Background
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a regional economic community founded and maintained by countries in Southern Africa. It aims to further the socio-economic, political, and security cooperation among its Member States and foster regional integration in order to achieve peace, stability, and wealth. SADC currently has sixteen (16) Member States with a population of approximately 340 million and a combined GDP of US$720 billion.
The Secretariat is currently recruiting for various positions to enhance its capacity to deliver on the above mandate. The Secretariat is therefore inviting suitably qualified and experienced citizens of SADC to apply for the following positions tenable at its Headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana or as stated in the job advert:
Job Title: Finance Officer – Expenditure and Payments Control
Reference: SADC/2/3/3 Vacancy No 2 of 2025
Primary Purpose of the Job
To coordinate expenditure control and disbursements for projects and the SADC Secretariat.
Duties and Responsibilities
Expenditure Control
- Review payment vouchers from Assistant Finance Officer and Accounts Assistants and perform random verification to ensure relevant checks and controls have been duly performed
- Verify available budget and fund balances before authorising any payment
- Review subsidiary ledgers and bank statements monthly to ensure expenditures are accurately recorded, properly classified, and apportioned to correct periods and financial years
- Identify expenditure-related risks and propose mitigation measures
- Prepare relevant expenditure control and analysis reports for management
Payment Processing
- Authorise processing of payment requests in the accounting system
- Supervise the work of the Assistant Finance Officer and Accounts Assistant to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, and relevant controls
- Prepare and submit expenditure control reports and other financial reports as required by management
- Drive implementation of auditor recommendations for improved expenditure control
- Track payment status through to settlement and follow up on delays or exceptions
- Receive, review, and validate payment requests (invoices, contracts, travel claims) for completeness and proper authorisation
- Review payment coding in SunSystems (or equivalent ERP) and initiate electronic funds transfers
- Ensure all supporting documents are retained and filed in both electronic and hard copy formats to meet audit and donor compliance requirements
- Enforce adherence to SADC’s Delegation of Authority and disbursement policies
- Flag and investigate irregularities or deviations from standard procedures
Reporting
- Extract and review business unit trial balances monthly and resolve reconciling issues before cut-off date
- Review monthly bank reconciliations, ensure authorisation and filing before period closure, and resolve reconciling items
- Prepare monthly supplier account reconciliations and supplier age analysis
- Submit monthly/quarterly disbursement reports and cash flow forecasts
- Compile audit schedules and respond to internal and external auditor enquiries
- Generate ad-hoc analyses on payment trends, aging of payables, and fund utilisation
Financial Management Support at SADC Events/Meetings
- Review budget estimates for events/meetings/activities prepared by the Assistant Finance Officer
- Submit cash imprest requests and seek relevant authorisation
- Enforce measures to limit physical cash handling (e.g. bank transfers, prepaid cards)
- Follow up on timely imprest retirement
- Review imprest retirement reports and supporting documents
- Take appropriate measures for late or unjustified disbursement claims
- Produce financial reports as requested by management
People Management within the Unit
- Ensure team compliance with Secretariat values, policies, standards, and statutory requirements
- Foster a positive and compelling workplace and team culture
- Maintain a climate that attracts, retains, and motivates top-quality personnel
- Plan unit activities and oversee operations including scheduling, resource estimation, task allocation, and staff development
- Undertake any other duties as delegated by the Director or Deputy Executive Secretary
Qualifications and Experience
Education
- At least a Degree in a Finance-related field from a recognised institution
Professional Certification
- Professional accountancy certification such as ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICAS, ACPA, or equivalent
Specialised Knowledge
- Knowledge of IAS, IFRS, and IPSAS
- Proficiency in relevant computer software
Experience
- Minimum of 7 years of work experience in a similar position
Skills Requirements
- Communication and presentation skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Mentoring and coaching skills
- Organisational skills (planning, budgeting, time management, work prioritisation)
- Research, analytical, and problem-solving skills
- Supervisory skills
Competency Requirements
- Ability to develop and motivate staff
- Maintain quality under pressure and meet deadlines
- Capacity to influence and create a high-performance climate
- Conceptual and practical thinking
- Customer focus
- Decisiveness
- Ability to work independently and unsupervised
- Maintain confidentiality and respect sensitive situations
- Methodical and organised with attention to detail
- Organisational awareness and ability to engage effectively
- Professionalism and strong work ethics
- Willingness to challenge conventional approaches and encourage innovation
- Resilience and self-motivation
- Results and performance driven
- Team player
Tenure of appointment
The term of appointment of the Director positions shall be for a fixed period of four (4) years, renewable once for another period of four (4) years. While appointments for positions (5 – 8) will be on a fixed-term contract for four (4) years, renewable twice for an equal period, subject to:
- satisfactory completion of 6 months’ probation;
- satisfactory performance;
- retirement age limit of 60 years; and
- the continued need for the position.
Eligibility
The positions are open to qualified applicants who:
- are 52 years old or younger. This requirement is based on the Organisation’s need to recruit staff who can serve for a reasonable period of time before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.
- are from the following eligible Member States (Position 5 – 8): Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Due to the SADC recruitment policy, ONLY nationals of Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania are eligible to apply for the Director positions because of rules on representation at the management level and the availability of quota points.
Closing Date and Submission of Applications: Applications must be submitted to the SADC National Contact Point of the eligible Member States not later than or on 01 August 2025.
Applications should be accompanied by the following:
(a) over letter stating the position that you want to be considered for and describing how your qualifications, experience, and competencies are relevant to the position;
(b) not more than five (5) pages of updated curriculum vitae;
(c) certified copies of your degree(s), Diploma(s) and Certificate(s); and
(d) duly signed and completed SADC Application Form.
Should you be shortlisted, you will be required to produce evidence of educational and professional qualifications supporting your application, on the day of your interview.
Gender Mainstreaming
SADC is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages applications from female candidates.
Mainstreaming People with Disability
SADC is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages and promotes employment for people with disabilities.
If you are results orientated, you have a passion for the transformation and development of Southern Africa and possess the required competencies, please submit your application.
Only applicants, who meet the requirements of the SADC Secretariat and being considered for an interview, will be contacted. Should you not hear from the SADC Secretariat within two months after the closing date, kindly consider your application unsuccessful.
For further details on the position that you want to apply for, job profiles, and SADC Application Form, refer to the SADC Website: www.sadc.int