Admin and Finance Officer

Job Summary:

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Kajaki Dam is located on the Helmand River at latitude 32° 19' 20″ North, longitude 65° 07' 10″ East; (32.323N, 65.119E), in Kajaki District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan about 90 km northwest of Kandahar. The dam is considered a high priority for ensuring adequacy of water resources for irrigation development and Power generation in the target area.

Kajaki Dam was originally planned to be built in phases. The initial phase of construction was to provide water storage for irrigating the Helmand Valley and was completed in 1953.American firm Morrison-Knudsen on contract for Afghanistan’s then royal government, with two 16.5 MW hydroelectric turbines which were subsequently installed by USAID in 1975, along with 110 Kilo-volt (v) transmission lines and substations that distributed their energy to the region. The existing power station has space between the two existing turbines (one and three) for a third (turbine two), which was not installed before the US withdrew its aid to Afghanistan in 1979 following the Soviet military intervention. Spillway gates were not included in this initial phase and the dam was limited in its ability to regulate flood flows and provide flood reduction benefits. In 1975 the 33 MW powerhouse was completed and hydropower generation became an important function. Eventual spillway gate installation will allow Kajaki to regulate flood flow as well as provide additional irrigation and hydropower benefits to the Helmand Valley.

The objectives of Kajaki Dam are: i) for irrigation water storage, ii) generation of hydroelectric power, and iii) water supply to the Helmand Valley. The service spillway gates are currently not installed, which limits the dam in its ability to generate more power and regulate flood flows due to the fact that the spillway is uncontrolled. Water from Kajaki Dam has a vital role for domestic water supply in an indirect way by recharging the shallow aquifers along the river and irrigation networks.

Objectives of Kajaki Dam Phase I and ΙΙ

Based on the signed agreements, and recent amendment which was accepted by HEC.

In the first phase of the project 77 Construction USA Corp is responsible to increase the capacity of Kajaki Dam by constructing an additional powerhouse next to the existing one with three units (3 x 33.3=100 MW) installed capacity, since the three units (each of 33.3 MW) are planned to be installed with existing water reservoir normal operation level of 1033.5 m, moreover the raising of dam height by freeboard parapet wall will be done in phase 1 as well.

In the second phase, the normal operation level of water reservoir will be increased from 1033.50 m to 1045 m by placing of radial gates on service spillway.

Scope of the Project (Phase I and II)

The Kajaki Phase 2 project consists of design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance for the following major components, which are planned in two separated phases.

Phase 1:

•  Construction of Camp Facilitates.
•  Construction of Downstream Cofferdam.
•  Fabrication and Installation of Penstock.
•  Construction of a New Powerhouse next to the existing, with 100M installed capacity included 3 Power Generating Units.
•  Construction of Switchyard.
•  Construction of Emergency Spillway.
•  Supply and installation of Electro Mechanic Equipment.
• Construction of Parapet Wall on Crest of Dam Body.

Phase 2:

Part A

•  Completion of Civil and Structural Works of Service Spillway.
• Fabrication and Supply of Radial Gates to project site.
• Part A will be stated after the completion of ESIA & RAP, hence the issuing of a legal permission or notice to proceed is required for the commencement of practical work.

 Part B

• Installation of Radial Gates, increasing of existing Normal Operation Level of reservoir from 1033.5 M to 1045M.
• Part B will be stated after the completion of government actions, which are required before the extension of water reservoir and accordance to the final reports of ESIA & RAP. the commence of work need a legal permission or notice to proceed.  

Duties & Responsibilities:

Reporting Arrangements

The proposed candidate will report list of activities and accomplished tasks to Project Manager.

Specific tasks will include but not limited to:

Financial Management Tasks

• Budgeting and Planning
• Support the project teams in preparation of annual work plans, disbursement projections and draft annual budget.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual budget utilization report for the head of finance.
• Propose corrective action for material budget variances.

Expenditure/Payment Processing

• Liaise effectively as needed within the MEW and MoF Budget and Treasury departments for smooth processing of project payments.
• Ensure compliance with internal control framework (Operations Manual, Financial Management Manual, SOPs and the Bank’s fiduciary guidelines etc.) and government rules and procedures while processing payments
• Ensure budget availability before processing any transaction; and that applicable sanctioning and approval procedures are followed.
• Apply pre-audit checks on all payments before payment from the assignment accounts.
• Ensure that No Objection Letter (NOL) is obtained from the Bank for every prior review activity before processing any payment.

Accounting and Record Management

• Record all transactions in timely and accurate manner in books of accounts and ensure that no expenditure remained unaccounted.
• Ensure up-to-date maintenance of adequate registers, books of accounts and records in appropriate order and format to meet the government and donors’ requirements and to facilitate classification and analyzing the financial information for monitoring the projects progress.
• Prepare supplementary record which provides timely and up-to-date financial information of contracts.
• Maintain imprest of petty cash and ensure separate petty cash book and petty cash vouchers are maintained.
• Prepare monthly bank reconciliation statements of the designated/special account.
• Be the payroll manager, responsible for accurate and timely payment of salaries of staff. Prepare and process monthly payroll and obtain management approval prior to making any payment under salaries.
• Ensure that the fixed assets records are maintained for the projects identifying location and user of each asset and arrange for the annual and periodical inventory of the assets and updating of the records.
• Ensure safe custody of all financial records for review by Bank Missions, third party monitoring agents; and external & internal auditors.

Administrative tasks

• Perform day-to-day administrative tasks including, but not limited to, preparing letters and documents, receive and sort project communications, scheduling project meetings, preparing agendas and minutes of meetings.
• Control all project documents, such as, drawings, technical reports, minutes of meetings, material submittals etc.
• Develop and maintain electronic document database.
• Initiates and coordinates goals, deadlines, and projects for the department.
• Develops and implements policies and procedures to improve operations and function of the department.
• Any other task as assigned by the line manager(s).

Job Location:

Qualifications:

Selection Criteria:

• Bachelor’s degree in the field of Management, Business Administration, Finance, Economics . Master’s degree in the mentioned fields would be given preference.
• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience. Work experience with international organizations such as, WB, JICA, and USAID is desirable.
• Good understanding of the relevant standards and norms relevant to the works.
• Sufficient experience and knowledge of related computer programs such as MS-Office, Quick Book and etc.
• Fluent National Languages
• Professional English language and communication skills.