Federal Government of Somalia

Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation

Post title: Project Accountant, National Programme Coordination Unit

Name of Project: Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme (RLRP)

Duty station: Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Mogadishu

Background

The Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme (RLRP) is an 8 year project and the lead agency for the Programme is the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MAI), Federal Government of Somalia. The project’s goal is “improved and resilient livelihoods of rural smallholders in Somalia”. The Programme Development Objective (PDO) is” to sustainably increase productivity, incomes and nutrition security and enhance the resilience of rural smallholder families in Somalia. The RLRP has 3 components: component 1 Suppoet to community resilience; component 2 support to smallholder livelihoods; component 3 Programme coordination and capacity building.

The RLRP’s primary target groups will be 30,000 poor small-scale agro-pastoral households (HHs. RLRP will further include proportions for vulnerable groups, including IDPs (15 percent), women-headed HHs (30 percent), and persons with disabilities based on prevalence. The RLRP is a nationwide programme. It will focus its comprehensive efforts on five Federal Member States (FMS) of Puntland, Galmudug, Jubaland, Hirshabelle and South West. Implementation will be sequenced, starting with the initial two FMS of Jubaland and South West, and a total of five regions in the two states: Jubaland: Gedo and Lower Juba; and South West: Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation implements the Rural Livelihood and Resilience Program (RLRP). The program aims to enhance the livelihoods and resilience of rural communities. It focuses on promoting sustainable agricultural practices, diversifying income sources, and improving market access for farmers. Additionally, the RLRP works to build resilience by implementing measures such as water conservation, climate-smart agricultural techniques, and disaster preparedness. Community participation and empowerment are key program elements, fostering social cohesion and ownership of development initiatives. The Ministry strengthens institutional capacity to ensure effective implementation and long-term program sustainability.

The National Programme Coordination Unit (NPCU), reporting to the MoAI, will be responsible for day to day management of the Programme and will be in charge of planning, coordination, monitoring nd evaluation, financial management and procurement functions. The NPCU includes the position of Project Accountant that will be filled through a competitive recruitment process.

Job Description

Under the supervision of the Financial Controller, the Project accountant will undertake the following duties:

1)        Assist the Financial Controller with overall financial management activities of the Project;

2)        Support preparation of Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWPB) for each SPCU and consolidation of the AWPB for the programme;

3)        Review and provide professional feedback on monthly accounts submitted by State Programme Coordination Units (SPCUs);

4)        Work alongside the Financial Controller to ensure timely and accurate submission of withdrawal applications to IFAD. This will include follow-up of the retirement of imprest advances especially to the SPCUs.

5)        Assist the Financial Controller in Preparation and submission of all financial statements/reports, budgets, financial Projections, cash flow forecasts and all other Projects reports as needed by the NPCU, IFAD and the Ministry of Agriculture & Irrigation and Project Steering Committee;

6)        Prepare specific budgetary documentation, according to the Somali legislation, issue payment vouchers and obtain the necessary approvals for finalizing payments to the suppliers/contractors. Apply checklists recommended in the PIM and as improved up to ensure completeness of documents before the NPC uploads any payment instruction online using the SMFIS.

7)        Facilitate timely transfer of advances/funds where the SPCUs have ably justified expenditures

8)        In cases like for duties, taxes and beneficiary contribution where the SMFIS cannot report upon, maintain set of alternative ledgers to be able to capture the related transactions;

9)        Ensure that all RLRP financial transactions (hard and soft copies) are filled properly on daily basis in a chronological order and easily with clear audit trail and easy to retrieve;

10)      Monitor actual expenditure and disbursements against allocations for each category and components;

11)      Review and validate Payment Vouchers against approved AWPB and supporting documents;

12)      Maintain the master contract register for all contracts;

13)      Maintain and update the fixed assets register for the entire RLRP;

14)      Maintain and update advance registers and ensure timely clearances;

15)      Prepare monthly salaries for Project staff and other statutory deductions;

16)      Prepare on monthly basis the bank reconciliation, including reconciliation;

17)      Apply accounting standards and policies consistently (IPSAS- Cash Basis);

18)      Occasional field visit to field for overall oversight;

19)      Deputize for Financial Controller during his/ her leave and as required;

20)      Assist the Financial Controller in preparation of the Accounting Manual of the RLRP;

21)      Perform other duties, of financial nature which pertains to the implementation of the Project, as may be requested by the national Programme Coordinator and Financial Controller.

1)       An acceptable accounting and finance qualification (MBA or CPA).

2)       A minimum of 5 years professional experience in accounting and financial management.

3)       The candidate would be expected to have a thorough understanding of accounting practices, finance, and investment. Familiarity with and experience using accounting software are a must.

4)       Good command of English, both oral and written

5)       Prior experience working with donor-funded Projects as well as experience with government of Somalia regulations and procedures.

6)       Good knowledge of Microsoft Office

7)       Ability to work in team and multi-tasking.

8)       Good communication skills.

9)       Ability to work with multi stakeholders, including government, private sector companies, civil society organizations, and community.

10)    Professional and personal endurance and commitment to complete complex assignments efficiently and effectively in a high demanding working environment.

Duration: The initial contract will be for one year with a six-month probation period, renewable every year on continued satisfactory performance.

 If your qualifications and experience meet this job requirement, please submit a written application letter and C.V and copy of academic qualification in one document, not three separate attachments, quoting your name, the job title including daytime contact phone numbers, as well as the names and contact information of three references to reach the below-mentioned by 17:00 on May 31th, 2024 to [email protected] or [email protected] Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Previous applications are accepted but please direct your applications to the [email protected] and Copy [email protected]