Call for Debt Management Specialists - Public Finance Resource Centre

Location: Global. This is a hybrid role and the selected individual maybe required to travel to project locations as needed to fulfil programme requirements. 

BACKGROUND

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded Public Finance Resource Centre (PFRC), established by the Public Finance and Tax Department (PFTD) within the FCDO, is a key element of the UK Centre of Expertise for Public Finance. The PFRC, implemented by Adam Smith International (ASI) in its capacity as managing supplier, helps countries access technical expertise as part of HMG’s broader offer of assistance to developing countries. It provides access to world class peer-to-peer support and expertise from globally recognized UK institutions, enabling the FCDO to respond quickly and flexibly to deliver high quality technical advice on tax, public financial management and broader macro-fiscal and debt management support in response to demands identified by FCDO Posts. 

The desired outcomes of the PFRC are:   

• More effective and equitable tax policy and administration. 

• More effective public financial management. 

• Transparent and open procurement processes. 

• Improved transparency and accountability in public expenditure. 

Recipients of support are:   

• Partner country governments (e.g. Ministries of Finance and their agents, Public Procurement Agencies, Revenue Authorities and Supreme Audit Institutions) including subnational government entities, 

• FCDO Posts (e.g. for political economy analysis and scoping studies); and   

• Regional organisations working on tax and public financial management.   

ASI manages the delivery arm of the PFRC – identifying and mobilising flexible, demand-led technical assistance. ASI also directly delivers the PFRC’s short-term interventions and runs competitions to select sub-contractors to deliver medium and longer-term interventions. 

The PFRC programme budget is likely to fall within the range of £24 million to £65 million over a period of seven years (2024-30) depending on demand and funding availability.  

ABOUT THE ROLE

ASI is building a roster of debt management specialists to support ongoing and future technical assistance assignments and undertake remote work involving the provision of advisory services and technical backstopping under PFRC interventions. 

The role will involve providing high-quality technical assistance to governments, central banks, and FCDO posts, helping to strengthen economic governance, fiscal management, and debt sustainability. This may include: 

• Supporting the creation or enhancement of macro-fiscal departments and debt management units. 

• Technical support to strengthen the oversight role of legislatures in debt management.  

• Supporting increased debt management capacity in governments. 

• Providing debt management advice, for example technical assistance to a debt management office to improve debt reporting, transparency and management.  

• Support in conducting a debt management capability assessment and learning and development plan. 

• Providing debt restructuring/renegotiation support to a government in debt distress.  

• Supporting revenue bodies in managing and collecting tax debts. 

• Utilizing data through compliance risk management to introduce effective and efficient compliance programmes to reduce outstanding tax debts. 

• Providing support in relation to case management of debts. 

REQUIRED EXPERTISE:

• A degree in economics, finance, public financial management, governance, or another relevant field. 

• Extensive experience in leading and delivering contracts in debt management, macro-fiscal policy, or financial governance, including work with debt management offices, central banks, or finance ministries. 

• Technical Expert Personnel must have relevant experience of what works, and doesn't, in terms of technical assistance/capacity development of PFM, tax, macro-fiscal and debt management through programmes in developing countries.  

• Experience working on donor-funded programs, particularly with institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, or FCDO. 

• Ability to conduct institutional assessments, develop training programs, and deliver high-quality technical reports. 

• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work effectively with government counterparts, multilateral organizations, and other relevant institutions. 

• Strong written and spoken communication skills in English; proficiency in additional languages relevant to program locations is desirable. 

Candidates will be selected based on their alignment with these criteria (assessed through a review of their CVs and one or more interviews) and the competitiveness of their expected fee rates. 

ASI encourages applications from candidates of all social backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, abilities, and orientations. Qualified female applicants and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. We offer flexible working arrangements, please write to us to discuss further.  

ACCOUNTABILITY 

• The Debt Management Specialist will report to ASI’s Senior Programme Manager for contractual and operational matters, and 

• Will be accountable to the Team Leader for their performance in relation to the ToRs.  

WAYS OF WORKING 

• The Debt Management Specialist is expected to adhere to the following values and obligations: 

• At all times work collaboratively and openly with other members of the programme team, proactively providing guidance, advice and sharing experiences to solve problems, overcome challenges and manage risks together. 

• Free and open sharing of information gained from the Client, beneficiaries, or other international projects with other members of the team. 

• Respect for the confidentiality of the team’s discussions, assessments, decisions and plans or agreements with the Client. 

• Adhere to decisions taken by the programme’s leadership and taking collective responsibility for implementing those decisions and communicating them to counterparts or other external parties. 

• Ensure they have an accurate understanding of policies and decisions made by the Contracting Authority that relate to the programme and respecting and adhering to those policies. 

• Careful coordination with other team members of communications and meetings with the Contracting Authority to ensure coherence of technical advice and an efficient use of the client’s time. 

• Constant monitoring of risks to programme delivery and achievement of deliverables/objectives, as well as the reputation of ASI and the Client, and swift referral of those risks to the Senior Programme Manager. 

• Comply with ASI’s operational and logistical procedures. 

• Comply with ASI’s Duty of Care and security procedures designed to ensure safety of personnel and notifying the Senior Programme Manager of any incidence that threaten the security of personnel or assets of the project. 

• Understand and strictly adhere to ASI’s Code of Conduct. 

Heard Enough? Ready to Apply? 

We are keen to hear from you. Please submit a CV with detailed information on past experiences. Due to the high volume of applications, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and provided with further details.  

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.