The Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), as a critical voice of education in Africa, seeks to empower African countries to develop responsive educational systems for sustainable development. Its vision is to create “a high-quality education and training system for accelerated sustainable development of Africa.” ADEA’s mission, therefore, is “to serve as an open and flexible pan-African organisation that informs and facilitates the transformation of education and training systems for resilience, human capital development, and youth empowerment in Africa”. ADEA has played a significant role in the education space for over 36 years as a convener, catalyst, knowledge creator, and forum for policy dialogue. ADEA’s overall goal is “to empower African countries to transform schooling to meaningful learning by leveraging our globally connected partnerships, a well-equipped and skilled Secretariat, and country-led Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs)”.

The objective of this position is for the incumbent to provide leadership in budgeting and financial matters to facilitate efficient and cost-effective implementation of ADEA’s core business functions.

Key Functions

Reporting directly to the Executive Secretary, the Senior Finance and Budget Officer will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Budget Planning and Implementation:

• Develop and provide appropriate guidelines to the Secretariat and Inter-Country Quality Nodes (ICQNs) to enable them to prepare detailed annual budgets for activities under the approved integrated work plan and budget;
• Coordinate the preparation of the annual budget, based on ADEA’s integrated work program, for the review and approval by the ADEA Board and General Assembly, respectively;
• Implement the allocation of  annual funds to individual units at the Secretariat and ICQNs according to the approved budget;
• Monitor ADEA’s overall budget implementation, advice on budget imputation; and issue monthly and quarterly internal reports.

Financial Management:

• Provide necessary advice and guidance to the Executive Secretary, Secretariat and ICQN staff, and partners on the application of financial rules and regulations;
• Maintain ADEA’s accounts in full compliance with the financial regulations contained in the Memorandum of Understanding which ADEA signed with the African Development Bank (AfDB);
• Prepare and provide accurate financial accounts for  the annual external audit exercise and provide auditors with all relevant information necessary to carry out their assignment;
• Maintain a consistent oversight of ADEA’s  income and expenditure in AfDB’s SAP and in bank accounts, and ensure correct and up-to-date accounting;
• Certify payments and debits of purchase orders, liquidation and obligation processes;
• Certify and monitor payments of invoices, and coordinate disbursements to the Secretariat, ICQNs, and partners based on contribution agreements;
• Verify financial reports produced by the Secretariat and received from ICQNs and partners on disbursed funds; and certify financial reports to development partners and to external auditors;   
• Prepare reports of detailed financial analysis on income and expenditure for the Executive Secretary’s annual reporting to the ADEA Board and General Assembly;
• Provide relevant financial data to aid in resource mobilization through proposals development and negotiation with potential funders.

Administrative Role:

• Oversee  and provide guidance to ADEA staff on the host institution’s human resources policies, rules and regulations that are applicable to ADEA;
• Oversee and maintain relationship with the various departments of AfDB (CHIS, CHGS, PSEG, CHHR, PGCL, CHLS, etc.) that provide services to ADEA.
• Provide oversight on the management of missions and compliance with host institution’s directives on class of travel by staff and consultants.

Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge)

• Hold at least a minimum of a Master’s degree in accounting, finance or related discipline and internationally recognized professional certification such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Accountant (CA).
• Have a minimum of five (5) years relevant professional work experience in accounting, budget planning and execution, and financial management;
• Must have a deep understanding of accounting principles, financial concepts and transaction processes; and a solid knowledge of internal controls and risk management principles;
• Experience in grants management and an understanding of the kind of reporting required by development agencies and funders;  
• Reliable, trustworthy and able to present accounting and financial simulations clearly and transparently;
• Ability to articulate a clear strategy for cost effectiveness and for ensuring financial stability in program management;
• Ability to manage multiple and competing  demands and priorities as well as capacity to work under pressure to meet  tight deadlines;
• Integrity, credibility, diligence, attention to detail and innovativeness, and ability to operate in an automated accounting environment;
• Ability to prepare, present and discuss financial statements is an asset.
• Communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Experience in the use of accounting and financial software and also Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, etc.) including advanced spreadsheet and database packages are vital while experience with SAP is desirable.

Submission of applications

Applications (CV and Cover letter) must be sent to adea-applications@afdb.org no later than Friday 5th September 2025 at midnight GMT. The subject of the e-mail should be “Senior Finance and Budget Officer”.

Due to the high volume of applications, only selected candidates will be contacted through a formal correspondence via e-mail. Please do not contact ADEA or staff members to enquire about the status of your application.

The consultant will be employed for a period of 12 months. Renewal of the contract will depend on satisfactory performance following final evaluation.

Duty Station: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire