Finance and administration Officer (3 Required)

VSO is the world’s leading international organisation working through volunteers to create a fair world for everyone. We focus on people who are marginalised or excluded, including those living in poverty, people with disabilities or illness, and those facing discrimination, violence, disasters, disease, and conflict.

VSO places these individuals at the centre of its work as primary actors and agents of change. We work with communities to identify their priorities, opportunities, and solutions, supporting locally led and sustainable change.

Our Approach

VSO’s Volunteering for Development (VfD) approach supports vulnerable and marginalised people to claim their rights and drive lasting change. It addresses the root causes of vulnerability and marginalisation through three core approaches: social inclusion and gender, social accountability, and resilience. These approaches underpin our work in inclusive education, health, resilient livelihoods and peace building.

About the Job

VSO is a lead implementer of the Internship Opportunities for Young Women program (iWork), financed by the Mastercard Foundation. The program will be implemented in Ethiopia across Amhara, Oromia, and Harari regional states, as well as the Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations. iWork aims to create internship opportunities for 24,000 financially disadvantaged young people, with a primary focus on young women. The program also promotes inclusion by reaching persons with disabilities, refugees, internally displaced people, and returnees. Through internships, iWork aims to help young women build the skills and experience they need to access dignified and fulfilling work, contributing to poverty reduction and an improved quality of life.

VSO Ethiopia is recruiting an experienced  Finance and Administration officer for iWork program.

Role Purpose: 

Process all financial transactions required by the project, in line with VSO’s policies, donor’s requirement, legal and regulatory compliance. Implement financial controls defined by the Compliance and Finance Manager. Provide financial and administration support to Cluster Coordinator and project team

Task Responsibilities

Planning & Budgeting

• Provide finance and administration support for the grant start-up and close-out.
• Prepare monthly project specific budget vs actual and provide variance analysis report to finance and operation manager.

Expenditure & Income Management

• Responsible for all expenditure and payment documentations, filing and recording in SUN system.
• Implement expense claims and advances processes in line with VSO’s policies: ensure supporting documents are provided, secure relevant approvals, process payments. Ensure compliance is achieved. Ensure that all suppliers payment requests are valid, have adequate supporting documents and are checked for budget availability and processed timely in line with VSO’s policy.
• Ensure that monthly reconciliations of cash and bank balances are timely.
• Rectify and re-code wherever wrong codes noted including as per instruction from program and budget holders.
• Perform regular physical verification of fixed asset/distribution materials at VSO & partner office.
• Prepare & record Expenses / adjustment / recodes to SUN when required.
• Advise internal and external stakeholder on the finance processes as required to ensure a smooth and timely completion. Provide technical support and training as appropriate.

Risks, Compliance and Audit

• Prepare any statutory reports as required and make timely remittance of all statutory payments, local tax filling in line wit legal requirements procedures and preparing reports as required. Anticipate any potential issue and escalate to the Compliance and Finance Manager to ensure timely and quality delivery of the reports.

Partner financial Management & Capacity Development

• Perform account allocation and reconcile partners ledger in SUN.
• Review partner disbursement request and follow-up on small grants. obtain monthly reports from partners on time. Check and verify expenses submitted by partners on a regular basis and provide observation report to partners.
• Provide training, coaching, and mentoring and regular updates to project team and partners on specific finance grant requirements and compliance mechanism.

Office Management:

• Handling daily administrative tasks, managing office supplies, maintaining filing systems, and ensuring the overall smooth functioning of the office environment.

Travel & Logistics:

• Coordinating travel arrangements, accommodation, and related logistics for and visitors. Anticipate potential issues and warn travelers as required. Keep abreast of potential security threats.
• Liaise with Project Facilitation to collect the necessary data for financial planning, budget utilization, procurement, logistics, payment processing, and financial compliance for programme activities.
• Coordinate with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Officer to ensure that financial records support programme reporting, activity verification, and donor compliance requirements.
• Communicate regular financial updates, budget monitoring reports, expenditure forecasts, and operational support to the Compliance and Finance Manager, contributing to effective financial oversight and successful delivery of the iWork Programme.
• Advise employees on the expense claims process and ensure the process is understood and followed.
• liaise with regional, zonal, and woreda government offices on financial, administrative, taxation, and compliance matters related to programme implementation.
• Liaise with external auditors, tax authorities, regulatory bodies, consortium partners, and other key stakeholders to ensure timely financial reporting, statutory compliance, effective resource management, and accountability. facilitate the timely exchange of financial and administrative information among all stakeholders to support the efficient and compliant
• implementation of the iWork Programme at cluster leve      

Competence required

Knowledge/Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent knowledge and skills in finance and accounting, Business Administration, Management, or a related field is required. A master’s degree in a relevant discipline will be considered an added advantage.

Required Experience

• Relevant experience in finance and administration, preferably within donor-funded development or humanitarian projects.
• Relevant experience in finance and administration, preferably within donor-funded development or humanitarian projects.
• Experience in budget management, financial reporting, cash management, procurement, and office administration.
• Experience working with NGOs/INGOs and applying donors financial and administrative compliance requirements is an advantage.
• Experience supporting project implementation at field or cluster level.
• Proficient skills in finance administration, accounting, and payroll.
• Good understanding of donor regulations and financial compliance requirements preferably MCF and private donors, and other Foundations.
• Good understanding of accounting principles, financial management, budgeting, and internal control systems.
• Knowledge of procurement, asset management, inventory control, and administrative procedures.
• Understanding of Ethiopian tax laws, labour regulations, and statutory reporting requirements is desirable.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong financial analysis, budgeting, and reporting skills.
• Excellent organizational, planning, and record management skills.
• High level of accuracy, integrity, and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with project teams, partners, and stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Problem-solving and analytical skills with sound professional judgment.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Proficient in using financial software, accounting system and reporting packages especially Excel, SUN systems, Q&A XL.
• Demonstrated engagement and collaboration skills.
• Good IT literacy (Microsoft, Zoom, project management, people management software).
• Good verbal and written communications in English and local languages.
• Commitment to VSO’s vision, mission, values, code of conduct, and VfD approach.

Travel Requirement

• Ability to travel frequently to project field locations, woredas and stakeholder sites within the assigned cluster, and occasionally to other programme locations as required.