Deputy High Commission of Canada to Nigeria Recruitment for Common Services Officer

Deputy High Commission of Canada to Nigeria invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for the position below:

Job Title: Common Services Officer

Job Ref: 3608
Location: Lagos
Vacancy type: Term/Indeterminate
Term Details: This position is a LES (Locally Engaged Staff) position, subject to the Terms and Conditions of Employment for LES in Nigeria.
Level: Officer
Classification: LE-07

Summary of Position
The Common Services Officer, under the direction of the Management Counsellor, ensures the implementation of program objectives and functionally supervises the Embassy’s administrative functions, including finance and human resources. The incumbent directly plans and administers the Embassy’s budget, contracting and projects, as well as conducts research and analysis to advise Management on financial matters.

The incumbent is responsible for the management and oversight of the budget, the monitoring of expenditure trends, the financial position report (FINSTAT) of the mission, the preparation of the regular forecasts and the annual budgets for part or all of the common services. The incumbent of the position also provides for the mission the provision of financial services, as well as those for payroll and procurement. He or she provides guidance and support services to a diverse clientele on issues related to the Government of Canada’s financial policy. They will also identify improvements to the mission's financial procedures, guidelines and systems and apply them.

The Common Services Officer is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the mission's financial system and professional relationship with the mission’s bank, other financial institutions, local government agencies and other diplomatic missions.

He or she will research and write reports and summaries of information as required; maintains statistics for the purpose of analysing and improving the overall effectiveness of administrative methods and procedures; and provides guidance on information management methods, practices and procedures to ensure compliance with the requirements.

The CSO will supervise 1 or more employees.

Essential Qualifications
Candidates will initially be screened against the Essential Qualifications relating to education, experience, management of a team and language. Candidates must clearly demonstrate in their cover letter and CV how they meet each of these essential qualifications.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree from a recognized university in a discipline related to the job requirements (e.g. Economics, Business, and Finance).

Language:

• High level of proficiency in English (reading, writing and speaking).

Experience:

• Minimum of five years of recent*, significant and/or combined experience in financial management.
• Recent* experience in procurement and contracting from suppliers and service providers;
• Recent* experience in an administrative role establishing and maintaining filing systems, maintaining accurate records, processing financial transactions, interpreting and implementing policy guidance.
• Recent* work experience in managing a team in an operational and/or customer service environment.
• *Recent is defined as within the last five (5) years.

Rated Requirements:
The Rated Requirements relating to knowledge, abilities and competencies will also be assessed. Methods of assessment may include, but are not limited to, a written examination, an oral interview, role-play, practical tests, presentations and/or psychometric assessment.

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of budget management
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Materiel Management
• Basic knowledge of procurement
• Knowledge of standard office procedures and practices.

Competencies:

• Effective communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and client focus
• Sound judgment
• Superior problem-solving
• Results-focused, with the ability to see long term projects to completion
• Adaptability/Flexibility (flexible and able to adapt to changing work pressures and range of tasks)
• Superior organizational skills

Asset Qualifications:

• Preference may be given to candidates who meet the Asset Qualifications. Where applicable, candidates must clearly demonstrate how they meet any asset qualifications in their cover letter and CV.
• Fluency in French (oral and written)
• Graduate-level Degree in a relevant field (e.g. Master's in Public Administration, Labour Relations, and Finance)
• Bachelor's Degree from a recognized university in Computer Science
• Knowledge of Nigerian legal and regulatory practices related to human resources and labour relations
• Experience in contracting, property, and/or physical resource management
• Experience in working with SAP (Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing)
• Experience in working with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software
• Experience working with a diplomatic mission or international organization
• Experience working in a Canadian government office

Operational Requirements:

• Ability to work overtime
• Ability to work on Nigerian holidays when the Deputy High Commission is open
• Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday
• Ability to travel and attend offsite meetings
• Annual leave may be restricted during busy periods due to operational requirements.

Condition(s) of Employment

• Eligible to legally reside and legally work in Nigeria
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a Reliability status (security screening)
• Before an offer of employment can be made, candidates must provide a local address as proof of residence in the specific city, region or country so that if selected, it will appear on the offer letter.

Area of selection:

• Open to internal and external applicants who are legal residents or citizens of Nigeria, who meet all of the essential requirements stated below, and whose applications are received by the closing date. Please note that the Deputy High Commission of Canada in Nigeria does not sponsor work authorizations directly or indirectly
• The Government of Canada is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from diverse sections of the community. Candidates will be considered on merit regardless of ethnic origin, religious belief, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability or any other irrelevant factor.

Salary
N10,338,250 gross per annum.

Application Closing Date
27th September, 2019 (midnight UTC+1 / GMT+1).

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online (English)
Or
Click here to apply online (French)

Application Instruction

• Candidates are required to upload a cover letter and CV in English or French. Applications which do not include the requested documents or information in the CV or cover letter will be rejected. Any additional information must be included as part of these two attachments.
• Candidates who are unable to submit their application due to technical difficulties must report these to: [email protected] prior to the closing date. Failure to so will result in the application being rejected.

Eligibility Instructions (to be included in cover letter):

• Assessment questions have been included for candidates to complete and include in their cover letters along with the application. In order to be considered for the position, please note that candidates must answer all questions (#1 and #2 below). Please include the information in paragraph form
• Responses must be your original work, and cannot use text from the internet or other sources. Applications using copied text will be disqualified.
• You will be assessed on your spelling, grammar and effective communication on the application and further along in the process if you’re screened in. Applications not including responses to these questions will be screened out.

Note: Applications that do not include the Candidate Assessment Questions will not be considered.**

Question #1 (750 words maximum):

• What skills and experience do you have that would help you supervise a team providing financial, human resources, and reception services?

Question #2 (750 words maximum):

• Describe excellent client service in the context of a Financial Services Officer.

Important Notes

• Only applications submitted in one of the official languages of Canada will be accepted (English or French). Candidates are entitled to participate in the recruitment process in the official language of their choice and to indicate their preferred official language in their application.
• Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidates to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required.
• Candidates who apply to this vacancy should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users and regularly check their email, including spam folder.
• Reference checks will be sought for candidates that reach interview stage and may form part of the selection process.
• The Deputy High Commission of Canada in Lagos, Nigeria does not reimburse any travel costs to and from interviews/exams nor does it reimburse any relocation costs.
• Candidates requiring any special assistance in attending exams or interviews are requested to inform us.
• The results of this recruitment process may also be used to establish an eligibility list of qualified candidates for similar openings at the Deputy High Commission of Canada in Lagos, Nigeria which might arise in the 12 months following the completion of this recruitment process.