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Ref.
2024/EEPEGBL/11286

Job offer type
Experts

Type of contract
CDDU

Activity sectors
Public resource mobilisation, management and accountability

Deadline date
2025/03/01 23:55

Contract
Employee

Duration
48 mois

Mission description

POSITION SUMMARY: 

 Expertise France is recruiting a resident Programming and Budget Management Expert for a 12-month assignment in Bissau as part of the Transparent and Accountable Economic Governance Project (renewable contract based on the performance under the total duration of the project, 48 months).

 The selected technical expert, under the supervision of the project leader, will be responsible for ensuring the proper implementation of the activities of the project's SO1 and SO2 in relation to his/her field of expertise. He/she will be responsible for implementing these activities by carrying out technical missions in this area.

MISSION DESCRIPTION: 

 The selected technical expert, under the supervision of the project leader, will be responsible for ensuring the proper implementation of the project's SO1 and SO2 activities in relation to his/her field of expertise. He/she will be responsible for implementing these activities by carrying out technical missions in this area.

Based in Bissau, he/she will work under the supervision of the head of project manager.

 He/she will be required to work closely with the administrations of the Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Finance (MinFi) and more directly with the divisions responsible for budget management within MinFi, as well as the line ministries (Education, Health, etc.).

 The activities will be adapted to the requests expressed by the beneficiaries and to their specific context but will be focused, aligned with the National Development Policy, on the following tasks:

Ø  Analysis of a programme budget (analysis of a sectoral budget framework with regard to the criteria of consistency with the sector's strategy, credibility of forecasts, fairness of allocations);

Ø  Technical assistance in preparing the budget framework (coordination of the budget framework chain, drawing up an MTBF, drafting the economic and financial report accompanying the finance law, etc.);

Ø  Technical assistance with expenditure programming (coordination with sectoral ministries, drawing up the MTEF);

Ø  Technical assistance with budgeting (definition and application of the budget nomenclature, organisation of the budget calendar, completeness and clarity of budget documentation, AE/CP budgeting, gender budgeting, green budgeting);

Ø  Technical assistance for budget management and reporting (preparation of commitment plans, reform of financial control, organisation of sectoral DAFs, preparation and analysis of infra-annual and annual budget reports).

 This non-exhaustive list will be part of a dynamic of structuring a new national strategy for public finance reforms and its implementation.

 Expert responsibilities will entail:

o   Carry out technical assistance assignments on the subjects listed below;

o   Produce strategic deliverables for each assignment carried out;

o   Carrying out training plan development assignments and implementation;

o   Participate in the drafting of half-yearly technical reports;

o   Leading/supporting the coordination/monitoring of MinFi reforms

o   Leading/supporting the coordination of actions between the TAs of the various PTFs

o   Support the steering of capitalisation work, in particular in conjunction with the project manager and the project officer at head office;

o   Support the project's visibility and communication activities, in particular in conjunction with the project manager;

o   Support the steering of the monitoring and evaluation system (definition of indicators for each mission, etc.), in particular in conjunction with the project manager;

o   Ensure coordination and dialogue with other projects financed by the PTFs (in particular other EU projects and initiatives)

 -        Coordination of stakeholders

The PFM sector in Guinea-Bissau doesn’t have a proper entitled coordination/follow-up mechanism for the PFM reforms, nor among the TFPs.

In the absence of a clear national PFM strategy, the IMF programme constitutes a reference for both government agencies and the technical and financial partners which are supporting various initiatives in the PFM sector in Guinea-Bissau. Indeed the IMF ECF is accompanied by a comprehensive set of measures that encompass this project.

 Therefore, the project can be used as a platform to launch a dynamic with the beneficiaries and the TFPs to catalyze this coordination and institutionalized it.

 The head of project must ensure regular sharing of quality information. This includes: 

o   Establish mechanisms for cooperation with beneficiaries: comitology, information sharing;

o   Exchange regularly with EU and other relevant partners on the progress of the project;

o   Present the project to donors and help identify synergies;

o   Participate in focus groups between donors. Several projects related to PFM projects in Guinea-Bissau - it will be essential to ensure regular monitoring and coordination with projects;

o   Identify partners, particularly European, relevant to the provision of quality expertise.

 DURATION OF THE MISSION, LOCATION AND MATERIAL RESOURCES:

The provisional duration of the mission is 12 months, renewable based on performance over the duration of the project (48 months).

The expert will be based in Bissau. The project team might be located within the Ministry of Finance and/or dedicated project office.

Project or context description

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: 

Background:

Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest and most fragile countries, has a population of about 1.9 million. The structure of the economy has barely changed in the last two decades and is almost entirely dependent on a single crop of cashew, which accounts for 90-98% of total export earnings. Agriculture accounts for more than 45% of GDP and employs 80% of the labour force, mainly women. The poorly diversified economy makes the country highly vulnerable to global shocks and adverse climatic conditions. According to the World Bank, real economic growth slowed to 3.5% in 2022, down from 6.4% in 2021. 

The political instability in Guinea-Bissau has limited the development of the country's institutional capacity for good Public Financial Management (PFM) and slowed down anti-corruption efforts. Current PFM systems do not ensure adequate expenditure management prioritization, control, accountability, and efficiency. In 2022, the country ranked 164/180 on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) with a score of 21/100.

The overall situation in the country remains fragile, facing challenges linked to transnational organized crime in a context of porous borders, weak rule of law, persistent socio-economic vulnerability, and climate change-related issues. Covid-19 disrupted the already fragile economy and led to the deterioration of the fiscal situation, accentuating the gap to the average growth of the West African Economic and Monetary Union’s GDP.

Aligned with the National Development Policy, this project is foreseen to promote public finance transparency and accountability in Guinea-Bissau, supporting the implementation of the necessary administrative reforms towards sound financial management of public resources, with a view to increased transparency, allowing effective monitoring of the administration, particularly in the management of public finances. 

 The Overall Objective (Impact) of this project is to promote public finance transparency and accountability in Guinea-Bissau.

 The Specific Objectives (SO Outcomes) of this Action are:

  1.  To improve the effectiveness of public financial management systems, procedures, and capacities. (SO1)
  2.  To strengthen the framework and conditions for participation, transparency, and oversight in financial governance and the fight against corruption. (SO2)

 The Outputs to be delivered by this project contributing to the corresponding Specific Objectives are:

 o   Contributing to Outcome 1 (SO1):
1.1.   Enhanced capacity of public finance stakeholders in gender and environment responsive budget and strategic planning 

1.2.   Expenditure programming and budgeting systems and processes are strengthened while taking into gender and environment perspectives 

1.3.   Systems and processes for expenditure execution, procurement and internal control are enhanced

 o   Contributing to Outcome 2 (SO2):
2.1   Public and equal access to information on public finances is promoted. 

2.2   Enhanced capacity of the Parliament, the Court of Auditors and civil society for oversight of public finance management. 

2.3   Improved mechanisms for fighting against corruption

 Beneficiaries (among others):

  • Ministry of Finance (Budget, Tresury, procurement, forecast, debt, financial control, IGF)
  • INE (National Satistics Institute)
  • Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration
  • Tribunal de Contas
  • National People's Assembly
  • CSOs

Required profile

PROFILE:

Qualifications and skills

  • Master's degree or equivalent in a field relevant to the assignment;
  • Proven expertise in budget management in a public administration;
  • Proven taste for teamwork and networking;
  • Good interpersonal and communication skills;
  • Initiative, sense of responsibility;
  • Sense of organisation and rigour;
  • Autonomy, flexibility and responsiveness;
  • Analytical skills and ability to synthesise;
  • Proficiency in the Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and other languages (Eviews, Stata, Python, etc.)
  • Diplomacy and discretion;
  • An excellent command of Portuguese is mandatory;
  • Knowledge of French and/or English would be an asset.

 Work Experience: 

  •  At least 10 years' experience in public finance management;
  • Experience in the design and implementation of programme documents and budgetary procedures;
  • Knowledge of UEOA directives is an asset
  • Experience in implementing international cooperation projects with African public institutions;
  • Experience in institutional support, capacity building, organisational strengthening, training and/or change management
  • Experience of projects financed by international donors (in particular the EU)
  • Good knowledge of EU procedures;
  • Proven experience of working in a multicultural environment;
  • Experience in a complex institutional environment;
  • Field experience in Africa, particularly West Africa (WAEMU zone and the Portuguese-speaking African countries, PALOP).

Additional information

Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Deadline for application : 2025/03/01 23:55

Expertise France is the public agency for designing and implementing international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four key priorities :

  • democratic, economic, and financial governance ;
  • peace, stability, and security ;
  • climate, agriculture, and sustainable development ;
  • health and human development ;

In these areas, Expertise France conducts capacity-building initiatives and manages project implementation, leveraging technical expertise and acting as a project coordinator. This involves combining public sector expertise with private sector skills to drive impactful results. 

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