Grade: G4
Vacancy no.: DC/MANILA/G/2023/10
Publication date: 08 May 2023
Application deadline (midnight local time): 23 May 2023
Job ID: 10639
Department: RO-Asia and the Pacific
Organization Unit: CO-Manila
Location: Siargao
Contract type: Fixed-term
Contract duration: 12 months
Under article 4.2, paragraph (e) of the Staff Regulations, the filling of vacancies in technical cooperation projects does not fall under Annex I of the Staff Regulations and is made by direct selection by the Director-General.
In order to support the best informed process in the filling of the above-mentioned vacancy by direct selection, the ILO invites interested candidates to submit their application online by the above date.
The following are eligible to apply:
- ILO Internal candidates in accordance with paragraphs 31 and 32 of Annex I of the Staff Regulations.
- External candidates*
*The recruitment process for General Service positions is subject to specific local recruitment criteria. The ILO may only offer a contract to persons who have a valid residency status and work permit in the Philippines.
The ILO values diversity among its staff and welcomes applications from qualified female candidates. We also encourage applicants with disabilities. If you are unable to complete our online application form due to a disability, please send an email to ilojobs@ilo.org.
Technical cooperation appointments are not expected to lead to a career in the ILO and they do not carry any expectation of renewal or conversion to any other type of appointment in the Organization. A one-year fixed-term contract will be given. Extensions of technical cooperation contracts are subject to various elements including the following: availability of funds, continuing need of the functions and satisfactory conduct and performance.
*Conditions of employment for external candidates: In conformity with existing ILO practice, the appointment of an external candidate will normally be made at the first step of this grade. The entry level salary for this position is 540,912.0 (Phpeso) yearly.
Introduction
The vast agro-economy of the central and southern Philippines has been hard-hit by the series of natural and man-made crises at an unprecedented scale. After suffering from the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on jobs and income, 11 regions in this part of the country have been swept by the Super Typhoon Rai (locally named Odette โ hereinafter โST Odetteโ) in mid-December 2021. Surprisingly, ST Odetteโs total damages figure of the six most affected regions (USD 3.9 billion) went substantially higher than that of the ST Yolanda (USD 2.2 billion). This time, the suffering did not stop there. Within four months when the signs of recovery were barely seen, Tropical Storm Megi/Agaton hit almost the same areas, once again destructing the agro-economy of these regions and affecting anew 2.3 million population. Simultaneously, the country was starting to see the impact of the war in Ukraine that accelerated the price hike on food and energy globally to become the largest commodity shock since the 1970s.
The livelihood recovery of the agro-economy in the six regions is slow and deemed heavily constrained by the funding and capacity gaps. Although the Rehabilitation and Recovery Programs (RRPs) have been approved by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at the end of June 2022 with a USD 7.1 billion total funding requirement, it is expected that only small part of it will be funded by the government considering the unprecedented scale of damages and the tight fiscal space after the prolonged pandemic. The impact and needs assessment conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) noted that, despite the well-developed sector recovery plan elaborated by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) โ CARE COCO, the replanting of coconut trees has been slow. The assessment study identified key bottlenecks in the efforts of the coconut sector recovery such as the weak attention to the land preparation (e.g., tillage, harrowing, levelling, etc.); limited value chain linkages to the high-growth economic centres, sectors and value-added products; and the capacity of the local government units (LGUs) to plan and coordinate a multi-year integrated recovery plan and access to available funding such as the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF), rehabilitation and livelihood programmes of NGAs, and private sector financing windows of IFIs. Further, the LGUs are also challenged to operationalize the major devolution that began in 2022 as a result of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling.
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Against this backdrop, the ILO project will support select LGUs of a target local area damaged by ST Odette by addressing implementation bottlenecks of CARE COCO and supplementing it with value chain linkages, packaging of recovery support into a multi-year integrated job-rich recovery plan and supporting LGUsโ access to funding. It will generate the following outcomes: Outcome 1: Bottlenecks of CARE COCO programme addressed and the programme implementation accelerated (through cash-for-work); Outcome 2: Farmers better linked to multiple value chains (e.g., construction, urban market, tourism, high value-added coconut products); and Outcome 3: Local economy recovery made more integrated, better funded and experiences disseminated. Through the demonstration effect of this project, ILO aims to contribute to the learnings of other LGUs facing similar challenges across the six affected-regions to follow suit and replicate the model in the context of the significant devolution.
The project will actively seek technical inputs from and synergies with other relevant projects that may include among others: Bringing Back Jobs Safely on OSH and MSME digitalization training; Skills for Prosperity on the coordination with the area-based demand-driven regional skills system; and Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Supply Chains for the possible collaboration in aquaculture. ILO will also closely coordinate with the development partners engaged in the recovery of the coconut and ancillary sectors (e.g., construction, tourism, food processing), in particular the coconut farmers support programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations which may be working with the same LGUs to be targeted through the ILO project.
Reporting Lines
The incumbent will be based in the Field Office in one of the severely-affected regions (tentatively assumed Surigao City) and report to and work under the supervision of the National Project Coordinator. She/he will be guided by the Operations Officer of CO-Manila for the internal procedures and financial processing of the project activities.
Description of Duties
- Maintain project financial records and monitoring system to record and reconcile expenditures, balances, payments, statements and other data for daily transactions and reports.
- Process contracts for financial clearance and payment. Ensure the correctness and appropriateness of types of contracts used with each activity and ensure all necessary supporting document are attached.
- Prepare correspondence on own initiative to verify data, address and answer queries and follow-up as necessary with ILO staff, consultants and counterparts. Draw the attention of the NPC to matters requiring immediate attention.
- Review and request additional information on the financial reports of partners, ensuring compliance with ILO rules, before submitting to the Finance Unit.
- Classify and assign budget codes, verify and process claims for payment, and check payment vouchers, prices and claims invoices.
- Consult with the CO-Manila Operations Unit and project team on rules, regulations and procedures, and inform project staff, partners, consultants, interns of new or revised procedures and practices.
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- Provide administrative and financial backstopping and guidance for project staff and consultants, with respect to payments, entitlements, travel claims and other requirements relating to accounts and finance.
- Prepare recurring reports as scheduled and special reports as required for donor reporting, for budget preparation, audits or other reasons.
- Calculate and compile cost estimates and participate in budget analysis and projects as required.
- Draft correspondence, faxes, memoranda and reports on administrative matters from oral instructions, previous correspondence or other available information sources in accordance with standard office procedures.
- Responsible for all administrative tasks, including logistical support to the project personnel, travel arrangements, visas, hotel reservation, etc. and provide logistics arrangements for conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings.
- Undertake other duties as required.
Required qualifications
Education
Completion of secondary school education with training in accounting and/or finance and administrative field.
Experience
At least three to four years of progressively responsible financial and administrative work, and some training in administrative field. Familiarity with UN administrative and financial procedures constitutes and advantage.
Languages
Excellent command of English, ability to draft report in English. Good knowledge of the local language.
Competencies
- Knowledge and understanding of a complex body of financial and administrative rules, guidelines and procedures.
- Knowledge of in-house procedures for the preparation of documents and administrative forms, and for the creation and maintenance of filing systems.
- Good analytical skills. Ability to reason and make sound judgments.
- Ability to maintain financial records and prepare clerical accounting reports and statements.
- Must demonstrate responsible behaviour and attention to detail.
- Ability to deal with confidential matters with discretion.