Career
Join RDF and help build better government institutions in developing countries!
With a small team of smart people, we implement the most innovative systems for government institutions in poor countries to manage their licenses and revenues in an accountable manner. With RDF, you will help find solutions to some
of the most interesting challenges in the world. We offer you an extraordinary chance gain experience, to develop your skills and be part of an exciting and diverse team.
RDF is continuously expanding and recruiting new staff. There are two points of entry for a career in RDF, as a revenue specialist or software engineer:
– Revenue Specialist, based in client institutions responsible for project delivery.
– Software Engineer, based in Europe responsible for software development.
The Revenue Specialist will be responsible for implementing projects on the ground in RDF country of operations, within areas related to revenue mobilization from natural resources or property taxes. He/she will be assigned to a specific project and will be seconded to a natural resource Ministry or local government. The Specialist will report to the respective project team, providing the out-of-country support required.
The position is for one year, starting with a 4 months volunteer period and thereafter remuneration of EUR 2,198 per month. During the volunteer period, a EUR 1,000 stipend will be provided, including all other entitlements. Accommodation will be provided. International expatriate health and accident insurance is included. Transportation in-country is also provided for, as well as a home-leave flight to Europe.
General Responsibilities
Ensure delivery of results according to defined targets and milestones. Utilize and further develop methodologies and tools to supporting institutional capacity development with RDF softwares. Support business development in-country. Ensure proper documentation, training materials and information materials in general. Any other responsibilities as assigned by the programme team.
Requirements
Bachelor degree in public administration or related field. Master degree preferred. Sound understanding of efficient institutional regulations, procedures and processes. Excellent communication skills. French is an asset. Good ICT literacy skills and experience of working with IT systems. Active interest in issues related to international development. Ability to work in different social and cultural environment.
Revenue Specialist for Natural Resource Governance
The Specialist will be working as part of a team of specialists seconded to the government. The principal objective of the Revenue Specialist will be to ensure the efficient implementation of RDF’s systems, and ensure transparent and accountable usage of these systems. The specialist will be expected to establish full familiarization with Ministry administrative processes to inform the development and implementation of RD systems.
Moreover, the Revenue Specialist will be responsible for RDF’s revenue integration efforts with the Ministry of Finance or Revenue Authority. This involves, among other things, reconciliation of payment data between institutions, and supporting the government in setting up an extractive revenue taskforce.
Revenue Specialist for Local Government / Property Tax
The Specialist will work with council staff to generate results and positive changes in accountability and citizen service-orientation. He/she will help the council build capacity to manage revenues from property tax and engage the citizens in tax compliance for improved service delivery.
The Revenue Specialist will embark on a wide variety of tasks, including but not limited to: management of a team for property identification and assessment, organizing local sensitization activities, and stakeholder engagement to support the council in tax compliance. The Specialist will be working as part of a project team, with support from Senior Advisors, GIS experts and programme staff.
Revenue Specialist for Tax Governance and Risk Management
The specialist will work with central government, typically the Revenue Authority, Customs and Ministry of Finance. The principal objective of the Revenue Specialist is to ensure the implementation of RDF’s systems, and using them to improve processes of the client agency. This includes increasing capacity in data sharing, data analysis and risk/compliance management of tax-payers.
The Revenue Specialist will be expected to perform a wide variety of tasks such as system training, holding workshops, data management, and system innovation. The specialist will be part of a project team with support from senior advisors and system developers.
Are you a Software Engineer and want to help make governments in Africa more accountable?
The Revenue Development Foundation (RDF) is a Norwegian technology-driven non-profit organisation that delivers robust solutions to governments of low income countries at a fraction of the cost of what is available to them in the commercial sector. The current systems are built using modern open source technologies and have lowered the bar for government ICT staff to adopt and maintain the implemented solutions. Our solutions target natural resource management in the mining and forestry sector as well as local government revenue mobilization from property tax and business licenses. In addition to providing ICT solutions the foundation advises and engages governments in good governance, accountability, transparency and open data. All RDF systems support publication of data to public online repositories. The repository is central to making information available to the public and is the key component to RDFs open data policy.
We have projects in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Malawi and Mali. All four countries have adopted the Mining Concessions Administration System, and Sierra Leone and Malawi have also adopted our Forestry Concessions Administration System and Local Government Revenue Mobilisation system. RDF is a vibrant organisation built on the enthusiasm of a young team of professionals committed to achieve real impact on improving governance in Africa.
Role of a Software Engineer/Developer
Are you motivated by seeing direct impact of your work? The ideal candidate will be team oriented and have the proven ability to coordinate our focused team of developers. You will manage system releases based on requirements gathered by our in country specialists who engage with the client on a daily basis. The position requires a lot of innovation and the Engineer/Developer will be at the forefront of resolving some of the most strategic challenges in Africa today.
RDF software solutions have gone through several major releases, user feedback and re-building. Most systems are now based on a stable web-based platform that provides a solid basis for further development. As we continue to grow and develop solutions for our existing sectors we are also looking at further developing new solutions for upcoming projects.
Responsibilities
Lead Developer for web-based applications and mobile software solutions Delegate issues and manage development sprints. Manage the JIRA system and country team requirement sheets Delegate development tasks within the development team. Discuss and identify requirements with country teams Help design application features and make sure that scalable/sustainable frameworks are implemented. – “ future proofing” Quality control and deployment support
Requirements
Bachelor degree in Computer Science or equivalent Strong knowledge and implementation experience of Java-based programming language (JREE), Hibernate, Apache Tomcat/Spring environment. Products are built using Groovy/Grails Open Source Web Application Framework for JVM. Eclipse IDE Ability to work with open source DBs such as PostGres, MySQL etc. Knowledge of windows based deployments. Most clients run windows based architectures. Some knowledge of Google Android environment for mobile solutions Understanding of web application architecture and data models Proficient in the English language both written and spoken Some experience with Agile, release management, CVS and Amazon Web Services Ability to work independently and with remote teams
What We Offer
An opportunity to help resolve some of the most strategic challenges in Africa today Flexible working hours and environment For the more adventurous we also offer the opportunity to travel to support in country installations and training. The opportunity for you to give back in a sustainable manner! A reasonable salary with a huge dose of job satisfaction.
