Purpose of the Job

The Senior Officer is responsible for providing project and all administrative, operational, organization and financial reporting-related support services (further in the text ‘support services’) to facilitate the activities of Advice for Small Businesses (ASB). The Senior Officer will assist ASB local team(s) in managing advisory assignments with clients, consultants and stakeholders and will provide all the necessary analysis/reports on portfolio of projects and other team(s) activities. The Senior Officer must ensure comprehensive and accurate system records of projects and their status, as well as non-project activities, and maintain databases of clients and consultants. The Senior Officer must also ensure that the financial resources of the ASB programme locally and/or where relevant, regionally are managed in accordance with agreed parameters and procedures, liaising closely with the HQ SME F&D Finance and Administration team on related matters. The role will also deal extensively with clients on general financial matters related to advisory projects for SMEs.

Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Support client- and consultant-facing aspects of new business development, in order to ensure a viable pipeline for ASB activities in the country and/or group of countries/region (where relevant).
• Demonstrate an ability to support an ASB project independently through the stages of the project cycle (conception, implementation, completion and evaluation) in order to a core contribution to the volume and quality of ASB business.
• Maintain the ASB client and consultant databases to ensure accurate record-keeping and donor reporting.
• Perform analysis/reports of portfolio of projects and other ASB activities, at request of the management, to ensure management is provided with quality and timely information.
• Subject to necessary approvals of the concept, to demonstrate an ability to organise visibility and market or sector development activities independently, to help ASB in its mission to support local companies and consultants.
• Prepare and submit for review accurate and timely Monthly Financial Reports (MFRs), as part of the process by which spending by local ASB offices is reflected in core EBRD systems.
• Keep adequate and well-organised documentation in support of all local payments, and facilitate VAT recovery according to local mechanisms, in line with EBRD’s duties for prudent management of donor funds.
• Receive and review invoices from consultants, and coordinate their timely submission so that service providers are paid on time and on completion of agreed deliverables.
• Provide support to RO(s) finance administration (petty cash, VAT, etc) when necessary.
• Provide support to EBRD satellite offices administration, where relevant.
• Conduct other ad hoc financial and administrative tasks as defined by management to ensure team’s objectives are met.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Qualifications

Education/Professional qualifications

• Relevant degree or higher diploma

Knowledge and Experience

• Relevant experience in an administrative capacity, preferably gained from a large commercial. organisation, financial institution or donor organisation.
• Relevant experience in terms of finance or accounting.
• Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the EBRD mandate.

Technical Skills

• Demonstrable skills related to quantitative and numerical record-keeping and basic analysis.
• Experience of working with Excel spreadsheets, analyse financial statements and design financial models is preferable.
• Experience with the SAP accounting system preferable, as well as the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Ability to operate sensitively in a multicultural environment and build effective working relations with internal and external stakeholders clients and colleagues, especially ASB colleagues in 25 countries and other EBRD departments.
• Ability to work well within a team.
• Ability to work to and meet tight deadlines.
• Business / financial analytical skills, with the ability to interpret accounts, understanding of local accounting principles and practice of company financial analysis.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal.

What is it like to work at the EBRD?

Our agile and innovative approach is what makes life at the EBRD a unique experience! You will be part of a pioneering and diverse international organisation, and use your talents to make a real difference to people’s lives and help shape the future of the regions we invest in.

The EBRD environment provides you with:

• Varied, stimulating and engaging work that gives you an opportunity to interact with a wide range of experts in the financial, political, public and private sectors across the regions we invest in;
• A working culture that embraces inclusion and celebrates diversity;
• An environment that places sustainability, equality and digital transformation at the heart of what we do.

Diversity is one of the Bank’s core values which are at the heart of everything it does. A diverse workforce with the right knowledge and skills enables connection with our clients, brings pioneering ideas, energy and innovation. The EBRD staff is characterised by its rich diversity of nationalities, cultures and opinions and we aim to sustain and build on this strength. As such, the EBRD seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities and works in an inclusive environment. The EBRD encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of the EBRD member countries to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities. As an inclusive employer, we promote flexible working and expecting our employee to attend the office 50% of their working time.

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