USAID Kosovo Economic Governance Activity

Recruitment for Crimson Capital

Position Title: Public Financial Management Advisor (PFMA)

Number of Positions: Two (2)

Position Type: Cooperating Country National (Kosovo citizen or lawfully admitted permanent resident)

Period of Assignment: Long-term, full-time

Reports to: Strengthened Public Financial Management Objective Lead

Location: Pristina

BACKGROUND

The USAID Kosovo Economic Governance Activity is a five-year initiative that started in April 2019 to support Kosovo partners to implement significant reforms that will improve the simplicity, transparency, accountability and efficiency of government operations, strengthen public financial management, and improve responsive public-private dialogue, through adoption and confirmation of self-reliant, inclusive governance processes, ability, and systems. The support will be offered through the following three objectives:

1. Business Environment Improvement;
2. Strengthened Public Financial Management; and,
3. Enhanced Strategic Communications.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Working in the Public Financial Management Improvement Objective of the USAID Kosovo Economic Governance Activity (Activity), the Public Financial Management Advisor (PFMA) will support the Activity’s public and private sector partners, including financial bodies, to improve accuracy, credibility, responsiveness, transparency, and accountability of public financial management (PFM) practices in Kosovo.

The PFMA will assist partners to identify opportunities, including as informed by private sector input and proactive data or process review, to increase the accuracy, credibility, efficiency and transparency of the public financial management systems, improve data and management practices, and increase confidence between public and private sector partners. The PFMA will pursue reforms in this area to be captured in the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (MELP).

The term of assignment is for the life of the project, subject to satisfactory performance.

SPECIFIC TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support partners, including the Ministry of Finance, Labor and Transfers (MFLT), to improve institutionalization of analytical skills, self-reliant institutional design, and procedures for evidence-based macroeconomic and fiscal analysis;
• Support the MFLT to institutionalize a knowledge-management system to enable capacity retention for evidence-based macroeconomic and fiscal analysis at MFLT;
• With central and municipal partners, including the Ministry of Finance, Labor, and Transfers (MFLT), identify, improve and post-reform verify improvements for:
• Internal tools and procedures for accurately registering, classifying and monitoring fiscal transactions; and,
• Enhanced government statistical data management, analysis, and use.
• With the Tax Administration of Kosovo (TAK), identify, improve and post-reform verify improvements for:
• Tax administration processes, including from both public and private sector perspectives; and,
• Private sector prioritized increased published tax data.
• In select partner budget organizations, identify and remove barriers to rapid, trustworthy, and accurate good/service acceptance and vendor payments by the Government of Kosovo;
• Facilitate increased public sector partner data publication;
• Support private sector organizations to increase evidence-based private sector analyses using increased data publication, and greater member/beneficiary dialogue, to inform policy;
• Support counterpart institutionalization of analytical skills, self-reliant institutional design, and evidence-based analysis;
• With Strategic Communications Objective staff, identify and support opportunities to expand and institutionalize mechanisms for engagement between the government and the private sector, improve communications within government counterparts and between government and the private sector, and increase use of operational outcome-based performance metrics;
• Take ownership and exercise self-initiative of specific work plan activities to accomplish Activity goals in the Activity MELP, leveraging supporting resources from other project staff;
• Provide timely reporting and other information materials for overall project reporting, success stories, subject area briefs, and information blurbs;

Meet or exceed all quantitative project goals and performance deadlines linked to this position as articulated in the project MELP and annual work plans;

• Develop the internal capacities of key Government of Kosovo and private sector counterparts to adopt and administer simple, transparent, accountable, representative, service-oriented and universally-applied governance processes during and beyond the life of the project, including validating through independent partner demonstrated execution successful improvement institutionalization during the project; and

• Other tasks as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Experience (Required) – Minimum 5 years of general working experience and minimum 3 years of experience in public financial management reform, tax reform, economic policy, data analytics, financial consulting or related field;
2. Education (Required) – Degree in economics, finance or related field;
3. Language Skills (Required) – English and Albanian fluency, with excellent writing and presentation. Serbian language skills preferred;
4. Computer Skills (Required) – Advanced skills in using word processing (Microsoft Word) and spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel) as well as electronic communications programs. Financial modelling, statistical analysis, and programming skills (such as ‘R’) are considered an asset;
5. Interpersonal Skills (Required) – Proven ability to work professionally, constructively and collaboratively as part of team, meet deadlines, communicate effectively, and deal with diverse counterparts (including high-level government officials, entrepreneurs and international donors) in a challenging environment; and
6. Self-Motivation and Guidance (Required) – Ability to manage daily activities and achieve expected results with or without direct oversight and effectively function in a complex, challenging environment.

Please send electronic applications, including ONLY a CV and cover letter, to [email protected] by March 31, 2022 no later than 5:00 PM.

Please indicate your name and the position title for which you are applying in the subject line. No telephone inquiries, please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.