TERM: 
Full-time
JOB DESCRIPTION: 
In the framework of the project “Good Governance for Local Development in South Caucasus” GIZ is looking for an Advisor on “Local Finances”. The incumbent will be mainly responsible for advising on management of public finances at local level. This includes introduction of Programme Budgeting at local level (incl. gender-responsive budgeting approaches) to improve result-orientation, transparency and accountability of public spending. Also, the Advisor will coordinate the elaboration of lessons-learnt regarding the development of indicators for programme budgeting at national level. Further he/ she will support the implementation of accounting standards (APSAS) with strong focus on improving local asset management, the mobilization of own revenues of municipalities, and execution of budget control by municipal councils. As part of the implementation of the National Training System for municipal staff he/ she will provide input on content for training modules for the area of local finances. In addition, he/ she will provide backstopping support regarding fiscal aspects of decentralization, financial oversight and internal/ external control of local self-government bodies as well as on local investment planning and management.
RESPONSIBILITIES: 
- Advise partner institutions on local public financial management, incl. Programme Budgeting, accounting standards (with focus on asset management), own revenue mobilization, execution of budgetary control by municipal council;
- Advise partner institutions on lessons learnt regarding Programme Budgeting introduction at national level;
- Design, prepare, and implement project activities in the area of responsibility in close consultation with counterparts (esp. Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure (MTAI), Ministry of Finance (MoF), regional administrations and partner municipalities);
- Support the implementation of activities in other thematic areas of the project;
- Responsible for conceptualisation, management and steering of inputs by external consultants;
- Responsible for active contribution to networking and cooperation with national and international partners and stakeholders at South Caucasus, national, regional and local level;
- Ensure a good flow of communication and information with the project team in Armenia as well as at regional (South Caucasus) level;
- Responsible for active contribution to PR work and communication of results;
- Responsible for active contribution to knowledge management by ensuring knowledge transfer to project information, communication of research findings, analysis and compilation of lessons-learnt;
- Provide regular inputs to the results-based M&E system to ensure continuous maintenance and update of knowledge and data and preparation of regular input to operational reporting;
- Support the project team and team leaders in all organisational and management matters;
- Ensure good cooperation and working relations within the project team, the GIZ Country Office and other projects implemented by GIZ;
- Participate in the knowledge management and exchange of experience with staff of the project located in Tbilisi and Baku.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 
- University degree in Economics, Public Administration or comparable academic background;
- At least 5 years of professional experience in a comparable position and in thematic areas of local governance and public financial management;
- Excellent knowledge of public financial management incl. bookkeeping standards (APSAS), particularly at local level;
- In-depth knowledge of project budgeting approaches incl. gender-responsive budgeting methodologies;
- Excellent knowledge of territorial administration and local self-government systems of Armenia and experience in relevant reforms;
- Experience in working with local self-government bodies as well as with advising relevant RA government bodies;
- Cooperation experience with MTAI, MoF, regional administrations and representatives of (consolidated) municipalities, particularly municipal finance officers, accountants and local councils as well as international organisations is an asset.
Skills:
- Excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills;
- Ability to apply professional expertise successfully in cooperation, advisory services and management;
- Ability to operate flexibly, soundly and with diplomatic skills in a context of international cooperation and change and reform processes;
- Ability and willingness to travel frequently within Armenia and occasionally to Georgia and other international locations as well as to lead Armenian delegations in regional and international exposure visits and conferences;
- Excellent organisational skills, ability to operate independently and a high responsibility for achieving results;
- Strong professional ethics, interpersonal skills, intercultural competencies and sensitivity;
- Tolerance, flexibility and self-motivation;
- Ability and willingness to work in a team and to cooperate closely with an international team incl. German, Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian citizens;
- Very good working knowledge of ICT (related software, phone, fax, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g. MS Office);
- Fluency in written and spoken English and Armenian languages; very good command of Russian language.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES: 
Interested candidates should send a brief motivation letter, a complete CV highlighting relevant professional experience and education and employers' references to: **************@***.** indicating the vacancy title in the subject line. If the automatic response "Thank you for your email" is not received by email, the documents should be sent to: GIZ Country Office, Reception, 59 Hanrapetutyan Str., Yerevan. GIZ would like to increase the proportion of employees with disability. Applications from persons with disabilities are most welcome. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Please clearly mention in your application letter that you learned of this announcement through Career Center and mention the URL of its website - www.careercenter.am. Thanks.
REMUNERATION/ SALARY: 
Negotiable
ABOUT: 
The “Good Governance for Local Development in South Caucasus” project (GGLD) aims at strengthening the capacities of public institutions in the South Caucasus to the effect that they are better able to provide citizen-oriented services. The project advises partner institutions at national, regional (sub-national) and local levels in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia on designing and implementing national reform processes, improving framework conditions and developing standards and guidelines. It supports the capacity development of key actors for citizen-oriented service delivery, primarily at local level. To promote citizen participation in local development processes, the project advises on the introduction of participation and complaint mechanisms and supports respective awareness raising for citizens. The project also supports the elaboration and implementation of strategies and instruments for regional development and local economic development. As a part of the German Caucasus Initiative, the project promotes professional exchange of knowledge and experiences between the countries of the South Caucasus.
The project is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In Armenia it is co-funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and carried out in close cooperation with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure (MTAI) as the main political partner.