Junior Public Finance Management Advisor in the EU funded project: Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education - TAMEHE

Salary band:

3

Junior Professional

3T

Junior Public Finance Management/ Administration Advisor in the EU funded project: Technical Assistance to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education - TAMEHE

Job Profile

A.   Required Qualifications, Competencies and Knowledge

Formal Education

• University degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field (advanced degree is an asset).

Experience

• At least 3-5 years of experience in accounting, finance, or related fields.
• Experience in public finance, financial reporting, and budgeting (experience in the education sector is a plus).
• Prior experience in government finance, donor-funded projects, or financial consulting is an advantage.

Other Qualifications

• Experience in preparing financial reports and budgets.
• Experience in financial data collection, verification, and analysis.
• Ability to support training initiatives and capacity-building efforts.
• Experience working with financial monitoring tools and internal control mechanisms.
• Familiarity with donor fund management procedures is an asset.
• Knowledge of financial management principles, preferably in public finance or education finance.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
• Good understanding of budgeting, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Fluency in Arabic and English (French is an asset).
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and adapt to a fast-paced environment.
• Technical digital knowledge in Office 365, including OneDrive, MS Teams and SharePoint.
• Basic knowledge of the EU GDPR and general understanding of Information Security.

Working place:

• TAMEHE Office, Ministry of Education and Higher Education
• GIZ Office – Hazmieh

B.   Responsibilities

• The junior Public Finance Management Advisor will work under the guidance of the Senior Public Finance Expert and coordinate closely with the MEHE team.
• The position requires on-site presence at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (with potential field visits).

C.   Tasks

1. PFM Foundations

1.1 Accounting and Record-Keeping

• Assist in reviewing and updating the Standard Chart of Accounts for the education sector.
• Support the collection and organization of financial data on arrears, funding sources, and expenditure tracking.
• Provide administrative and analytical support in updating accounting procedures, standards, and practices.

1.2 Financial Reporting and Transparency

• Assist in the preparation of monthly and annual financial reports in line with revised formats.
• Support MEHE staff in compiling and reconciling financial statements to improve transparency.
• Help in validating financial data to ensure consistency and accuracy.

1.3 Training and Capacity Building

• Assist in developing training modules for schools, Regional Education Offices (REOs), and PFM staff at MEHE.
• Support the coordination of training sessions, logistics, and material preparation.
• Provide technical and administrative support to financial literacy programs.

2. Review Phase

• Assist in the review of internal control procedures, ensuring compliance with donor and national regulations.
• Support the integration of risk management mechanisms into internal control processes.
• Assist in the data collection and analysis of reported costs at the school level.
• Work with the Senior Expert in analyzing past budgets, including home schooling, onsite learning, and donor-funded resources.

3. Planning and Budgeting

3.1 Annual Budget Preparation

• Assist in the data gathering for financial forecasting exercises, ensuring alignment with the revised chart of accounts.
• Support in reviewing and modifying the educational budget templates in alignment with Ministry of Finance requirements.
• Help document the processes linking strategic planning with budget formulation.

3.2 Needs Assessment

• Support the development of a methodology for needs assessment and its validation with MEHE.
• Assist in conducting funding flow analysis for education financing.

4. Budget Execution Phase

4.1 Collection of School Fees and Other Revenues

• Assist in the implementation of financial tracking apps used by schools for budget monitoring.
• Support schools in using digital tools to track revenues and expenses.

4.2 Grant and Donor Funds Management

• Assist in compiling data on foreign revenue management to support MEHE's financial reporting.
• Help in monitoring donor contributions and tracking disbursement.

Areas of Activity

Outputs

1. PFM Foundations

Updated accounting procedures through revised standards and practices.

Financial Reporting & Transparency

Support in producing monthly and annual financial reports in line with revised formats.

Training & Capacity Building

Contribution to developing financial literacy training materials for schools, REOs, and MEHE staff.

2. Review Phase

Assistance in updating internal control SOPs and integrating risk management frameworks.

3. Planning & Budgeting

Contribution to the budget preparation process and funding flow analysis for schools.

4. Budget Execution Phase

Support in tracking school fees, monitoring budget execution, and managing grant funds.

Project General Duties  

General duties include, but are not limited to, the below:

• Support the project’s reporting specifically on activities covering PFM,
• Support data collection when needed,
• Attend meetings and take minutes, 
• Provide support to Key and Non-Key experts when needed,
• Ensure actions are compliant with GIZ and EU rules and regulations,
• Support in preparation and implementation of capacity building activities (preparation of material, logistics…)

Description of the project

The events that took place in the last few years have added further layers of obstacles on top of an already compromised Lebanese public and private schooling system in its efforts to provide education for children residing in Lebanon. The crisis left an impact on the different levels of the education system. The crisis’ impact on the educational sector affects children’s wellbeing and threatens their future, the social stability (including people’s ability to escape the vicious cycle of poverty) and country’s abilities to overcome the socioeconomic and political depression and to set up a sustainable governance and economic model.

The overall objective to which this project contributes is to build an education system better equipped and able to deliver quality basic education in times of crisis. It works on 3 main levels:

• Enhancing the governance capacities of the MEHE in the field of strategic and operational planning, monitoring and reporting, budgeting and public finance management,
• Enhancing the capacities of the MEHE for the delivery of quality teaching and learning by management and educational staff empowered with 21st century skills development,
• Enhancing the performance of the public education system (MEHE) through improved management and business operating procedures.