TERMS OF REFERENCE: RESIDENT ADVISOR FOR BUDGET STRENGTHENING IN MALI
Apply by May 8, 2019.
Assignment scheduled for July – October 2019 (+/- 5 months)
Summary
The Public Finance and Institutions (PFI) programme at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) is looking for a full-time resident advisor to help set up a Budget Strengthening Initiative (BSI) in Mali (through a BSI inception project) to support the Ministry of Budget and other Ministries in different aspects of budgeting. This post is re-advertised as the inception project was slightly delayed, assignment dates have changed and previous applicants were no longer available.
The resident advisor will work in close collaboration with a small team of non-resident experts and a local consultant to explore options for providing longer-term technical support and capacity building to strengthen the budget process and ongoing reform efforts of the Government of Mali. S/He will also contribute to the provision of concrete advisory outputs. The main focus of the technical advice will be on building a credible and comprehensive budget, enhancing budget transparency, strengthening fiscal decentralization and assisting the implementation of programme budgeting.
Background on BSI Mali inception project
The BSI Mali inception project is aimed at crafting a (3 to 5 year) Budget Strengthening Initiative (BSI) programme for Mali that will provide policy and implementation assistance in the area of public finance and financial management to the Government of Mali. The intermediate outcome of this engagement will be a more effective and efficient implementation of public finance and financial management reforms such as: better informed budget choices and processes, more effective programme expenditures, improved vertical and horizontal coordination, greater accountability and transparency. Its ultimate outcome will be improved fiscal and institutional capacity to deliver core services to the population and, consequently, increase the public’s confidence in its institutions. After an initial scoping visit to Bamako in the summer of 2017, collaboration with the Malian government is at an incipient stage and specific areas of support for a BSI intervention will need to be firmed up over the course of this inception project that will be implemented between June and December 2019.
During the initial scoping visit, ODI-PFI representatives held discussions with various high-level officials: the Minister of Human Rights and State Reform and his officials, and the Institutional Development Coordination Unit (CDI); the Minister for Decentralisation & Local Taxation and his officials; the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and his technical advisors; and, in the Ministry of Finance, with the Director General of Budget and representatives of the Public Finance Modernisation Coordination Unit (CARFIP). Discussions were also held with representatives of different bilateral and multilateral donors. During a brief follow-up visit after the Presidential elections in September 2018, several of these contacts were revisited and continued relevance of potential support areas was affirmed.
During these conversations, the issues below were identified as significant and immediate concerns:
The priorities raised by the Malian authorities and development partner representatives resonate with the mission of BSI and its experience over the past eight years in other fragile or conflict-affected contexts. The inception project, which will be implemented during the first three quarters of 2019, aims at further clarifying the focus of and demand for BSI support. It will further explore, discuss and analyse the issues and themes identified during the preliminary visit with the Malian government. It will also serve to establish a robust and effective working relationship with key stakeholders within the GoM based on mutual trust and a common understanding of the critical issues. This will be achieved by providing hands-on support on pressing issues to key government institutions from the start. The inception project will thus constitute the basis for articulating a longer-term (3 to 5 years) BSI Mali programme that will be proposed to Sida for funding in late 2019/early 2020.
Objectives of the Assignment
The objective of the assignment is to support the BSI Mali inception project through contributing to the following tasks, in close collaboration with a small team of non-resident experts and a local consultant:
Expected Tasks and Outputs
Specifically, the resident advisor will be expected to perform the following tasks and outputs:
She or he will be expected to join and actively contribute to the first short-term mission to Bamako of the BSI Mali team (2 weeks in July), which will serve to
Following the first mission, the resident advisor will remain in country to follow up on potential areas of longer-term support with Malian partners, advance support interventions, and provide additional support to partners upon request. S/He will also:
The resident advisor will be expected to join and actively contribute to the second short-term mission (2 weeks in autumn 2019, dates to be confirmed depending on availability of stakeholders) to Bamako, which will serve to:
Working and Reporting Arrangements
The resident advisor will work in close collaboration with CARFIP and other Malian government institutions (in particular the Budget Directorate and the Ministry of Decentralization), as well as with the team of ODI non-resident experts and a local consultant. S/He will report to the BSI Mali inception project lead. Performance will be measured against an agreed work plan that will be finalized at the end of the first short-term mission to Bamako.
Time Frame
Resident advisor based in Bamako on a full-time basis from approx. July to October 2019 (+/- 5 months) with short-term visits and remote support by a team of ODI-BSI advisors as needed during this period. The total number of days during this period is estimated to be up to 100. Subject to further funding, there is the possibility to extend the engagement.
Skills and experience
We are looking for outstanding individuals with a proven track record of coaching and delivering technical advice and guidance and with 3 or more years of relevant professional experience in public financial management in one or more of the following areas: budget reform, expenditure management, revenue mobilization, decentralization, public financial accounting, and external controls.
All candidates will need to demonstrate the following core competencies:
Other requirements:
Applicants do not need to be located in London and applicants from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are particularly encouraged to apply.
PLEASE NOTE: The contract offered is for the supply of consultancy services and will not constitute a contract of employment with ODI.
Package
Remuneration, will be competitive within the international charitable sector, dependent on experience, and will include provision for flights, accommodation, and other agreed expenses.
How to apply
Send your application (CV and a maximum 2-page cover letter, including expected daily fee rate, to pfirecruitment@odi.org.uk by midnight on May 8th, 2019.
Please use subject line “Application: Resident Advisor, BSI Mali.”
AI: Hello human, I am a GPT powered AI chat bot. Ask me anything!