Financial Specialist/ Contracting Officer

The United States Peace Corps is a non-political, non-religious organization that will bring Americans to Viet Nam to serve as Peace Corps Volunteers. Volunteers will co-teach English language classes with Vietnamese teachers in secondary schools. The Peace Corps is serving in Viet Nam at the invitation of the Government of Viet Nam and working closely with Ministry of Education and Training with a goal to improve the English language skills of teachers and students. Peace Corps Volunteers commit to two years of service, will live with host families, and will support and co-lead additional school related activities in accordance with the school leadership. A new cohort of Volunteers will arrive each year. The Peace Corps was founded by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship. General information about the Peace Corps can be found on www.peacecorps.gov. Position Title: Financial Specialist / Contracting Officer Opening Date: February 26, 202 Submission Date for first review: March 22, 2021, Open until filled Area of Consideration/Who may apply: All applicants must be a naturalized citizen or permanent resident of Viet Nam who are legally able to work within the country. Point of Contact: Peace Corps Human Resources - PCVietNamJobs@peacecorps.gov Market Value/Salary (per annum): US$ 20,075– US$ 30,125 + benefits Period of Performance/ Length of Contract/ Work Schedule: Definite term – five years/ Monday to Friday (40 hours per week). Peace Corps expects this contract to be continuing in nature for the contractor to perform under a series of sequential contracts, subject to the availability of funds. Place of Performance: Peace Corps Viet Nam, Peace Corps office Ha Noi. Security Level required: Local Security Certificate

BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF THE POSITION

Under the supervision of the Director of Management and Operations (DMO), the Finance Manager (FM) manages accounting & financial operation through close coordination with other sections to support Post operations, responsible for financial management such as post annual budget formulation, performs mid-year and quarterly reviews of post funds, manages post financial spending plan during Year End process, performs various financial analyses to support senior officers and key staff in order to facilitate informed decision making, performs duties of Receiving Officer, performing duties of Billing Officer, coordinates budget implementation for Trainee and Volunteer training events, provides advice and counsel to Peace Corps (PC) staff members and Volunteers regarding financial matters. Performs all functions and tasks within internal control guidelines ensuring separation of duties and appropriate control of processes. Serves as a warranted Contracting Officer. Assists with the coordination of human resource management for local staff including the following – recruitment process, documents hiring, and coordinates post-acceptance tasks and documentation. Keeps abreast of local labor law and US Mission local compensation plan. Coordinates with PC/Washington and various U.S. Embassy units. Serves as Acting DMO during DMO absence or positon vacancy.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

Education/Certification: Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy, Business Administration or comparable degree.
Years of Experience: At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance and budgeting with significant knowledge in general business administration and procurement.
Experience in financial management work that involved the preparation, justification, or management of an organization's budget
Proficiency in oral and written English and fluency in Vietnamese language
Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Preferred:

Human resource management experience
Experience in government, not for profit or private sector accounting
Experience managing budgeting processes from budget creation to completion
Experience in procurement and contracting
Ability to communicate verbally and in writing in clear and concise English
Working knowledge of Government accounting (allotment, commitment, obligation, liquidation).

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES / TASKS AND DELIVERABLES Budget formulation, analysis, implementation and maintenance

Assists DMO to coordinates and prepare cross-functional formulation of Peace Corps Annual Operating Budget
Prepares mid-year/periodic reviews/year-end budget review through in-depth financial analyses and crossfunctional coordination; recommends reprogram of funds and development of unfunded requests.
Provides on-going budget evaluation and analysis and makes recommendations for effective budget management
Works with all office units in developing and tracking budgets and reviewing expenditures.
Assists in designing and developing project budgets

Finance and Accounting

Position has delegated authority of financial and administrative approval at a level to be determined by the direct hire DMO; provides obligation and administrative approvals. Ensures appropriate internal control guidelines are in place and adhered to.
Prepares and approves (up to delegated authority) obligations, purchase requisitions, payment vouchers (cashier and non-cashier) and travel vouchers in compliance with internal control guidelines.
Enters Post Logistics and Support (PLS) Medical Orders and submits them to PLS.
Enters small grants obligations and liquidation, provides obligation number to Small Grants Coordinator.
Supports PC/Washington requests for financial data and periodic obligation review reporting.
Serves as the Billing Officer and provides bills in a timely manner.
Performs various financial analyses as requested by DMO as a tool for decision making.
Reviews and proposes process improvement in the Financial and Administrative area.
Works closely with PC Washington and the US Embassy in the conduct of job duties.
Provides training, guidance and oversight of financial and administrative tasks for all staff in the admin unit.
Coordinates Value Added Tax (VAT) refunds and maintenance all financial paperwork associated with VAT reimbursements

Contracting Officer Serves as one of the Overseas Contracting Officers at Post, must be able to obtain and maintain warrant as an Overseas Contracting Officer.

Adheres to warrant provided by the Director of Acquisition and Contract Management after completion of the Overseas Contract Officer Training and ensures that proper procurement policies are followed for the acquisition of goods and services and the execution of contracts and leases, and that the integrity of the procurement process is upheld at post.
Perform contracting duties (approve, authorize, execute, amend, terminate, administer and make decisions, determinations and findings) in accordance with Overseas Contracting Officer Warrant, guidance provided by Acquisition and Contract Management (ACM), the Overseas Contracting Handbook, Peace Corps Manual Sections 730 to 738 and all other Peace Corps policies and regulations related to procurement.
Provides support for Personal Service Contracts for Post.
Prepares all leases; manages the leases and maintains the lease files per Lease guidance provided in the Overseas Contracting Handbook.
Prepares all operational and training event contracts and agreements; manages the contracts and maintains the contracting files.
Prepares service contracts for vendors and purchase orders ensuring that these contracts are properly documented and compliant with USG government and agency policy.
Ensure that all requirements regarding competition are followed per the Competition guidance provided in the Overseas Contracting Handbook.
Manages the receipt of goods and the schedule of payments on all contracts and agreements and initiates payment.
Provide valuable input to the DMO on large and complex purchases such as furnishings, telephone systems, and major renovation contracts.
Remain abreast of local market conditions including price and availability of items/services procured on a regular basis for business decisions.

Human Resource Management

Assists with the management of recruitment, advertising, statement of work, applicant and interview process and post-hiring tasks including contracting.
Reviews all HR files in a secure and confidential manner with complete and accurate file management.
Ensures that background checks are completed and updated as required.
Enters personal services contract (PSC) details into ForPost and ODYWEB. Ensures new PSCs are set up as vendors.
Assists DMO to ensure local staff benefits in accordance with Post and US Embassy practice. Volunteer Support
Provides general administrative and financial assistance to support Trainees/Volunteers.
Assists in forecasting funding needs, ensuring VICA obligations are in place.
Assists the DMO in conducting analysis of annual Volunteer surveys and makes recommendations for changes.
Conducts training sessions on administrative issues for Trainees and Volunteers periodically throughout the year.
Assists the grant committee in project evaluation and other financial matters for Small Grant Project (SPA) and Peace Corps Partnership project (PCPP)

Other

Assists with updates to the Staff Handbook
Provides training to all staff and volunteers on Finance and Administrative issues.
Supports other teams as needed taking on back-up support responsibilities and carrying out duties and responsibilities of agreed upon positions, including the Director of Management and Operations when deemed necessary by the Country Director and/or Supervisor for the successful management of Peace Corps operations in Viet Nam.
Other duties as assigned by the DMO

STANDARD ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Occasional Money Handler (OMH): may be requested to courier cash and /or purchase orders to various vendors who furnish supplies and/or services to Pre-Service Training/In-Service Training sites, or other locations as directed by the Contracting Officer. The PSC may also be requested to courier cash to PC trainees or volunteers. The PSC will not be functioning as a procurement or disbursing official but will only be acting as an intermediary between the Contracting or Disbursing Officer and the recipient. In the case of dealing with vendors, the PSC will not exercise any procurement discretion concerning the supplies or services to be purchased or the cost limits of these purchases; these will be determined by the Contracting Officer. B. Safety &Security: All members of the Peace Corps team must be familiar with the Emergency Action Plan, their responsibilities in the event of an emergency, and with the procedures for reporting and responding to safety and security incidents. The duties and responsibilities, particularly as they concern Volunteers and Trainees, include, but are not limited to, the following:

Immediately communicates Volunteer safety and security concerns and issues to the Safety and Security Manager (SSM) and CD.
Knowledgeable and supportive of Peace Corps safety and security policies and procedures, including the timely reporting of suspicious incidents, persons or articles.
Acts as Duty Officer as assigned: A Duty Officer is “on call” 24/7 for a one-week period, is restricted from travel during that period, and must be available through the Duty Officer cell phone at all times. The Duty Officer works closely with the Safety and Security Manager.

EVALUATION AND SELECTION CRITERIA:

Applications will be initially screened for eligibility in accordance with the required qualifications mentioned above. Those applicants who meet the required qualifications will be scored based on the preferred qualifications. Highest scoring candidates will be called in for an interviews, language and skills test (presentations, excel/word tests). Performance from all interviews and skills test will be considered as a whole package to ensure the best candidate is selected that meets the needs of the Peace Corps mission. Professional reference checks will be conducted for selected candidates.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please submit the following in English by email (with your name and the position you are applying for in as the subject of the email) as one PDF file to PCVietNamJobs@peacecorps.gov:

Application Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Closing date: Applications should be received 6:00 pm Friday, March 22, 2021 for consideration in the first review. Position remains open until filled. Applications for one position maybe considered for any current open position. No phone calls or personal visits related to this vacancy will be accepted. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. All applicants must pass a background/security investigation and a medical certification. Any contract offer with the US Peace Corps is contingent upon a candidate’s ability to secure the necessary certifications. All applicants must be a naturalized citizen of the host country or must have the required work permit or documentation that permits the applicant to work legally in the country in order to be eligible for consideration. The application must contain all the information necessary to demonstrate that the candidate possesses the education, experience, skills and language abilities required for this position.

BENEFITS AND ALLOWANCES:

BENEFITS:

One-month basic salary Tet Bonus · Contribution to mandatory insurances pursuant to GVN’s law/ regulations including social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance. · Coverage of additional health insurance 90% for incumbent and each eligible family member · Annual and sick leave according to local labor law

ALLOWANCES (as applicable):

Unique Condition Work allowance: 7% of Annual basic salary (upon annual review).
Miscellaneous Benefits Allowance: US$1,000 per annum or US$3,000 per annum

The Peace Corps is both a federal agency and a vehicle through which American citizens offer needed assistance to people around the world and, in doing so, promote greater cross-cultural understanding between Americans and the people of the host countries. The fulfillment of the Peace Corps’ mission to foster greater understanding among the world’s citizens requires that we adhere to the highest standards with respect to equal employment opportunity for all Volunteers, employees, and applicants. The U.S. Peace Corps Vietnam will provide equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color religion, ethnicity, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, pregnancy and maternity or sexual orientation. The Peace Corps will also strive to achieve equal employment opportunity in all personnel operations through continuing diversity enhancement programs. Discrimination based on factors that have no bearing on a person’s ability to serve and perform his or her duties is not permitted and will not be tolerated.