Administration and Finance Officer, RECOFTC Thailand
Summary
Oversee project administration and finance for a conservation initiative in Thailand, ensuring compliance with donor policies and managing budgets, procurement, and reporting.
RECOFTC is an international nonprofit organization working towards a future where resilient communities with respected rights thrive in forest landscapes that they manage sustainably and equitably. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach in supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equality. We have almost 40 years of experience working with people and forests and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. As a trusted, honest broker, we occupy a distinct position as an international organization that supports, informs and brings together governments, communities, businesses, academia and civil society organizations. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change and achieve the UN Global Goals.
We operate in the Asia-Pacific region, with country offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam.
In Thailand, RECOFTC works closely with government agencies, communities and partners to advance biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest landscape management, including through the Integrated Forest Landscape Management for Strengthening the North-eastern and Eastern Forest Corridors (IFLMS-NE&E) project. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) serving as the GEF implementing agency. RECOFTC holds overall executing and technical responsibility for the project as the operational partner, with FAO providing oversight and technical support, and the Royal Forest Department (RFD) serving as the lead government partner agency.
The project focuses on four forest complexes along Thailand's eastern border: Phu Phan, Phanom Dongrak–Pha Tam, Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai and the eastern forest, which together span 6.5 million hectares of globally significant wildlife habitat, home to species such as the Asian elephant, the Indo-Chinese tiger and the Great Hornbill. These landscapes are under growing threat from forest degradation, land-use change and habitat encroachment and fragmentation, which increasingly expose wildlife to human activity. The Government of Thailand has recognized that protecting these habitats requires a landscape approach, since the effectiveness of protected areas depends heavily on what happens in the surrounding lands and waters, shaped by the actions of communities, private landowners and government agencies.
The project’s primary goal is to strengthen biodiversity conservation across these four complexes by improving forest landscape management. This involves strengthening government policy, institutional arrangements and capacities for conservation within and between protected areas, mainstreaming biodiversity objectives into the management of forests, agricultural land and plantations, and reducing human-wildlife conflict. The project also contributes to broader national policies and laws on land degradation, gender equity, rural development and climate change.
Delivery of the project draws on a wide network of partners at the national, provincial and local levels, including government departments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and academic institutions. More than 30 stakeholder groups are engaged across the four target forest complexes, including provincial government departments, local authorities, local administrative organizations, forest plantation owners, community forest users, local communities and academic institutions.
- Organize, document and archive project files, ensuring they remain complete, up to date and easily accessible
- Manage and maintain project files in line with audit requirements and FAO guidelines
- Draft contracts for service providers and consultants, and maintain an overview of contract status, including payments made, instalment schedules and outstanding balances
- Maintain and update inventory lists and conduct regular inventory checks to ensure all assets are properly recorded
- Ensure office facilities are comfortable and functioning to support the team’s work and operations
- Arrange official travel for the PMU team, support procurement processes and coordinate logistics for meetings, workshops and events as assigned by the PTA
- Contribute to project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
- Ensure effective communication and coordination on administrative and financial matters among project staff, stakeholders and donors
- Ensure project staff time allocations are accurately recorded and followed
- Support the project team with other project-related tasks as needed
- Prepare cash advances and support expense settlements for approved activities
- Maintain accurate and complete records of project expenditures and supporting documentation
- Prepare and monitor project budgets, financial reports and cash flow projections in line with the project budget plan and GEF requirements
- Coordinate with project partners to manage co-financing and related reporting
- Manage procurement in accordance with RECOFTC’s policies and guidelines, including identifying and liaising with service providers to complete the procurement processes
- Coordinate with RECOFTC Thailand’s and RECOFTC Main Office’s Corporate Service team to ensure administrative and financial requirements are met within required timelines
- Process invoices, payments and reimbursements accurately and on time
- Support the PTA in preparing co-financing documents and reports, including supporting capacity development for key stakeholders on financial management
- Coordinate with RECOFTC Main Office and FAO to prepare for project audits and any required spot checks
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Finance, Procurement, or Logistics Management
- At least three years of progressive experience in finance, procurement or logistics management in a multicultural environment and/or with international organizations
- Demonstrated experience ensuring compliance with organizational systems, processes and procedures in donor-funded projects
- Good knowledge of Thailand’s tax rules and regulations
- Ability to multitask, manage stressful situations and meet financial reporting deadlines
- Effective communication and representation skills with fluency in written and spoken Thai and English
- Strong computer literacy, particularly with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint) and relevant bookkeeping software
- Thai nationality
- Substantial knowledge of standard logistics procedures and practices, particularly within the FAO system
- Familiarity with FAO's specific administrative, financial and procurement systems
- Demonstrated openness to change and ability to manage complexity, including responding constructively to critical feedback and differing points of view
- Strong knowledge and experience in accountability and learning, including participatory approaches
- Familiarity with IT applications, especially ERP systems for budgeting and financial reporting
- Embrace innovation
- Adapt to and learn from challenges
- Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
- Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
- Commit to sustainability
- Cultivate participation, gender equality and social inclusion
- Prioritize well-being
- At RECOFTC, we uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and responsibility in all our operations. Our policies and guidelines are designed to ensure a safe, inclusive, sustainable and ethical environment for our staff, partners, consultants and the communities we serve.
- All staff, consultants and contractors engaged by RECOFTC are required to comply with RECOFTC’s policies and procedures while performing their roles with RECOFTC.