Common Services Officer (Finance and HR)

Responsibilities:

• The Common Services Officer, under the direction of the Management Counsellor, ensures the implementation of program objectives and functionally supervises the Embassy’s administrative functions, including finance and human resources. 
• The incumbent directly plans and administers the Embassy’s budget, contracting and projects, as well as conducts research and analysis to advise Management on financial matters.  
• The incumbent is responsible for the management and oversight of the budget, the monitoring of expenditure trends, the financial position report (FINSTAT) of the mission, the preparation of the regular forecasts and the annual budgets for part or all of the common services.
• The incumbent of the position also provides for the mission the provision of financial services, as well as those for payroll and procurement. He or she provides guidance and support services to a diverse clientele on issues related to the Government of Canada’s financial policy. They will also identify improvements to the mission`s financial procedures, guidelines and systems and apply them.
  
• The Common Services Officer is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the mission`s financial system and professional relationship with the mission’s bank, other financial institutions, local government agencies and other diplomatic missions.
• The Common Services Officer will research and write reports and summaries of information as required; maintain statistics for the purpose of analysing and improve the overall effectiveness of administrative methods and procedures; and provide guidance on information management methods, practices and procedures to ensure compliance with the requirements. The CSO will supervise 2 employees.

Requirements:

• Academic qualification of a Bachelor’s degree from a recognized university in a discipline related to the job requirements (e.g. Accounting, Business Administration and Finance).
• High level of proficiency in English (reading, writing and speaking)
• * Recent is defined as within the last five (5) years.
• Minimum of 2 years of recent*, experience in financial/budget administration (e.g. accounting operations, tracking with a financial system/database, extracting, forecasting, analyzing trends, interpreting financial data, producing reports, forecasting and budget management).
• Recent* experience in procurement and contracting from suppliers and service providers;
• Recent* experience in an administrative role establishing and maintaining filing systems, maintaining accurate records, processing financial transactions, interpreting and implementing policy guidance.
• Recent* work experience in managing a team in an operational and/or customer service environment.
• Recent* work experience in working with SAP (Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing)
• Knowledge of budget management
  
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Knowledge of Materiel Management
• Basic knowledge of procurement
• Knowledge of standard office procedures and practices
• Effective communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and client focus
• Sound judgment
• Superior problem-solving
• Results-focused, with the ability to see long term projects to completion
• Adaptability/Flexibility (flexible and able to adapt to changing work pressures and range of tasks)
• Excellent organizational skills

Asset Qualifications:

• Preference may be given to candidates who meet the Asset Qualifications. Where applicable, candidates must clearly demonstrate how they meet any asset qualifications.
• Graduate-level degree in a relevant field (e.g. Master’s in Public Administration, Labour Relations, and Finance)
• Accounting designation (ex: CA, CPA, CFA or other recognized)
• Knowledge of Nigerian legal and regulatory practices related to Human Resources and Labour relations
• Experience in contracting, property, and/or physical resource management
• Experience in working with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software
• Experience working with a diplomatic mission or international organization
• Experience working in a Canadian government office

Operational Requirements:

• Ability to work overtime
• Ability to work on Nigerian holidays when the Deputy High Commission is open
• Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday
• Ability to travel and attend offsite meetings
• Annual leave may be restricted during busy periods due to operational requirements.

 Conditions of Employment: Conditions of employment must be met or complied with before being appointed to a particular position, and are to be maintained throughout the employment while being the incumbent of this position.

• Valid work authorization: Ability to obtain and hold a valid work authorization covering the entire employment period.
• Security screening: Obtain and maintain a Reliability Status (security level) which includes a criminal and credit background check from the Government of Canada covering the entire employment period.

Remuneration: NGN 13,272,841 

Closing date for application: 21 March, 2023