Finance Officer – Project Support Unit Full Time

1/ CONTEXT AND MISSION

A/ About Expertise France

Expertise France is the public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects, a member of the AFD Group. The Agency intervenes around four priority areas:

• Democratic, economic and financial governance.
• Peace, stability and security.
• Climate, agriculture and sustainable development.
• Health and Human Development.

In these areas, Expertise France carries out engineering and implementation missions for capacity building projects, mobilizes technical expertise as well as a project coordinator involving public expertise and private know-how.

With a turnover of €450 million in 2024 and more than 350 ongoing projects in 140 countries of intervention, Expertise France is the leading public agency for French international technical cooperation.

B/ Expertise France in Ethiopia

With more than 120 million inhabitants, hosting the African Union headquarter, Ethiopia is a key country on the continent. In recent years, the country has seen a constant strengthening of its bilateral cooperation with France and benefits from the largest European programme in sub-Saharan Africa.

This has resulted in an increase of more than 140% in the Agency’s portfolio in 2024, which now stands at €32 million and is expected to exceed €45 million by the end of the year. The country is also home to two strategic regional projects in education and heritage, and a team of 3 ITE, which is being reinforced by 6 additional ITE.

The Expertise France country team should increase to nearly 50 people.

To support this development, the Agency has decided to structure a country directorate and a project support unit in Addis Ababa, as of September 2025.

C/ Position and Reporting Line

Based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the position of Finance Officer is under the direct reporting responsibility of the Administration and Finance Manager (AFM).

The managerial report is: AFM / Coordinator of Transversal Functions / Country Director / Geographical Department / Operations Department.

The functional link of the administrative and financial division is provided by the Financial Affairs Department (DAF) at the headquarters in Paris.

The PSU is made up of four main units: Purchasing and Contracting, Logistics, Administrative and Financial and Human Resources.

The Finance Officer will be integrated into the Administrative and Financial Department, composed of the RAF, two Finance Officers, a Treasury Assistant and, eventually, an Accounting Officer.

The position of Finance Officer does not involve direct supervision of staff at this stage of the USP’s structuring.

2/ JOB DESCRIPTION

Financial management

• Carry out the monthly reconciliation of expenses between Atlas, Sage (accounting software) and Financial Monitoring
• Analyse the under/overconsumption of projects and support project managers and the RAF in decision-making
• Monitor and analyse the various internal profitability indicators
• Contribute to the development of external financial reports in conjunction with the RAF
• Feed and analyse internal reports (RPP, initial budget, revised budget, landing forecast) in coordination with the financial and operational departments
• Ensure the proper allocation of expenses in the financial monitoring and in Atlas
• Contribute to the reliability and consistency of financial data

Budget management

• Collect and verify all administrative and financial documents related to accounting before the transmission of payment requests
• Check the eligibility of expenses according to the applicable rules
• Support operational teams in projects’ budget planning
• Invoicing donors and monitoring donors’ receipts
• Participate in the preparation of audits (internal and external) by providing proof of payment and required documentation
• Participate in the preparation of Internal Controls exercises.

Accounting management

• Establish the vouchers and ensure the compliance of the budget lines
• Prepare project closure in connection with the financial control unit at headquarters
• Track advances on the financial follow-up tool
• Participate in the semi-annual and annual closing of projects
• Feed the expense books of the financial follow-up

Administrative management

• Implements internal EF procedures and stays up to date
• Ensure the archiving of documents in accordance with internal rules and procedures
• Contribute to the improvement of tools and the updating of internal procedures
• Support the AFM in the structuring of the Administrative and Financial department as needed

This list of responsibilities is not exhaustive. The Finance Officer will also have to support the Administrative and Financial team in any task necessary for the proper functioning of the department.

3/ EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

• Employee contract under local law, via a third-party employer company
• Duration of the contract: Fixed-term contract of one year renewable with the possibility of renewal or extension and/or perpetuation before the end of the contract depending on the performance evaluation and available budget.
• Job Location: Addis Ababa
• Start date: 15 December 2025

Qualifications and experience

• BAC +5 in Management and Accounting, or equivalent degree
• At least 3 years’ experience in a similar position
• Desired experience in international cooperation

Expected skills

• Strong ability to work, rigor and organization
• Proficiency in pack office and accounting tools
• Interpersonal skills, teamwork skills
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Written and oral fluency in English. French is an asset
• Knowledge of donors’ rules