Head, Financial Audit Division at the African Union (AU)

The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). We are an Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head, Financial Audit Division

Requisition ID: 1983
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Job Grade: P5
Contract Type: Regular
Reports to: Coordinator,Office of Internal Oversight  
Directorate: Office of Internal Oversight (OIO)
Division: Financial Audit
Number of Direct Reports: 3
Number of Indirect Reports: 5

Purpose of Job

• Directs and manages the daily operations of the Financial Audit Division in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the directorate and the AU’s overall goals

Main Functions

• Designs and implements policies, programs and projects to achieve the directorate’s strategic objectives
• Manages and supervises employees within the division, ensures the timely delivery of the directorate’s goals and effective staff performance evaluation;
• Designs policies, strategies and programs to contribute to the effective implementation of relevant AU Policy Organs Decisions;
• Ensures the delivery of the division’s annual targets in line with the directorate’s overall goals and ensures robust and timely monitoring and reporting;
• Provides technical leadership and ensures efficient functioning of all Units within the Division
• Manages the work of the Division and supervises direct reports to ensure their effective performance in line with the organization’s performance management policy and system;
• Engages stakeholders within Members States and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)/Regional Mechanisms(RMs) and relevant international organisations in designing and implementing strategies
• Maintains thematic partnerships in support of the mandate of the Division;  
• Maintains regular working relations with senior stakeholders in Member States and partner institutions in the execution of the Division’s mandate  
• Represents the organisation and communicates its position at conferences
• Contributes to the preparation of periodic financial and budget execution reports and monitor budget execution at division level
• Ensures the effective management of funds contributed to the organization;  
• Manages risk within the division and recommends mitigation strategies
• Contributes to the development of the departmental business continuity plan and ensures implementation at division level
• Maintains a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent

Specific Responsibilities

• Manages the Internal Audit process, develop and manage the Internal Audit schedule (or cycle), supervise Audit Team members, and produce quality audit reports that recommend methods to enhance and improve risk management, governance and control procedures
• Presents audit results to management, review and record activities and action-plans defined by management to resolve issues identified by audit findings
• Analyses integrity and reliability of accounting and financial information as well as means used for identifying measure, classifying and reporting information for the preparation of financial and activity reports
• Reviews and approves the Division’s annual and long-range audit plans and activities, for reviewing significant findings and recommendations by the Division and ensuring the adequacy of management’s corrective actions
• Coordinates and ensures timely preparation of audit, activity and other reports in order to provide information to OIO management
• Contributes to the AU annual audit risk assessment process
• Leads the budget preparation for the Division in accordance with relevant frameworks and manages effectively the utilization of financial, human and other resources in order to facilitate the attainment of the set objectives
• Liaises on audit matters with directorates, organs, senior management, operational staff, and external auditors
• Provides advice to line management on risk mitigation and best practices

Academic Requirements and Relevant Experience

• Master's Degree in Audit, Business Administration, Finance, or related field with twelve (12) years of professional experience in audit or relevant area in similar international organization out of which seven (7) years should be at managerial level and  five (5) years at supervisory level
• A relevant professional certification ie “Expert Comptable” or Chartered/Certified Public Accountant designation (eg ACCA, CPA, CIMA, CA or equivalent) and affiliation to a relevant professional body is mandatory
• Auditing experience of inter-governmental operations, accounting standards and information systems such as IPSAS & SAP-ERP will be of a comparative advantage
• Experience with computer-assisted audit tools is an added advantage

Required Skills:

• Leadership and management skills
• Interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Research and Analytical skills
• Communication, presentation, and report writing skills
• Knowledge in the use of Microsoft office suite and AU Computing software
• Ability to work in teams and in a multi-cultural environment
• Planning, budgeting, and organizational skills
• Knowledge and working understanding in the policies, programmes, and systems of the AU
• Knowledge in AU financing and auditing regulations
• Proficiency in one of the AU official working languages (French, English, Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish); fluency in another AU language(s) is an added advantage

Leadership Competencies:

• Strategic Perspective
• Developing Others
• Change Management
• Managing Risk

Core Competencies:

• Building Relationship
• Foster Accountability Culture
• Learning Orientation
• Communicating with impact

Functional Competencies:

• Conceptual Thinking
• Job Knowledge and information sharing
• Drive for Result
• Fosters Innovation

Tenure Of Appointment:

• The appointment will be made on a regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of which the first twelve months shall be considered as a probationary period
• Thereafter, the contract will be for a period of two years renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of USD50,746.00 (P5 Step1) per annum plus other related entitlements eg Post adjustment ( 46% of basic salary), Housing allowance US$  26,20800  (per annum), and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education-related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,00000 per child per annum), for internationally recruited staff and a maximum of $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff.

Application Closing Date
26th October, 2023; 11h59 p.m. EAT