Finance and Operations Officer

Project Overview

The Kaizen Company (Kaizen) is an international development consulting firm and an incubator for innovative, scalable solutions that address emerging market challenges and opportunities. Our proven solutions catalyze locally driven organizational and institutional performance improvements and establish communities of practice that facilitate peer-to-peer learning and the achievement of shared goals. We aspire to transform the nature and impact of development assistance and work to strengthen organizations and institutions through innovative approaches to organizational development, reform, and change.

The Kaizen Company is seeking applications for a Finance and Operations Officer position under a USAID-funded activity in Jordan. The Enhancing School Management and Planning (ESMP) Project objective is to develop sustainable system and process improvements related to school planning, design, construction, and maintenance and enhance the staff capabilities within Jordan’s Ministries of Education (MOE) and Public Works and Housing (MPWH) to improve the school management and planning process, and the quality of school environments in Jordan.

The scope of this project is to provide assessment expertise, technical assistance, capacity building, collaboration, facilitation, and training to targeted stakeholders and counterparts to improve existing management systems and procedures used by the Government of Jordan (GoJ) in the education sector, improve performance and sustain these improvements.

Purpose of Assignment

The Jordanian Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MPWH) manages the school design and construction process through contracts with specialized architectural engineering firms and contractors selected through MPWH tendering processes for school building design, construction, supervision, and construction management. After schools are built, the MPWH and Ministry of Education (MOE) form a committee to review and approve the final work before officially transferring the responsibility of the schools’ operation to the MOE. There is, typically, a two-year defects liability period during which the construction contractor is responsible for repairing any faults in the building.

MPWH manages hundreds of construction projects, yet project management and document retention systems could be more optimal. As a result, contract timelines are not enforced, project delays go unanswered until they escalate, documentation needs to be better cataloged, and the Ministry is often responsible for contract-related financial penalties.

ESMP is working with MoE and MPWH to look at the construction management process institutionalized at both ministries from a holistic perspective, starting from project inception to closeout and taking over, and provide technical expertise and support to enhance the ongoing procedures and processes. The goal is to develop and conserve the built environment through clients/donors, public and private sector organizations, and individuals to meet the changing needs and increased challenges of school infrastructures in Jordan and achieve better control over project delivery, cost, and quality of the school facilities.

Scope of Assignment

The Finance and Operations Officer contribute to the operational needs of the project, including finance and human resource tasks. S/he will be responsible for ensuring compliance with company and USG policy and ensuring complete record retention and documentation of project operations. This position is located in Amman, Jordan.

Responsibilities

Finance:

• Support the Finance and Operations Manager with administrative, financial, and logistical activities, including project procurement, as needed.

• Manage the petty cash process.

• Prepare advances and claims payments to staff.

• Prepare payment vouchers, receipt vouchers, bank transfers, and payment requests as necessary.

• Organize and maintain ESMP financial files.

• Ensures that accurate records are entered into Quickbooks and other systems, as relevant, on a daily basis.

• Prepare monthly bank and petty cash reconciliation.

Human Resources:

• Serve as the focal point for recruitment / new hires, in alignment with Kaizen’s HR Manual. Responsibilities include receiving STTA and LTTA requests; posting hiring notices, screening and interviewing applicants, preparing employment agreements, conducting due diligence background checks, and coordinating orientation for new hires.

• Track annual employee evaluations, ensuring annual reviews are conducted and increases are implemented in advance of date-of-hire anniversaries.

• Maintain secure HR records according to Kaizen policy.

• Track annual vacation and sick leave balances for the team and review monthly staff timesheets.

Operations:

• Provide administrative support and assist with overall project operations and administration.

• Organize and maintain information and files, as needed, related to project functions and administration.

• Manage the assets accounts and maintain an updated inventory log of all project assets in compliance with USG regulations.

• Maintain project vehicles according to the maintenance schedule, mileage logbook, and fuel consumption. Ensure registrations and insurance remain up to date. Manage driver and project travel requests.

• Supervise the Driver/Logistics Officer and Driver/Logistics Assistant.

• Oversee cleaning and maintenance needs, services, and vendors for the ESMP offices.

• Provide support for all visa processing, invitation letters, and any documentation related to national and international travel.

• Any other duties as assigned by the line manager and as required by the position.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field

• A minimum of 4 years experience in finance and operations.

• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a large team.

• Proactive, with an instinct to take initiative and complete responsibilities with minimal supervision.

• High level of proficiency with MS Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Fluency in English and Arabic

• Effective cross-cultural interpersonal skills

• Must be a Jordanian National

At Kaizen, A Tetra Tech Company, we find strength in our diversity. We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive working environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to fulfill their potential. We know that we can only do development differently if we are open to and inclusive of new and unique perspectives. We encourage candidates of all abilities, ages, gender identities and expressions, national origins, races and ethnicities, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations to apply. Further, we urge parents and non-parents, married and unmarried, those from different or non-traditional educational backgrounds, and persons of all other diverse identities or experiences to apply. Kaizen is an equal opportunity employer.

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