Job Description

Title: Project Administrator and Accounts Assistant

Reports to: Sr. Operations Coordinator and Sr. Finance Specialist with dotted line to Program Manager

Location: Dar es Salam, Tanzania

Grade: 5

TechnoServe Background:

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future. This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years. TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of businesses and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development. But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change. For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty. The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach. Communities and even whole countries are better off.

Program Description:

The Inspiring Good Nutrition Initiatives Through Enterprise (IGNITE) will build on the foundations of the Technical Assistance Accelerator Prelude (TAAP) program to achieve increased motivation and fortification capability of millers leading to increased proportion of fortified staple foods and conversion of a critical mass of millers to improved FF practices across at least eight countries.

IGNITE will facilitate the activation and expansion of a catalytic collective impact initiative – the Millers 4 Nutrition (M4N) coalition – to globally coordinate and locally implement an ultimately sustainable model for delivery of technical assistance (TA) and other services to millers. These TA services, and associated engagement platforms, will establish business cases and motivate and develop capabilities of food processors to improve their performance in the fortification of selected staple foods and condiments, and thereby to achieve large-scale and relevant (contributing to the diets of large proportions of populations in countries where staple FF has been identified as part of national nutrition strategies) coverage on a sustained basis. The IGNITE program will be implemented in eight priority countries namely Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Tanzania.

Position Description:

The Project Administrator and Accounts Assistant will support the team with logistics, administrative backstopping, workshop events and day-to-day support.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities:

• Coordinate meetings with project team, consultants and country office staff.
• Arrange meeting rooms, drafts and disseminates meeting agendas, prepares briefing notes and where necessary takes meeting minutes which may include preparing and disseminating materials as instructed.
• Organize meetings and workshops for the project, including travel arrangements and security.
• Draft correspondence including reports, contracts, and other administrative documents.
• Assume responsibility for document filing and develops office administrative procedures as required.
• Oversee transportation and vehicle management; coordinates domestic travel arrangements for the project team
• Day-to-day facilities management of the office, developing and maintaining good relationships with suppliers
• Supervise support staff such as project drivers
• Manage procurement as per TechnoServe’s procurement policy and national standards, liaising with the Operations team.
• Work with the TechnoServe Tanzania’s Senior Finance Specialist to implement all financial management policies and procedures
• Prepare accounts payable documents (e.g. invoices, payment requests) for approval
• Ensure all documents are filed and maintained for auditing purposes
• Manage payment of project bills and petty cash and ensures that receipts are kept for all expenses.
• Perform small-scale procurement, ensuring adequate stocks of all necessary supplies (e.g. stationery, water, etc.)

Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of documented experience in an administrative /office management role
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting or related field.
• Fluency in English
• Ability to develop well written and cohesive reports
• Knowledge of office software packages (MS Word, Excel)

Desired Skills:

• Self-starter, energetic, and friendly
• Comfortable with new ways of thinking and working
• Maintains integrity and personal reputation
• Reviews information quickly and does not hesitate to try out solutions
• Passionate about knowledge learning and sharing.

Success Factors:

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.

Core Competencies include:

• Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
• Team Work/ Relationships: Works co-operatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
• Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
• Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
• Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
• Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyze situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
• Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement. Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
• Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals. Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
• Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and take decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

Job specific/Technical Competencies Include:

• Computer Literacy- Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for own functional area. Having the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace
• Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.
• Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe’s vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.