC’s recruitment is based on merit and fairness, and candidates are competing in a selection process that is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory. SPC is an equal-opportunity employer, and is committed to cultural and gender diversity, including bilinguism, and will seek to attract and appoint candidates who respect these values. Due attention is given to gender equity and the maintenance of strong representation from Pacific Island professionals. If two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection panel, preference will be given to the Pacific Islander. Applicants will be assured of complete confidentiality in line with SPC’s private policy.

Please note that applicants must be FSM Nationals currently residing in the country, or hold the proper work permit for salaried employment there.