British High Commission: Project Support Officer (Drugs & Crime Team)

The British High Commission (BHC) Accra has a vacancy for a B3(L) Project Support Officer (Drugs & Crime Team), a new position created to support the effective disbursement of the DfID funds allocated to a newly approved Drugs and Crime Team project. The job-holder will contribute to an important element of Accra’s Drugs and Crime Team programme with responsibility for programme fund management, procurement, ensuring consistent application of project management best practice and continuous monitoring, evaluation and reporting on the project’s progression.

The job-holder will provide day-to-day support to budget-holding colleagues in the Drugs and Crime section, helping to maximise the impact of programme funds in pursuit of the objectives of Accra’s Country Business Plan. While the job-holder will primarily deal with office-based financial and administrative matters, there will be an opportunity to engage in the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the project, providing opportunities for the job-holder to engage outside the BHC.

The position is offered for the duration of the four-year project, dependent upon successful completion of a 6-month probationary period and security vetting procedures.

The main elements of the job include

•   Day-to-day administrative oversight of the BHC’s programme budgets, ensuring spending remains on track
•   Engagement with private sector suppliers in both the UK and Ghana in relation to project procurement
•   Obtaining project codes and other authorities to enable the spending of allocated funds
•   Maintaining accurate records of funds allocated and unallocated, of funds committed, and of funds spent
•   Preparing monthly, quarterly and annual budgetary reports consistent with DfID requirements
•   Supporting design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects, including liaison with external actors

The skills/attributes of the successful applicant will include

•   Accuracy, and a willingness to become embedded in the sometimes complex bureaucracy relating to project funds
•   Strong organisational skills, including time management, demonstrating personal drive and enthusiasm
•   Prioritising in a fast-paced work environment, working largely unsupervised and delivering to deadlines; ability to deliver alone, as part of a team, and through teams
•   Creativity, imagination and innovation to maximise the reach of the project funds, working in support of budget-holding colleagues
•   Communicating and influencing skills, with a strong customer focus, adopting different styles as necessary (eg formal communications over procedures with DfID, engaging with external stakeholders, some of whom may not have English as a first language)
•   Willingness to negotiate with project implementers to maximise impact of project, obtain value for money, and to hold those actors to account
•   Ability to engage with contacts and colleagues at all levels
•   Discretion – the job holder will be employed in a sensitive law enforcement environment and will be subject to full security vetting procedures

Qualification Required & Experience

The successful applicant is likely to have one or more of

•   At least 2 years of project management or administrative experience
•   A background in accounting, finance or budget management
•   Fluency in English, orally and in writing
•   Strong IT skills using Microsoft software, particularly Excel

The successful applicant will need to:

Observe the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s diversity and equality policies

Salary: GHc2,061 to GHc2,243

Location: Accra

How To Apply For The Job

Information for applicants
The monthly gross salary range for B3(L) positions in the BHC is GHc2,061  (rising in increments of GHc91  based on performance) to a maximum of GHc3,335 . The starting salary will be determined by the successful applicant’s experience and skills, but will be in the range GHc2,061 to GHc2,243.

The appointment will be offered for the duration of the four year project. The appointment will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a probationary period and security vetting procedures.

The successful applicant will demonstrate that they meet the requirements under Ghanaian law to work in Ghana.

Candidates interested in applying for this position should complete an application form which can be obtained from this website:

www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-high-commission-accra/about/recruitment#current-vacancies

add their CV plus a cover letter to the Human Resource Manager at the address below, no later than close of business on 20th August 2013.

HR Manager
British High Commission
Osu Link, off Gamel Abdul Nasser Avenue
PO Box 296, Accra

with the envelope clearly marked B3(L)PSO

or to this email address:

[email protected]

The subject line must read B3(L)PSO

Closing Date: 20 August, 2013

Regrettably only those candidates short-listed for interview will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted soon after.

Interested applicants can contact Jon Goulding (0302 213401) at the British High Commission for further information. All enquiries will be dealt with “in confidence”.

The British High Commission Accra is an Equal Opportunities Employer
More information about the work of the British High Commission in Ghana can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/world/ghana