About MCA
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a U.S. government corporation focused on assisting countries dedicated to good governance, economic freedom, and investing in people. In May 2022, MCC signed a five-year agreement (“compact”) with the government of Lesotho (GoL) aimed at poverty reduction through inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country.
The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA- Lesotho II), is an entity established by the Government to act as the accountable entity to implement the Compact, with the authority to bind the Government with regard to all Program activities.
Lesotho Compact
The Lesotho Health and Horticulture Compact aims to benefit 2.5 million people by growing, strengthening, and organizing the private sector in Lesotho and improving the government’s coordination to deliver critical services necessary to support private sector development.
It will achieve this goal through investments in Health System Strengthening, strengthening of the business environment and Market Driven Irrigated Horticulture, providing sustainable income for smallholders, and increasing climate resilience by replacing rain-fed subsistence farming with irrigated commercial horticulture in select locations.
The GoL is committed to passing several key reforms that will help make this compact successful, including reforms that address gender equality, working conditions and worker safety, as well as land and water rights. All of the compact’s projects focus on overcoming barriers to the economic inclusion of women, youth, and the rural poor.
Position Objective
The Director of Finance and Administration —under the supervision of the Chief Executive Officer leads the finance and administrative unit and has overall responsibility for the strategic and day to day management of the compact’s budget, the MCA’s fiduciary integrity, and ensuring the health of the compact financial management through the life of the compact. In addition, this individual is responsible for managing the Fiscal Agent Agreement.
Primary responsibilities
- Leads the overall finance function of the MCA-Lesotho II and ensures that sufficient finance and accounting support is provided to the operational and programmatic functions of the MCA-Lesotho II to strengthen its ability to deliver on the targets of the Compact.
- Leads the multi-disciplined administration unit which includes office management, information technology and logistics to ensure these services sufficiently support the implementation of the Compact’s projects and ensures the highest degree of integrity and compliance with policies and procedures.
- Analyzes MCA-Lesotho II operational and programmatic needs and assesses the capacity of a multi-fund, multi-year set of resources (over $300 million USD) for complex projects and daily operations.
- Develops policies and plans for managing the MCA’s fiscal resources, aligned with the overall plan of the MCA-Lesotho II and in accordance with MCC fiscal accountability and transparency policies, as well as internal and external audit standards and requirements.
- Oversees the production of periodic financial reports for the decision making of MCA-Lesotho II management, MCC, and Government of Lesotho stakeholders.
- Leads MCA-Lesotho II’s management team during budget and audit exercises, including serving as the authority on compliance with financial requirements of the compact and related agreements.
- Builds the finance team through recruitment of staff and identifying technical resources (e.g., external consultants, MCC technical resources) to provide external advice and expertise, aligned to the strategic needs of the MCA.
- Manages the Fiscal Agent Agreement and the MCA-Lesotho II financial audit program. Evaluates MCA’s and implementing entities’ fiscal and reporting systems and determines their compliance with MCC standards, identifies financial or compliance risks and then designs and implements actions to mitigate those risks.
Required Competencies
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance or a related field. Professional Certification as a CPA or Chartered Accountant is preferred.
- Minimum 10 years’ experience, three of which must have been spent at an executive or managerial level in a finance and accounting management environment within a multi-disciplinary enterprise with similar size and scope of activities.
- Familiarity with and adherence to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
- Experience in financial system design and implementation of a type similar to that required by the compact is preferred.
- Must be able to effectively use Google and MS Office applications and learn any specific applications related to work, including accounting applications.
- Knowledge of the development environment in Lesotho and the challenges of program execution and coordination with government institutions.
- Proficiency in English (writing and speaking is required). Proficiency in Sesotho (writing and speaking is preferred).
How to apply
Applications must be submitted on-line, on or before the application deadline July 18th, 2023.
Applications should be accompanied by the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae containing detailed work experience;
- Cover letter confirming interest and availability;
- Soft copies of higher education and professional certificates (if available);
Only applications that come in before or on the application deadline will be considered.
We thank all applicants. However, note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Submit your applicationonline via: https://lesotho-jobs.tenderwell.app