Position: Disbursement Finance Officer
- Organization: PETCO Ethiopia
- Location: Addis Ababa
- Category: Finance & Operations
- Report to: Finance and Compliance Manager
- Salary: Competitive salary and a range of additional benefits
- Employment Term: Annual contract, renewable based on available fund
- Closing Date: Sept 3, 2026
About PETCO Ethiopia:
PETCO Ethiopia is a non-for-profit Board led local organization incorporated in 2019. PETCO Ethiopia promotes a circular economy system to assure products and materials are kept in circulation through
Circular designating, maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and Composting. PETCO Ethiopia seeks to minimize the environmental impact of post-consumer waste through accelerating the manufacturing sector shift from Linier to a Circular Economy production system; supporting existing and creating green jobs for women, youth, and marginalized people; as well as promoting exercise of self-regulation for sustainable business in industries and institutions. PETCO Ethiopia operates throughout Ethiopia and has its head office in Addis Ababa. Moreover, PETCO Ethiopia is fostering access to finance, and capacity building, to foster enterprise development in Ethiopia across agro-processing & food, handcraft, textile and garment, solid waste, and leather sectors.
Program Background
PETCO Ethiopia is implementing 5-years of consortium project joint with Center of Accelerated Women Economic Empowerment (CAWEE) and Ethiopia Enterprise Development Since July 2024. The program is funded by the Mastercard Foundation contract to Mabqat Project focuses on Enable Young Women and Men to Find Dignified and Fulfilling Work in Manufacturing in Ethiopia by capacitating existing SMEs. The program aims to:
- Build SME capacity to sustainably create new jobs and improve existing ones through offering tailored business capacity building and mentorship; enhancing access to markets and raw materials flow; and improving SMEs’ human resources capacity to create safe and inclusive working conditions for young women and men.
- Improve Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) offerings to better prepare women and youth to enter the workforce (facilitate school-to-work transition).
- Facilitate a robust financial ecosystem to help SMEs access tailored financial services that allow them to grow and increase employment opportunities for young women in particular, and to invest in infrastructure that can improve young women and men's working conditions.
- Strengthen the enablers (ecosystem) to foster private sector engagement, stakeholder coordination synergy, and policy development for sustainable and scalable job growth.
Job Summary
The Disbursement Finance Officer oversees, verifies, and executes all payments, bank operations, and operational disbursements in accordance with organizational financial policies, donor requirements, and Ethiopian regulatory standards. This role ensures timely vendor payments, accurate advance liquidations, proper tax withholdings, and flawless financial tracking to maintain internal compliance and operational continuity.
Key Responsibilities & Detailed Duties
1. Disbursement & Payment Processing
- Review all payment requests, purchase orders, invoices, and supporting vouchers for accuracy, completeness, and proper authorization before disbursement.
- Prepare wire transfers, check payments, and bank order letters for vendor invoices, consultant fees, staff travel advances, and utility payments.
- Compute and ensure accurate tax withholdings (Withholding Tax, VAT) in accordance with Ethiopian tax laws, issuing official tax receipts to vendors promptly.
- Verify advance liquidation reports (per diems, operational expenses) against receipts, activity logs, and approved travel authorizations.
Banking & Treasury Operations
- Serve as the primary focal person for day-to-day banking transactions, check delivery, and letter handovers across partner financial institutions (e.g., Dashen Bank).
- Perform weekly and monthly bank reconciliations for operational and project accounts, resolving outstanding items or bank charges promptly.
- Manage petty cash funds, including disbursements, physical counts, weekly reconciliations, and replenishment requests.
Financial Record-Keeping & Compliance
- Record all payment vouchers, receipts, and cash movements accurately into the financial accounting software/ERP system.
- Maintain a secure, structured physical and electronic archiving system for all payment vouchers, bank receipts, and tax records to ensure audit readiness.
- Support internal and external statutory/donor audits by preparing complete disbursement files, schedules, and requested documentation.
Inter-Departmental Collaboration & Support
- Coordinate closely with Procurement and Operations teams to track payment status, clarify billing discrepancies, and confirm delivery of goods/services before settlement.
- Provide guidance to project staff on travel expense guidelines, per diem rates, and liquidation requirements.