Latest Job Vacancies at COOPI Cooperazione Internazionale, 17th December, 2018

Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) is an Italian humanitarian non-governmental organization founded in Milan in 1965. COOPI aims to help the world’s poorest to improve their access to healthcare, food, and financial security, and to overcome their special vulnerability to wars, civil conflicts and natural disasters. For 50 years of long-term support and constant presence in the field, COOPI has been engaged in breaking the cycle of poverty and responding to specific emergencies in numerous sectors, including Food Security, Humanitarian Aid, Health, Socio-Economical Services, Water and Sanitation, Human Rights, Education and Training, Migrations and Sustainable Energy. We are recruiting to fill the position below:     Job Title: Country Administrator Location: Abuja Duration: 12 months Starting Date: ASAP Context

• Since the declaration of state of emergency in the Nigerian federal States of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, the escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency has led to multiple displacement crises, with communities fleeing their area of origin to take refuge in camps or host communities. In 2014 there was a substantial increase in violence related to Boko Haram and the counter insurgency operations, consequently creating acute and largely unmet humanitarian needs, as IDPs are cut off from their homes and livelihoods, basic services, kinship and social ties. In September 2014, COOPI began operating in north eastern Nigeria in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the insurgency, established its operation in Bauchi State and later expanded to Yobe and Borno State considering the heightened presence of IDPs.
• COOPI is currently implementing a multi-sectoral intervention covering nutrition, food security, protection and education in emergency. Given the unfolding large scale emergency in the north eastern Nigeria, COOPI plans to scale up its current operations in Borno State and reach newly accessible areas, in addition to areas receiving Nigerian returnees from Niger.
• We are looking for a highly qualified Country Administrator  with overall responsibility for supervision, management and quality implementation of all aspects of COOPI financial and administrative operations in Nigeria.
• The Country Administrator will be part of the senior management team and is expected to contribute to the future strategic development and professional dynamics of COOPI in Nigeria.

• Safe and bank account management: He/she ensures the correct management of the safes and the project’s bank accounts, by directly managing or by regularly controlling the project accountant, if available.
• Accountancy management: he/she ensures the correct project accountancy and all accountancy documents filing. He/she does this by monitoring the accountants or by directly performing the accountancy, in case there was no accountant.
• Administrative management: In collaboration with the project manager he/she verifies the correct administrative management of the projects (contracts, goods and services purchase, calls for  tenders etc.) in compliance with COOPI and the donor’s procedures (ECHO, UNICEF, UN Agencies, AICS, USAid/OFDA, FFP). He/she ensures the correct filing of all project’s administrative documents.
• Expenses planning and monitoring: In collaboration with the Project Manager (and the logistician if present) he/she makes the project’s financial planning. He/she monitors expenses, in accordance with the budget. He/she provides the accountancy data to the Project Manager so as to allow him to monitor and plan the expenditures and to request funds.
• Contract modifications and administrative documents: He/she collaborates with the Project Manager in the elaboration of contract modifications (including the budget), and in the preparation of all necessary  projects documents.
• Financial reporting: In coordination with the Head of Mission and with the Project Manager he/she prepares the intermediate and final financial reports for the projects under his/her responsibility.
• Budget preparation: Support the Head of Mission and Project Managers in budget preparation as well as proposals development.
• Staff management: He/she plans the work, supervises, and collaborate to train the staff of the project’s accounting-administrative area upon request by the Head of Mission. Upon request her/she collaborates to staff evaluation activities. She/he will be the focal point of the complaint mechanism and the code of conduct
• Procurement: He/she provide technical oversight to the procurement process and ensure proper supply chain management procedures are in place and that standard logistics and related administrative systems are established and implemented within COOPI country programme.

• Minimum of 5 years’ relevant work experience in large organizations.
• At least 3 years’ work experience in a similar role within a international non-governmental organization (NGO), donor or multilateral agency.
• Substantial experience working with International NGO’s, UN agencies and networking and negotiating with authorities.
• Very strong financial analysis skills and an extensive practical experience working with financial tools, highly proficient with excel such as using pivot table, developing macros, etc.
• Ability to motivate and guide staff working in a complex conflict environment, preferably experience from an African context. Previous experience in Nigeria is an advantage.
• An excellent interpersonal skills (Good analytical, negotiation, advocacy and communication skills) and demonstrated ability to establish effective team and external relations.
• Experience with capacity building of national staff.
• Ability to work under pressure in a rapidly changing and sometimes insecure environment
• Excellent English language skills both written and spoken are essential.

• He/she ensures the correct administrative-financial management and the sustainability of both the Area Coordination and the Field offices depending from it, by contributing to the preparation of the coordination and projects’ budget, to the final balances control, and by monitoring the correct predisposition of all financial reports, in compliance with COOPI and the donors’ procedures.

• Planning and coordination budget control: He/she prepares, in collaboration with the Area Coordination, and regularly verifies the budget performance for all costs related to the Area Coordination. He/she monitors the sustainability of the Area Coordination and the field offices under its responsibility, and verifies the correct attribution/distribution of fixed costs to the projects.
• Budget preparation and projects’ economic-financial control: He/she participates to the project budget finalization in conformity with the Country Coordination planning; in collaboration with the Project Managers, the Project Administrators and the Area Coordinator, He/she regularly identifies the economic and financial engagements necessary for carrying out the project activities.
• Financial Management: He/she manages the bank accounts, supervises and controls the bank operation in the area, in collaboration with the Country Coordination: he/she monitors the donors’ funding for the project (anticipations and tranches reception); he/she ensures the correct and regular control of the project’s funds; he/she monitors the bank transfers reception for dispatch to the projects.
• Projects’ economic-financial monitoring: In collaboration with the Project Managers and/or Area Administrators and the Head of Mission/Area Coordinator, he/she regularly verifies the projects’ economic-financial performance: final balance, expenditure excess, expenditure projection, financial forecast for the activities’ carry out.
• Financial reporting and auditing : He/she finalizes and controls all intermediate and final financial reports to be transmitted to the donors, before transmitting them to the central headquarters; He/she ensures the collection, filing and control of all projects’ vouchers; He/she supports the Administrative Coordinator n the preparation and carry out of audits in the area, and transmits all projects’ related documents to the Country Coordination.
• Local staff management and local and expatriate staff administration: He/she manages and supervises the administrative staff at work in the Area Coordination; He/she trains the Field offices/Project Administrators under the responsibility of the Area Coordination and regularly monitors the work (remotely or through on field missions); He/she supervises and controls all contracts, salaries and verifies the respect of COOPI standards.
• Procedures: He/she provides technical support to the Project Managers and to the Project Administrators/Area Administrators for a correct application of COOPI and the donor’s administrative procedures in goods, staff and services purchases.
• Data elaboration and transmission: He/she regularly produces and transmits to the Country Coordination all information and data requested by the Milan’s Headquarters and data related to the final balance, according to the planned schedule.
• Administrative documents filing: He/she ensures the correct filing of the area’s administrative documents (coordination and projects), in compliance with the organization’s procedures.
• Institutional relations: in cooperation with the Area Coordinator and the Administrative Coordinator, he/she manages all relations and related bureaucratic practices, with public administrative agencies in the country (work inspectorate, taxes general Directorate, banks etc.) and with the administrative-financial offices of the donors’ decentralized delegations.

• Minimum of 5 years' relevant work experience in large organizations.
• At least 3 years' work experience in a similar role within a international non-governmental organization (NGO), donor or multilateral agency.
• Substantial experience working with International NGO’s, UN agencies and networking and negotiating with authorities.
• Very strong financial analysis skills and an extensive practical experience working with financial tools, highly proficient with excel such as using pivot table, developing macros, etc.
• Ability to motivate and guide staff working in a complex conflict environment, preferably experience from an African context. Previous experience in Nigeria is an advantage.
• An excellent interpersonal skills (Good analytical, negotiation, advocacy and communication skills) and demonstrated ability to establish effective team and external relations.
• Experience with capacity building of national staff.
• Ability to work under pressure in a rapidly changing and sometimes insecure environment
• Excellent English language skills both written and spoken are essential.