Junior Public Financial Management (PFM) Advisor

Scope of Work

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) is the central authority within the Government of Vanuatu (GoV) that governs and oversights budgeting and expending of public funds. This significant mandate paves the way for MFEM to address, develop, implement and advocate for required Public Finance and Economic Management (PFEM) reforms as and when, legally and contextually and appropriate.

Development partners have been supporting MFEM to implement significant PFEM reforms, since the early 2000s. This has enabled MFEM to function well with limited technical assistance (TA). A Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) self-assessment conducted in 2015 identified a number of areas for ongoing work led by MFEM, which has formed the basis of a PFM Roadmap that development partners are supporting. The Governance for Growth (GfG) program has been supporting the MFEM’s reform priorities since its establishment in 2007, through resourced TA support and supporting important project implementations. The position of the Junior PFM Adviser is seen as an essential support towards MFEM’s reform priorities.

The Junior PFM Adviser will support the Senior PFM Adviser in providing the necessary support to other MFEM departments such as the Office of the Central Tenders Board (CTB) and the Bureau of Price Monitoring and Consumer Affairs (BPMCA[DR1] ).

Specific Duties

The Junior PFM Advisor will:

• Provide support to the technical work of the Senior PFM Advisor at the direction of the Director General (DG) of MFEM, including, but not limited to:

  1. Supporting the implementation of the PFM Roadmap, and PFM reforms under the corporate plan, in line with the work of the Senior PFM Advisor. With a particular focus on progressing legislation, budget and cash management reforms and on providing support to the integrated financial management information system (IFMIS) implementation. 

  2. Prepare briefing notes, policy drafts, minutes, reports, and presentations as needed, on topics related to PFM, macroeconomic policy and revenue mobilsation.

  3. Assist in organising consultations, training sessions, and capacity-building activities for government staff.

  4. Perform any other duties reasonably requested by the Senior PFM Advisor to give effect to the DG’s directions.

• Under the supervision of the Senior PFM Advisor, provide support to the CTB, including but not limited to:

  1. Supporting the review and improvement of government procurement policies, processes, and documentation in line with national reforms.

  2. Supporting the CTB Secretariat to strengthen tendering processes, improve compliance, and promote transparency.

• Under the supervision of the Senior PFM Advisor, provide support to BPMCA, including but not limited to:

  1. Operationalising the Price Monitoring and Competition Act, including support with drafting procedures, guidelines, and templates.

  2. Supporting their data work, and developing new mechanisms for data collection and analysis.

• Under the supervision of the GfG Manager, Operations and Strategy provide monthly progress reports, or as deemed necessary, to the program on how they are progressing against the scope of works outlined in this ToR.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, Public Financial Management, Economics, Law, Business, or a related field.

• At least 5 years’ relevant experience in public sector reform, procurement, economic policy, project management, or financial management.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to draft reports, policy notes, and guidelines with minimal supervision.

• Strong organisational and administrative skills.

• Familiarity with government systems and operations in developing country contexts (experience in the Pacific region, or similar, is an advantage but not required).

GfG Team

• Uphold the GfG Charter, and in particular, GfG’s culture of:

  1. Respect for local governance systems and processes.

  2. Humility, and a culture of listening.

  3. Reflective practice.

  4. Valuing inclusiveness, including gender, disability, and the contribution of people at all levels within the team or within counterpart organisations.

Reporting arrangements

The Junior PFM Adviser reports to the Senior PFM Adviser and the GfG MFEM Policy Adviser on policy inputs/outputs and to the GfG Manager Operations and Strategy in relation to tasking and contractual obligations and performance management.

• The adviser is expected to produce a monthly report on the first week of each new month, outlining completed activities, progress, challenges and priorities.but not required).

The deadline for applications is 15 June 2025.