International Programs Vacancies

• Are you passionate about advocacy and leading strategic change?
• Are you a critical thinker with a solution-focused approach?
• Do you want to work in a growing regional organisation to scale-up HIV programs for key populations?

The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) is seeking applications for ten new positions for the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia (SKPA) Program.

AFAO leads Australia’s community response to HIV and contributes to action on HIV/AIDS globally and in Asia and the Pacific.

From January 2019, AFAO will lead the SKPA Program funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The program aims to promote sustainable scale-up of HIV programs for key populations and will be implemented by Sub-Recipients in Bhutan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste. 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Senior Finance and Grants Officer

Position Objective

To provide effective financial and grant support, including system and process development and ensuring compliance with donor requirements, that supports AFAO’s partnerships to prevent HIV and reduce its impacts in Asia and the Pacific.

Location and Reporting Structure

This position is based in Bangkok, Thailand. It reports directly to the Manager, Finance and Grants. No subordinates report directly to this position. This position manages external contractors from time to time.

Organisational Context

In Australia, AFAO leads the national effort to end HIV on behalf of its member organisations who represent the diverse communities most affected by HIV – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities, sex workers, people who inject drugs, people with HIV and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Internationally, AFAO contributes to the development of effective HIV policy and programs in Asia and the Pacific, fosters the development of regional and country-level community responses to HIV, and represents Australia’s community response to HIV in global forums.

From January 2019, AFAO will lead the Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia

(SKPA) Program, funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Program Context

The SKPA Program aims to promote sustainable services for key populations at scale to stop HIV transmissions and AIDS related deaths by 2030. The program will be implemented in Bhutan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste.

Economic growth and the consequent shift to middle income status requires that grant countries within this program increase domestic investment and be more self-sufficient in the delivery of national HIV/AIDS programs. Even where staged, the challenges of transition from donor to domestic funding are acute. With diminishing donor funding, countries must be highly efficient in targeting their investments in accordance with epidemiology and mechanisms for funding community-led responses by those most affected by HIV – key populations – must be established or strengthened.

The SKPA Program recognises the considerable existing efforts of grant countries toward national and global HIV/AIDS goals, funded through domestic, private and donor sources. It also recognises that, as in all countries, each of the grant countries of this program experiences barriers that prevent the provision of services and programs for key populations at necessary scale. The SKPA Program seeks to identify barriers to scale-up and implement targeted actions to address those barriers.

The objectives of the SKPA Program are to:

• Increase Financial Sustainability: Secure the long-term sustainability of increased service delivery at national levels through securing domestic investment and spending, exploring innovative approaches and identifying alternative sources of funding for key programs
• Strengthen Strategic Information: Secure up-to-date strategic information, particularly on key epidemiological and response information including population size estimates and program coverage, community needs assessment of key populations to inform program design
• Mitigate Service Delivery Gaps: Scale-up outreach to key populations and improve their access to prevention, testing and treatment and retention in the service cascade
• Strengthen Community Systems: Strengthen community responses and systems to support increased scale-up of services for key populations including sustainability of community-led services through community-based research, effective use of data and other strategic information and through community mobilisation
• Contribute to Enabling Environment: Address barriers to access including addressing stigma and discrimination and other human rights- and gender-related barriers to services, where

Principal Duties

• Lead the program in areas of financial and grant reporting and treasury management and ensure compliance with AFAO and donor policies and procedures and government regulatory
• Develop and implement business process improvements and financial and treasury procedures and enhance
• Manage budgets and vigorously control costs, providing timely and accurate budget variance analysis, financial burn and spending rate, tax information, and costs
• Liaise closely with Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to track Sub-Recipient expenditure and progress, identify variation against budget and alert the Senior Technical Advisor to over- and under-expenditure and delays.
• Participate in the preparation of annual budgets and
• Ensure all accounting records and accounts are maintained in accordance with accounting standards and donor requirements, are up-to-date and that Sub-Recipients submit their reports in a timely and accurate
• Contribute to the development standardised reporting formats for use by grant Sub-Recipients.
• Develop grant management tools for monitoring, reporting, and risk
• Prepare monthly donor reconciliations for all donor
• Ensure fixed asset registers are updated and all necessary information is
• Identify issues and make recommendations to enhance internal control systems for goods, consulting services and fixed
• Prepare cash flow/budget forecasts in consultation with the Manager, Finances and Grants, Senior Technical Adviser and
• Prepare Progress Update/Disbursement Requests and annual program financial
• Monitor financial aspects of goods and services procurement in accordance with AFAO
• Implement sound staff development and capacity building programs for Sub-Recipient
• Monitor performance against agreed financial performance
• Promote AFAO’s knowledge, skills, experience and
• Adopt continuous learning and improvement processes in all aspects of the

• Understand, implement, participate and promote AFAO’s business processes, policies and

procedures, and WHS objectives, processes and procedures.

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as

Challenges and Problem Solving

Challenges faced by the position that the position-holder will be expected to be able manage include:

• Ensuring robust financial and grant management overall, monitoring financial and grant performance and management by Sub-Recipients and alerting the Manager, Finance and Grants to issues and any irregularities
• Development and maintaining effective working relationships with Sub-Recipients.
• Working closely with the Global Fund Local Funding Agent to ensure documentation and other requirements are
• Recommending innovative tools and mechanism to overcome issues and mitigate risks during grant
• Managing priorities and meeting deadlines.

Decision Making

The role of the Senior Finance and Grants Officer is critical to AFAO’s success.

The Senior Finance and Grants Officer exercises considerable day to day discretionary and decision- making responsibility within the framework set by an annual work plan, which is approved by the Manager, Finance and Grants and in accordance with directions set by AFAO’s Manager, Business Operations.

The Senior Finance and Grants Officer is required to exercise considerable judgement in liaising with stakeholders and formulating and responding to issues that may impact AFAO’s reputation. The Senior Finance and Grants Officer discusses issues of potential sensitivity with the Manager, Finance and Grants.

In exercising their responsibilities and making decisions the Senor Finance and Grants Officer is

bound by AFAO’s Code of Conduct and policies and procedures.

Performance Review

The Senior Finance and Grants Officer will participate in an annual work planning and performance appraisal process for this role with the Manager, Finance and Grants.

Key Performance Indicators for the role will include:

• Effective financial and grant recording and reporting systems and mechanisms that are responsive to the needs of the
• Provision of monitoring and support to financial and grant activities of Sub-Recipients.
• Contribution to the timely submission of financial and grant reporting to the Global
• Completion of duties in an efficient and effective

• Monitoring of fiduciary risks and implementation of mitigating measures.
• Important deadlines are

Skills and Experience

• Qualifications in accounting with at least five years’ experience in the management of financial, budgeting and grant processes within a non-government organisation or business
• Understanding of and demonstrated experience with Global Fund (or similar) financial and grant requirements and financial and grant recording and reporting processes.
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders from different time
• Experience in the development of financial and grant recording, reporting and budget management
• Experience in the provision of financial and grant capacity building and monitoring to Sub- Recipients (or similar).
• Demonstrated experience working with accounting software and Microsoft
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, including the capacity to manage concurrent priorities and meet
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be conversant in

The successful applicants for each position will understand and have a commitment to community-led action on HIV and issues affecting key populations.

All positions are based in Bangkok, Thailand. Subject to final grant confirmation, the positions will be offered on a three-year contract through the AFAO Foundation, in Thailand, under local employment arrangements. An attractive remuneration and benefits package will be negotiated based on skills and experience. Relocation assistance is available for successful international candidates. 

To apply, please download a copy of a Position Description. Your application must include a letter (or separate document) that outlines your capability against each of the ‘Skills and Experience’ requirements in the Position Description. Please also provide your CV including three professional referees.

Applications close: 12:00 – Bangkok time, Sunday 2 December 2018.  

• Applications should be submitted to: Renee Parker – rparker@afao.org.au.
• For more information on AFAO – afao.org.au. To discuss the role of Manager, International Programs please, contact Darryl O’Donnell on +61 2 9557 9399 or at Darryl.O’Donnell@afao.org.au. For other positions, contact Joselyn Pang at Joselyn.Pang@afao.org.au.