Operations and Finance Specialist, Short Term (up to 180 days)

BACKGROUND TO THE PROGRAM

The Government of Indonesia partners with the Government of Australia on an initiative to boost smallholder farmers’ incomes: The Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Rural Economic Development (AIP-Rural).

AIP-Rural is a suite of programs that improves smallholder farmers’ access to new markets, better inputs, knowhow, technology, irrigation, and small loans. Its goal is to achieve a sustainable 30% increase in the net incomes of 1,000,000 male and female smallholder farmers in Eastern Indonesia by 2022. AIP-Rural operates in East Java, West and East of Nusa Tenggara, Papua and West Papua.

The program focuses on agricultural sectors that display strong growth potential and are the main source of income for many smallholder farmers. All of this is done via co-investing in new business models with local, regional, national and international market players to create business models that improve the agriculture sector’s competitiveness, especially for smallholder farmers.

 

AIP-Rural’s four programs are:

Promoting Rural Income through Support for Markets in Agriculture (PRISMA)

A program dedicated to supporting the Government of Indonesia’s mid-term development strategy to eradicate rural poverty. The program aims to improve agriculture competitiveness – productivity, profit, access to new or better markets, and innovation – for rural farmers. PRISMA aims to achieve a 30% increase in the net incomes of 300,000 male and female smallholder farmers in Eastern Indonesia by the program’s completion.

 

Tertiary Irrigation Technical Assistance (TIRTA)

TIRTA is a program that aims to improve smallholder farmers’ access to irrigation. It supports the creation of tertiary irrigation schemes that are managed by HIPPA (water user associations) and local investors (lead farmers or local entrepreneurs). The program’s goal is to increase the net income of 10,000 farmers by 60% through improvements to the efficiency, technical and economic viability of at least 35 tertiary irrigation projects.

 

Strengthening Agriculture Finance in Rural Areas (SAFIRA)

This is a program that improves smallholder farmers’ access to essential financial services, such as business and investment capital loans. The program facilitates a financial service model that can answer to farmers’ specific needs through a partnership between formal and informal financial institutions in rural areas. The program will also expand smallholder farmers’ financial access through key market stakeholders (including but not limited to input retailers, collectors, traders and manufacturing companies) in the value chain, with the goal of improving the net incomes of 12,000 smallholder farmers.

Applied Research and Innovation System in Agriculture (ARISA)

ARISA is a partnership between Indonesia’s Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) and Australia’s science and technology think tank, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), that aims to disseminate applied and adaptive research in agriculture that will have practical and significant impacts on the incomes of farmers. Its goal is to support innovations that can increase the incomes of 10,000 small farmers in Eastern Indonesia by the end of 2018.

BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT

While AIP-Rural has matured as a program after four years of implementation, its operational and financial needs continue to expand and increase in complexity. At present, the Head of Operations and Finance (HOF) leads the finance, administration and personnel teams on AIP-Rural to ensure that the program has the resources (staff, facilities and finances), systems and procedures needed to deliver expected program results. Given the higher demands now being placed on the operations and finance team, we now require an Operations  and Finance Specialist to support the HOF through a particularly busy period to assist with designing and executing the functions needed to ensure effective planning, coordination, control and overall program delivery. This will involve specific assigned tasks focused around capacity development. The Operations and Finance Specialist will report directly to the Head of Operations and Finance (HOF).

ASSIGNMENT TASKS

Reporting to the HOF, the Operations and Finance Specialist will support the HOF in specifically assigned tasks related to the management of program operations. They will be able to access the HOF’s team of up to 25 people in finance, HR, office administration, contracts, grants and IT to ensure effective support to the implementing teams to deliver planned results.

The role will require both home-based and in-country inputs. It is anticipated that the split of the total 180 days for the assignment will be roughly 50% home-based and 50% in-country.

Subject to the competencies and skill-set of the individual, the Operations and Finance Specialist will be tasked with supporting a number of specially assigned projects, including:

• Developing and rolling out training to key staff within PRISMA, SAFIRA, and TIRTA to build capacity related to budget and financial planning, with the aim of improving forecasting and overall budget management across the different programs (circa 25% of assignment).
• Supporting the teams with developing monthly financial forecasts and with reporting on variances between prior forecast-actual expenditure, so as to improve team forecasts (circa 15% of assignment).
• Supporting the teams with similar capacity gaps in systems, policies and procedures and/or other key operational processes - in particular around procurement, including supporting the review of key procurement documents (proposals through to contracts), and supporting the process of ensuring the new HR policy is operationalised – working directly alongside teams to improve practice in the future (circa
• 40% of assignment).
• Other similar dedicated short-term assignments will be allocated on an ongoing basis, under the overall guidance and design of the HOF (circa 20% of assignment).
• Other relevant tasks may be assigned in consultation with the Specialist as needs and priorities arise. 

FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

This position:

Reports to the AIP-Rural Head of Operations and Finance.

Coordinates closely with the AIP-Rural Program General Manager and Deputy General Manager, who will provide broader guidance of the program’s strategic needs.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential skills and experience:

• At  least  10  years’  experience  in  a  senior  management  position  including  in  complex  program environments.
• Proven excellent leadership, management, and organisational skills.
• Proven capacity building skills.
• Strong representation, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Results orientated, an empowering manager and team player.
• Relevant bachelor's degree.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Desirable skills and experience:

• Prior experience of working in Market Systems Development programs and/or private sector experience is preferred.
• Prior experience of working in Indonesia is preferred.
• Strong Bahasa Indonesia language skills preferred..
• Master's degree or above preferred.
• Experience with working with DFAT is helpful but not essential.

Application

Read the full details and how to apply here: Operations and Finance Specialist

Applications close on 17 January 2018. 

Female candidates are encouraged to apply.