Project Finance and Admin Specialist

Project Finance and Admin Specialist

USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity

Scope of Work

Preferred by Nature (formerly NEPCon) is a non-profit organisation that works for sustainable land use and climate-friendly solutions. With 250+ staff around the world, our projects build capacity, raise awareness, conserve nature and streamline sustainability through innovation. More information about Preferred by Nature can be found on the website (https://preferredbynature.org/).

NEPCon is a subcontractor to DAI, an international development company for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Sustainable Forest Management activity in Vietnam, being implemented from July 2020 to 2025.

Proposed personnel:

Position: Vietnamese Finance Assistant

Level of Effort: full time until project end

Period of Performance: 01 May 2023 to project end

Base of Operations: Viet Nam

Project Background

The Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management Activity (the project) will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management. The project will implement a “Green Prosperity” approach that strengthens local communities’ ability to protect their natural resource base and reduce emissions while building a strong foundation for sustainable livelihoods and equitable economic growth.

The project will work in six provinces and focus on five activities:

• Strengthening community forest management;
• Promoting conservation-friendly enterprises;
• Improving law enforcement to tackle environmental crimes;
• Enhancing the management of production forests; and
• Mobilising domestic resources.

The project will be working closely with the Ministry for Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD), the focus provinces tentatively include: Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Nghe An and Son La.

DAI is the lead partner, with NEPCon and RECOFTC as subcontractors. We aim to bring local talent and international best practices to the project that will help us build in-country technical and operational skills and strengthen community forest management well beyond the life of the programme.

Enhancing the management of production forests

Preferred by Nature is responsible for delivering the fourth activity: enhancing the management of production forests. We envisage this activity to consist of the following main elements:

1.    Increasing the production of sustainable timber by small-scale foresters

We will convene wood production stakeholders to map potential sustainable wood production zones and implement interventions that strengthen grower groups, increase production of high-quality timber products and create replicable, scalable models.

2.    Increasing the demand for certified timber

We will engage with sawmills and other wood processors to catalyse aggregator-level demand for certified timber through business plan development, access to finance and support for Chain of Custody (CoC) certification.

3.    Developing market linkages between timber producers and industry

We will facilitate linkages between producers and buyers, alongside supporting broader market transformation for certified wood products. We will design and implement a series of interventions to enhance market opportunities for community grower groups and transform the broader market.

Summary of Primary Duties

The Project Finance and Admin Specialist will work closely with the Project Financial Manager and will be responsible for providing financial support to ensure efficient operation of the project. The position will support the financial management of the project and document all expenses as needed and reporting of expenses. Ability to effectively manage financial transactions and reporting that all financial duties are completed accurately and in a timely manner is important.

Essential Duties

• Get approval for travel requests and support consultants in writing and submitting travel requests
• Checking invoices related to expenses of staffs and external consultants according to DAI and USAID regulations
• Support on recruitment process, support elaboration of Consultant Agreement and administrative support to project team
• Ensuring timesheets are approved and document expense reports/invoices to DAI
• Monitor time spent against workplans and budgets, report before there is risk of overspending
• Monitor payments required for STTAs and ask for payments when work is completed
• Report travel expenses to support invoices to DAI
• Review received timesheets and invoices against consultant agreement payment conditions (time limits, daily rates, max amount)
• Archive all files needed to document expenses and work by the project team
• Support and elaborate as much as possible of the monthly financial reporting to DAI (including time and travel expenses for all Preferred by Nature project staff)
• Support preparation of VAT list for VAT report/refund.
• Supporting to prepare of other project financial reports, which is assigned by the Project Finance Manage
• Other duties as assigned

Level of Effort, Location and Reporting

• Work hours: 40 hours/week 
• The position’s day-to-day work is overseen by the Project Financial Manager
• Working location: office in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi.

How to apply and requested documents

Interested candidates are requested to submit:

• CV in English or Vietnamese
• Cover letter in English or Vietnamese indicating why they are suitable for this position
• Scanned copy of relevant degrees

Application shall be done via email to our recruitment at [email protected]  

Please quote the position title in the subject line: “Project Finance and Admin Specialist”. Deadline for application: 5.00pm (Hanoi time), May 25, 2023.