Utility Support Fund Director at RTI International

RTI International is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to conducting innovative, multidisciplinary research that improves the human condition. With a worldwide staff of more than 5,000 people, RTI offers innovative research and development and multidisciplinary services.

We hereby invite application from highly resourceful, motivated and experienced professionals to fill the position below:

Job Title: Utility Support Fund Director

Location: Abuja

Overview
RTI International in collaboration with Plan International and other partners are implementing a 4-year USAID funded Effective Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (E-WASH) program. E-WASH will provide technical assistance to and will work in collaboration with State Governments to improve urban water service delivery by strengthening the governance, financial, and technical viability of five (5) state water boards (SWBs) in Nigeria. The overall goal is improvement of urban water and sanitation service delivery.

Job Description

• The Utility Support Fund (USF) Director will lead all activities of the Utility Support Fund (USF) in collaboration with State Water Boards (SWBs) and the EWASH technical team- the Advisors in Abuja as well as the Team Leaders and the Utility Technical Specialists in the 5 targeted States.
• She/He is responsible for all the planning, coordination, implementation of USF activities, and reporting of USF activities in accordance with RTI and USAID regulations.
• She/He will lead and coordinate the implementation of the project activities and provide technical expertise.
• She/He will maintain relationships with key sector partners, donors, consultants, host country counterparts and stakeholders. Collaborates with colleagues across RTI on technical, administrative, and strategic planning initiatives.
• She/He will ensure successful implementation of project.
• She/He will ensure best practices and lessons learned are captured and disseminated across project.
• She/He may serve as a representative of the project to clients, stakeholders, and partners, providing key inputs for technical or management decisions. S/He will be responsible for managing program deliverables including planning and coordination of all activities.

Primary Responsibilities
Specifically, the USF Director will:

• Supervise the USF team and oversee organize the workload repartition of procurement activities among the USF procurement specialists and grant specialist to ensure effectiveness and timely completion of the various tasks
• Review SWB applications for Utility Support Fund (USF) for proposed procurement of goods and services in conjunction with Utility Technical Specialists, Utility Technical Advisor, and USF Engineer;
• Support the procurement processes for Utility Support Funds activities with SWBs;
• Responsible for publicly posting SWB Utility Fund expenditures on a quarterly basis for full transparency to SWB customers;
• Understand and maintain compliance with RTI and donor regulations on fund utilization;
• Prepare, present and update USF procurement documentation (examples include but are not limited to draft contracts terms and conditions, committee structures, letters of acknowledgement and other exhibits that may be required);
• Work closely with E-WASH Management to determine donor intent and to draft new contracts or amendments to existing contracts, as well as any additional documentation;
• Ensure that funds contracts/activities are complete and in compliance with donor, state or federal regulations. Recommend and negotiate changes to contracts or their structure as appropriate to ensure the funds meet donor intent, and compliant with both legal requirement and RTI policies and procedures;
• Analyze funds contracts/activities requirements, special provisions, terms and conditions to ensure compliance;
• Track activity related to setting up and closing USF activity contracts, ensuring all actions are completed in timely, effective and accurate manner, including ensuring all documentation is completed and executed.
• Prepare financial or budget plans and allocation along with the planning and finance department in accordance with each requirement
• Analyze the budget trends and make recommendations for cost control and reduction for various utility funds
• Provide detailed reports to the EWASH Management with respect to the organization's progress on Utility Support fund
• Monitor paperwork and other related documents connected with Utility funded activities;
• Maintain records of all payments and receivables and prepare monthly records for all Utility Support Fund related activities
• Monitor financial management of Utility funds to ensure consistency with agreed technical plan and actual implementation, and monitor the projected expenditures against their actual incurrence;
• Provide reports as required by the E-WASH Project Management;
• Perform all other relevant duties that may be needed to ensure the overall efficient implementation of the E-WASH project activities.

Minimum Required Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree and 18 years of experience, or Master’s degree and 14 years of experience, PhD and 10 years of experience in finance and contracts management.
• Extensive experience in procurement of goods and services, including preparing and issuing solicitations and proposals, monitoring contract performance, and ensuring compliance.
• Extensive knowledge of international best practices in procurement regulations and procedures.
• Demonstrated experience of USAID regulations pertaining to procurement and contracts management.
• Experience with fund management, impact investment and private sector partnerships and co-funding is preferred

Skills & Abilities:

• An understanding of and commitment to RTI’s mission and values
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel
• Ability to multi-task
• Ability to collaborate across a large team and work well with others
• Ability to listen and communicate well both verbally and in writing
• Ability to work independently
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to obtain proper security clearances as noted by contracts

Application Closing Date
11th December, 2020.