Grants Finance Officer

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is a private, non-denominational, international development agency established in 1967. It seeks sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill-health with special emphasis on the needs of rural communities in mountainous and other resource poor regions, primarily in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its main areas of focus are education, health, rural development, environment and strengthening civil society.

Background:

The overall objective of the action “Accelerate Prosperity in Central and South Asia” (AP Asia) supported by the European Commission (EC) is to contribute to the enhanced equitable economic well-being of women and men in rural Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. The specific objective of this Action is to improve self-employment and employment of women and men in supported enterprises. The Action will achieve this through two intermediate outcomes:

Increased growth of supported enterprises; 

Increased trade between supported enterprises, producers and clients in targeted areas. 

The creation of new start-up enterprises, the growth of small businesses, and a focus on youth and women led ventures will be critical. The Action aims to contribute to positive trends in Gross National Income and Gender Development Index scores.

The Aga Khan Foundation (Pakistan) is seeking a highly qualified candidate to fill the position of Grants Finance Officer, based in Islamabad, Pakistan. The incumbent will be responsible for financial management and reporting of the grant under the Action “Accelerate Prosperity in Central and South Asia” (AP Asia) supported by the European Commission.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• To undertake overall financial management, grants financial reporting and meeting compliance requirements of the EC funded action “AP Asia” in liaison with the line manager, as well as country specific finance and account managers of AKFs, AKRSP, MSDSP, Accelerate Prosperity and UCA.
• To prepare and review budget and financial reports for quarterly, biannual and annual reporting on AP Asia. Ensure timely flow of financial reports and relevant information to donors (EC) and AKDN agencies
• To ensure timely submission of financial reports from implementing partners and disbursement of funds in coordination with the respective program and finance teams in each country;
• Ensure compliance with requirements of implementing agencies as well as and EC;
• To conduct periodic analysis of the quarterly financial reports, including grant analysis and financial reviews; and
• With assistance from Manager Grants & Contracts, conduct and facilitate internal and external project audit and evaluations.

Requirements:

Education

• MS Finance, MBA Finance, ICMA, M.Com or an equivalent recognized professional qualification
• (Required) Minimum 5 years of relevant hands-on experience specifically in managing projects funded by European Commission.     
• (Preferable) Experience of working in Central and South Asia
• (Preferable) Experience in projects related to entrepreneurship, business development, SMEs etc.

Technical Knowledge

• (Required) Strong knowledge and command of the IFRS, ISA and internal control systems.
• (Required) Knowledge of EC Compliance and Reporting Requirements.
• (Required) Knowledge of Financial Reporting Templates used by EC.
• Excellent writing and reporting skills.
• Computer literate (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.).

Soft Skills

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Urdu.
• Highly proactive and passionate about work.
• Capable of producing high quality results within often tight deadlines.
• Ability for multitasking and working under pressure.
• Ability to distill large volumes of data in short periods of time.
• Intellectual curiosity and demonstrated record of professional development/growth.
• Strong problem solving skills and the ability to work through complex models to determine the key assumptions, implicit caveats and limitations.
• Demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with all level of management.

AKF(P) offers a competitive remuneration package and conducive working environment. AKF(P) recruitment and selection policy and procedures reflect our commitment to equal opportunity and the safeguarding of children, beneficiaries, partners, community members and employees in accordance with AKF(P)’s Safeguarding policy.

Kindly note that this is not an expatriate position. The deadline for applications is 19th February, 2020. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted