The position provides leadership to a team of specialists, collaborates with several units in, drives continuous process improvement, ensures high-quality service delivery to projects and partners, and safeguards GIZ's contractual and fiduciary interests throughout the lifecycle of financing arrangements.

B. Main Tasks and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the staff assigned to you in accordance with the GIZ’s leadership principles, including addressing all staff-related issues in a professional and timely manner and taking decisions if and as needed
• Lead, coordinate and manage the unit responsible for providing advice to projects on financing arrangements, including Local Contribution Contracts, Grant Agreements, Financing Agreements and other contractual instruments, as well as Integrated Development Partnerships with the Private Sector (iDPP) and construction contracts during the planning stage, in line with GIZ’s internal policies and procedures (P+R), applicable laws and compliance standards.
• Guide and supervise the team in assuming process responsibility for the preparation and quality assurance of the Legal and Commercial Eligibility Check (KEP).
• Coordinate and oversee the processing and validation of incoming requests for financing arrangements, ensuring that the team applies the required quality and compliance standards and observes applicable threshold limits before requests are submitted to the contract processing units.
• Manage and coordinate the team’s activities related to contract amendments, extensions and closeout procedures, ensuring consistent application of relevant contractual and procedural requirements.
• Provide strategic and professional guidance to the team in supporting recipients throughout contract implementation and in organizing appropriate capacity development measures.
• Ensure that the team systematically monitors reporting deadlines, supports recipients during reporting phases, and conducts quality checks of documentation prior to submission to the responsible unit.
• Oversee and coordinate the team’s activities to ensure that contractually required external audits are conducted and that audit contracts are prepared in a timely and compliant manner.
• Guide and coordinate the team in safeguarding GIZ’s interests throughout the auditing process, including the coordination of auditors and recipients and participation in audit opening and closing meetings, as appropriate.
• Ensure that the team follows up on audit findings, irregularities and instances of non-compliance and that appropriate corrective measures are initiated, monitored and documented.
• Ensure that records management is properly organized and implemented within the group, including the systematic and compliant maintenance of relevant contractual, financial, audit and process documentation.
• Strengthen cooperation structures with other units at headquarters and in the country office.

C. Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience

1. Qualifications and professional experience

A university degree in Business Administration, combined with experience in various commercial and technical roles in the field of development cooperation – preferably within GIZ. 

• Several years’ experience in the line management of diverse teams in various cultural contexts, as well as experience in remote management
• Several years’ experience in financial management, including (large-scale) EU co-financing, as well as experience in conducting internal audits
• Customer focus and the ability to collaborate, combined with assertiveness, adaptability to a changing portfolio, commitment, reliability, diplomatic skills, gender competence and intercultural understanding of the region
• In-depth familiarity with the new SAP software and confident use of MS software
• Business fluency in German and English

2. Other knowledge and additional competences

• The ability to provide direction and motivation in shaping the new landscape of roles and collaboration
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills in designing efficient processes, whilst avoiding duplication and bottlenecks.
• Several years’ experience in managing change processes.
• A basic knowledge of French or Kinyarwanda is an asset. 

• Provide leadership to the staff assigned to you in accordance with the GIZ’s leadership principles, including addressing all staff-related issues in a professional and timely manner and taking decisions if and as needed
• Lead, coordinate and manage the unit responsible for providing advice to projects on financing arrangements, including Local Contribution Contracts, Grant Agreements, Financing Agreements and other contractual instruments, as well as Integrated Development Partnerships with the Private Sector (iDPP) and construction contracts during the planning stage, in line with GIZ’s internal policies and procedures (P+R), applicable laws and compliance standards.
• Guide and supervise the team in assuming process responsibility for the preparation and quality assurance of the Legal and Commercial Eligibility Check (KEP).
• Coordinate and oversee the processing and validation of incoming requests for financing arrangements, ensuring that the team applies the required quality and compliance standards and observes applicable threshold limits before requests are submitted to the contract processing units.
• Manage and coordinate the team’s activities related to contract amendments, extensions and closeout procedures, ensuring consistent application of relevant contractual and procedural requirements.
• Provide strategic and professional guidance to the team in supporting recipients throughout contract implementation and in organizing appropriate capacity development measures.
• Ensure that the team systematically monitors reporting deadlines, supports recipients during reporting phases, and conducts quality checks of documentation prior to submission to the responsible unit.
• Oversee and coordinate the team’s activities to ensure that contractually required external audits are conducted and that audit contracts are prepared in a timely and compliant manner.
• Guide and coordinate the team in safeguarding GIZ’s interests throughout the auditing process, including the coordination of auditors and recipients and participation in audit opening and closing meetings, as appropriate.
• Ensure that the team follows up on audit findings, irregularities and instances of non-compliance and that appropriate corrective measures are initiated, monitored and documented.
• Ensure that records management is properly organized and implemented within the group, including the systematic and compliant maintenance of relevant contractual, financial, audit and process documentation.
• Strengthen cooperation structures with other units at headquarters and in the country office.

• Customer focus and the ability to collaborate, combined with assertiveness, adaptability to a changing portfolio, commitment, reliability, diplomatic skills, gender competence and intercultural understanding of the region
• In-depth familiarity with the new SAP software and confident use of MS software
• The ability to provide direction and motivation in shaping the new landscape of roles and collaboration
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills in designing efficient processes, whilst avoiding duplication and bottlenecks.
• Several years’ experience in managing change processes.

• A university degree in Business Administration, combined with experience in various commercial and technical roles in the field of development cooperation – preferably within GIZ.
• Several years’ experience in the line management of diverse teams in various cultural contexts, as well as experience in remote management
• Several years’ experience in financial management, including (large-scale) EU co-financing, as well as experience in conducting internal audits
• Business fluency in German and English
• A basic knowledge of French or Kinyarwanda is an asset.