As part of the Digital for innovation Team Europe Initiative, funded by the EU and implemented with Expertise France, Enabel, ESTDev, GIZ, Haus Institute and RVO, Expertise France is looking to hire an experienced Project Officer to oversee the financial and contractual management of the AEDIB 2.0 project.

Key Responsibilities (non-exhaustive list) 

The project is jointly implemented by a consortium of six implementing partners, with Expertise France serving as the lead organization. The role involves ensuring compliance with EU grant regulations, particularly for partners that are not accredited and do not belong to the MPCA.

One of the project’s key challenges is that one of the implementing partners is not accredited by the EU, which means Expertise France carries the grant on their behalf. This specificity requires additional tasks related to compliance, reporting, and risk mitigation, ensuring that all financial and contractual obligations are met according to EU regulations.

Part of the Project Management Unit based in Kigali (8 people dedicated to AEDIB’s project) and under the hierarchical responsibility of the Team leader, the Project Officer will play a key role in ensuring the smooth coordination and financial execution of the project, focusing on compliance, capacity-building, reporting, and risk mitigation for implementing partners.

Grant Compliance & Financial Oversight

• Ensure that the execution and management of grants comply with EU funding regulations and contractual obligations

• Oversee financial and administrative processes related to non-accredited agency, ensuring adherence to EU requirements

• Monitor grant expenditures across the consortium, ensuring alignment with the approved budget and cost eligibility rules

• Work closely with financial teams and project coordinators to implement best practices in financial management

• Ensure compliance with all subsidy-related obligations for the non-accredited organization

• Follow up the grant agreement process, ensuring all required validations et approvals are obtained

• Confirm with the juridical direction all steps to be followed

Consortium Support & Risk Mitigation

• Support non-accredited partners in meeting EU compliance requirements, ensuring financial and administrative alignment with the lead organization.

• Identify potential financial and compliance risks and implement mitigation strategies

• Analysing risks and implementing actions to mitigate and minimize them (especially the risks of expenditure ineligibility)

• Develop and enforce internal procedures to facilitate smooth grant execution for all consortium members

• Oversee the execution of granted activities and initiatives, ensuring proper financial follow-up of grantees.

• Validate expenditure reports submitted by partners and lead the management of follow-up committees, meetings, and field visits.

• Ensure partners correctly apply up-to-date procedures and fulfill their contractual obligations.

• Maintain ongoing monitoring and control over the correct execution of procedures.

Reporting & Documentation

• Prepare and submit financial reports, ensuring accuracy and compliance with EU deadlines and templates

• Maintain clear and structured documentation of all financial transactions, grant agreements, and supporting evidence for audits

• Support the preparation of interim and final reports for the European Commission

• Prepare for EU and other donors’ periodic audits of grants, ensuring all documentation and reports are available.

• Provide regular updates to the management team on the financial and operational status of grants.

Capacity Building & Project Coordination

• Provide training and guidance to consortium partners on EU grant management rules and procedures

• Act as a liaison between consortium members and the EU funding body, addressing compliance-related queries

• Ensure proper communication and coordination between financial, administrative, and technical teams within the project

• Ensure that non-accredited partners have adequate support and resources to comply with EU grant requirements.

• Support for the implementation of monitoring and evaluation

• Support developing and implementing the project action plan and work schedule
• Support organising projects events and activities, expert missions, study visits, steering committees, team management, recruiting and HR aspects