View Vacancy – CSSF Yemen Project and Finance Officer

The Yemen Office Network based at the British Embassy in Amman is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual for the position of CSSF Yemen Project and Finance Officer, Grade – B3 (L).

Overview:

The role will be based in the British Embassy Amman and is offered on Amman Terms and Conditions. The CSSF team is part of the Yemen Office Network, which also has a presence in Riyadh, London and East Kilbride.  At present there is no travel to Yemen, but this may change. Any future travel to Yemen will be subject to strict HMG guidance and will be considered in close cooperation with the jobholder. The jobholder will not be expected to move to Sana’a if the Embassy re-opens, however the jobholder will be given the option to apply for the role if they meet the requirements for living and working in Yemen.

The CSSF provides development and security support to countries at risk of conflict or instability. The CSSF is a flexible fund, which supports and delivers security, defence, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and stability activity worldwide using both Official Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA funding.

The UK’s security and wider international interests are directly impacted where other countries are at risk of conflict or instability. The CSSF supports work to reduce that risk in these countries where the UK has key interests. Through the CSSF, the UK and our international partners are more secure from threats such as terrorism, corruption and illegal migration or trafficking. For more information, see CSSF Annual Report 2019-20.

The CSSF Yemen Programme is a high value £5.5m fully cross-government portfolio which attracts substantial political interest, supporting the implementation of HMG country and regional strategies.

Main Purpose of the job:

This is an exciting opportunity to help deliver the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) contributing to supporting peace and stability in Yemen. This position is based in Amman and sits within the British Embassy. You will be part of the Yemen CSSF Team and the Yemen Office Network. The Yemen CSSF team implements programmes totalling around £5.5m this year and you will be responsible for managing Programme finances, delivering value for money, supporting monitoring and evaluation of impact and results, and overseeing contract management. You will also support project delivery across the Programme.

Main Responsibilities:

Finance (40% of the role)

• Professionally manage programme and project finances, including overseeing the budget, ensuring accurate forecasts and payments, responding to commissions from the Head Quarters, and investigating and solving problems.
• Scrutinise financial information received from implementing partners, including leading on financial meetings, and ensuring effective spend and value for money.
• Administer projects effectively to ensure that they deliver results, and that all reporting and compliance tasks are completed, including agreements, due diligence assessments, logical framework development and monitoring of results, annual reviews and project completion reports and other transparency requirements.

Project management (around 40% of the role)

• Alongside the CSSF Programme Manager and Stabilisation Advisor, jointly manage £5.5m of CSSF Yemen projects focused on the political peace process, women peace and security, and stabilisation, including managing implementing partners, contract management, risk management, and communications.
• Identify, recommend, and implement improvements to ensure projects deliver the maximum possible benefits for Yemen and the UK, in line with the Yemen Country Business Plan, programme standards and guidance.
• Organise and attend project-related events in Amman, encouraging experience sharing between project partners, and staying abreast of research and developments in Yemen.
• Persuasive engagement with UK Government colleagues to ensure the successful delivery of our programmes.
• Support YON’s Statistics/Results Advisor and Programme Manager with the CSSF Programme’s results management, including quarterly reporting and populating the Programme’s results framework, working with partners to improve the provision and quality of results, and supporting the commissioning of evaluations, third-party monitoring and annual reviews.
• Ensure compliance with the Gender Equality Act through supporting the Programme’s Women Peace and Security and Inclusion objectives, as well as gender mainstreaming across the Portfolio.

Programme administration support (around 20% of the role)

• High quality administrative support to the CSSF Yemen team including coordinating meetings, transport and logistics, as well as managing correspondence and team budgets.
• Overseeing the Programme’s information management systems, including filing and archiving key documents.
• Act as CSSF Yemen Strategy Board Secretariat, supporting the development of the Board agenda, and distributing papers and organising the schedule.

Resource Managed:

• Overall, the Yemen CSSF programme is £5.5m this financial year.

Key Competencies:

• Delivering at Pace – Effectiveness in this area means focusing on delivering timely performance with energy and taking responsibility and accountability for quality outcomes.
• Making Effective Decisions – Effectiveness in this area is about being objective; using sound judgment, evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert and professional advice.
• Delivering Value for Money – Delivering value for money involves the efficient, effective and economic use of taxpayers’ money in the delivery of public services.
• Collaborating and Partnering – People skilled in this area create and maintain positive, professional and trusting working relationships with a wide range of people within and outside the Civil Service to help get business done.

Knowledge & Skills:

The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills as well as being a strong team player with partnering skills with a diverse range of customers.  This is a high-paced role and you will need to be resilient in order to deliver high standards of service in a challenging but rewarding environment.  We are looking for someone that can demonstrate:

• Integrity
• Honesty
• Objectivity
• Impartiality

Essential:

• Fluent written and spoken English (both verbal and written).
• Minimum two years’ experience of successfully delivering complex tasks and activities.
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience in developing and managing effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Candidates should be highly organised; and able to work in a diverse, fast-paced and high-performing environment.
• Having a track record of being a team player, yet the ability to work independently.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills are required to deliver projects in a dynamic environment.
• Experience of managing actions plans, budgets and working with financial information.
• Literacy in Microsoft Office packages.