Summary
Date Posted: Friday, February 25, 2022 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Regional Financial Administrator
1. Project Overview
These Terms of Reference refer to the position of a Regional Administrator, responsible for ensuring the timely financial reporting and the compliance of the project funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe as well as at regional KAZA level. Furthermore, the position will strengthen the implementing capacity of all implementing partners within the region:
2. Project Context
KAZA TFCA is the largest terrestrial trans-boundary conservation area in the world, covering an area of 520,000 km2. About 20% of the land falls under state protection and roughly 29% is used for agriculture. According, to a remote sensing LU change analysis for 2020 established by WWF Germany, there is approximately 3% of crop land (farms) in KAZA, this is the baseline.
Despite the huge tourism potential, KAZA TFCA suffers from the intertwined issues of poverty (most live below the poverty line), the increasing impacts of climate change (prolonged, frequent droughts), natural habitat conversion and land degradation due to unsustainable farming practices. The resilience of ecosystems is negatively impacted as are the livelihoods and food security of rural communities. Eighty percent of the people are heavily dependent upon natural resources and live largely from subsistence agriculture.
The threats to ecosystems and livelihoods of local communities are driven by a lack of sustainable and diversified livelihood systems and income streams including shifting cultivation (impoverished, eroded soils, low harvest), unsustainable, low-quality cattle herding, lack of local market access and supportive political climate. By building the capacity of governments, CSO´s and rural communities in regard to climate smart agroecological methods (intercropping, minimal soil disturbance, diversification of crops) and support its implementation in ecologically sensitive areas of KAZA, the soil fertility can be maintained, harvest can improve fourfold, drought resistant crops provide food security even in years of low rainfall. All this reduces the need for new fields through deforestation. Additionally, the awareness building and support for sustainable cattle herding following the One Health approach will assist soil fertility, reduce habitat encroachment, and produce healthier, more valuable cattle. By supporting pilots of private sector – community partnerships (PPP) -, the access to markets and supply chains for agroecological (organic) products (beef and vegetable) will be created and potential models for diversified income streams established, increasing resilience in communities.
At the regional level, there is currently no apparent standardized, KAZA accepted approach to sustainable agriculture, each country promotes some pilots, with limited cross-border learning happening, and the approaches differ. However, the WDA´s are cross border landscapes pushing for agroecology to reduce habitat loss through subsistence and shifting cultivation. The CSO engagement and dialogue at the political agricultural policy level varies greatly amongst the KAZA countries. So far, only Zambia has managed to influence agricultural policy to include more budget for sustainable agriculture in the state budgets (previous Bengo project). In Zimbabwe ‘’Pfumvudza” was launched —a national initiative that promotes conservation farming techniques on smallholder farms and applying the correct agronomic practices for higher returns. There is still need to help support this initiative to ensure there is clear national policy guidance and strategy for successful adaptation of agro-ecology at grassroots. Therefore, creating the need to raise awareness and promote training on it as a complement of and not substitute for conventional farming. The approach should also embrace the need for sustainable, certifiable and economically viable commodity value chains. In Zimbabwe, there is also a multi-stakeholder platform, that brings together the various actors and engages in dialogue with the government on issues related to sustainable agriculture both livestock and arable production.
To enable a more supportive political framework for sustainable agriculture, the project will strengthen national CSO platforms and their advocacy work with the agricultural ministries to provide more financial support for sustainable and small holder agriculture, building on the success from Zambia.
The project areas are: a) in Zambia: Three (3) Game Management Areas: Mufunta (5,104Km2), Mulobezi (3,430Km2) and Sichifulo (3,600Km2) located to the western and southern parts of the Kafue National Park (KNP), b) in Namibia: conservancies and villages in the Zambezi region and c) in Zimbabwe, the proposed project sites are in Matebeleland North Province. The province is predominantly rural and is divided into seven districts, of which the project will target two: Binga, and Hwange.
Overall Outcome:
At least 2.525 smallholder households in five project areas in the Kavango Zambesi transboundary conservation area in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia benefit from enhanced food security and livelihoods while reducing degradation of natural habitats and land conversion.
At the regional level and in the three countries, political and institutional support for sustainable agriculture including livestock keeping is enhanced by the active political participation of civil society actors.
3. Tasks And Responsibilities
This is a full-time position based at the WWF KAZA hub under the supervision of the WWF KAZA coordinator.
3.1 General Tasks and Responsibilities
The regional financial administrator is responsible for the administration and financial implementation of the Bengo – Food security and habitat conservation in the Kavango Zambesi transboundary conservation area network (KAZA TFCA) – The ARISE Programme. She/he assumes full responsibility to support and guide all financial staff of the implementing partners in the three countries to comply with the regulations given by the BMZ and WWF and will ensure the financial resources are used in an effective, efficient, accountable and consultative manner, within the projects duration from November 1st 2021 to 31st December 2024.
It is also the regional administrators’ responsibility to maintain good relations with the primary project partner, WWF Germany and the co-founder, WWF NL as well as all KAZA country offices and WWF KAZA Lead.

Specific tasks and Responsibilities:
• Planning and adaptive management
• Support the development of budgets in each country/regional with all implementing partners at regular intervals (but at least yearly and as contractually defined), and support the development of consolidated project budgets with the relevant staff,
• Communicate and discuss any deviation from project budget with WWF Germany and support country teams in revisions of budgets
• Participate at all PMU meetings, the quarterly ones and the yearly physical one. Financial Report and forecast for all countries on implementation
• Assist and implement adaptive management in terms of financial and administrative matters when needed and develop change requests with all partners and contribute to the final documentation before they will be submitted to the donor. Ensure changes are integrated into the budgets
• Directly responsible for all regional budgets and revisions and implementation,
• Coordination of implementation
• Contribute to a strong sense of teamwork and cooperation amongst all project implementors and partners as well as the ARISE Project team (M&E officer, Admin)
• Ensure that the working groups are active and are coordinating activities and support learning
• Support the implementation of activities in all three countries and with all implementing partners
• Monitor and support the implementation the Procurement plans (Gantt chart) with the project partners including financial management, admin and procurement staff
• Support the development of grant agreements and other sub-contracts as necessary and in coordination with admin of the corresponding country
• Stakeholder relations
• Implement frequently financial/admin meetings as needed and create ad hoc teams as necessary to fulfill projects deliverables
• Implement the regional financial committee of the project and lead the calls / meetings
• Regularly liaise with the WWF KAZA coordinator, WWF-Germany team and country teams
• Reporting
• Ensure and support all financial reporting is done according to the contractual arrangements and templates in a timely and high-quality fashion. Ensure deadlines are adhered to.
• Ensure all other reporting that may come up is done in an efficient and effective manner
• Provide support for the implementing partners for their financial reporting
• Consolidate the reports of all countries and submit to WWF Germany
• Ensure reporting back to the partners
• Financial Monitoring
• Ensure the development of financial monitoring plans with all implementing partners and support their implementation
• Support all financial M&E activities in the project
• Spot checks of the financial supporting documents (vouchers, proofs of payment, procurement documentation, hand over protocols, inventory lists and others) along all implementing partners
• Administration support of the local partners on request
• Capacity building and Compliance
• Verification of compliance with all agreements fundamental to the project, such as contracts, guidelines of the Donor and the funding guidelines
• Assure the donor compliance during the whole project lifetime with emphasis on local procurements of all partners, the complete financial reporting
• Identifying of administration gaps, e.g. assessment of accounting, together with the local partners and develop follow up activities to fill them
• Sharing of tools and best practice in terms of administration and financial related issues between the project implementing partners
• Support and accompany the auditor selection and audit implementing processes of every country

5. Qualification Profile
• Educational background: A minimum of a Master’s degree in Business administration, logistics or related subject with good knowledge of best practices in financial Management.
• At least 5 years of professional experience in managing complex projects.
• Experience in working with (I)NGOs, Civil Society organizations and local communities.
• Ideally work experience in the KAZA region. Specific work experience in the project regions in Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe is an added advantage.
• Two or more of the following would also be an advantage:
o Experience with WWF and/or BMZ/BENGO specific finance and procurement regulations
o Ability to organize and train administration staff in topics which are requested Ability to effectively coordinate and motivate administration project staff and maintain effective working relations as a team member.
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o Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan and those under his/her supervision.
o Proven interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-interest, multi-ethnic environment.
o Good oral and written communications skills
o Fluency in English.
6. Contract Period and Payment Schedule
The contract period will start as soon as possible and will last until the end of the project. The proposed work will be carried out under contract. The contract will be drawn up after the final candidate has been selected.
The staff will be subject to WWF management procedures at all times.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 60

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

Job application procedure
Applications including cover letter with brief outline of relevant qualification and experiences, CV, expected remuneration and references to be submitted by email by 6 March 2022 5pm to:
Ulrich Hermanski
Administration and Finance Manager
E-Mail: ulrich.hermanski@wwf.de
With copies to:
Mike Knight
WWF KAZA Coordinator
E-mail: mknight@wwf.na
Maxward Katubulushi
E-Mail: mkatubulushi@wwf.zam
Daisy Hill
dhill@wwfzam.org

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