Finance Manager – International Rescue Committee – IRC

BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

 Under direct supervision of the field coordinator, the Finance Manager will be responsible for the overall financial management of the Jijiga field office financial management, grant, and contracts management and compliances, financial risk management, audits, Internal and government reports, staff training and capacity building. The position is expected to coordinate with field team and country team. While the field coordinator is a direct supervisor, the position reports to Deputy director for Finance on technical aspects.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.    Compliances – Donors, governments and IRC policies and procedures

General

Ensure Compliances are maintained through quality financial documents review and quality and timely reporting in line with donor, IRC and gov’t policies and guideline. IRC field office authorization matrix updated timely, and all signatories timely added for effective workflow and communicated to main office finance in Addis Ababa. Develop tracker and ensure timely settlement of PIT, WHT, etc to government authorities.  Audit files maintained and updated (policy documents, internal controls checklists, document review feedback, field BSR, DOA, etc)

Specific

·         Ensure all PR reviews per the approved budget, donor compliance, and IRC policies

·         Review bid analysis and payment requests per the procurement SOP and IRC policy

·         Ensure all payment approvals are done based on the approved authorization matrix

·         Update field office authorization matrix regularly are shared for respective staffs after approval

·         Ensure all advances are settled per the policy and follow the timely settlement per the IRC policy

·         Ensure all monthly SPC costs are charged to grants and make sure to comply to the policy

·         Ensure segregation of duties per the internal control policy

·         Report policy violation to supervisor

·         Provide orientation for new IRC staffs and aware of main financial requirements

·         Maintain audit file

·         Update internal controls checklist

·         Monitor and maintain DOA files

·         Prepare BSR and flag any financial exposure monthly

·         Timely PIT, WHT, etc settlement

·         Timely submission of all internal reports, mapping, field BSR, Cash needs, etc

·         Others

2.    Field office support and financial reporting

General

Deliver quality financial reports timely and involve in strengthening field office financial management, controls environment and reporting. In coordination with main office finance, develop tools to monitor and manage the field office tasks properly. Ensure the team will effectively discharge their responsibility through close follow up and confirm timely delivery of the monthly hardcopy and softcopy reports. Provide constructive feedback for any irregularities that observed while document review and follow up to ensure corrections has made. Arrange on job training on financial reporting to enhance field office staff capacity. Submit monthly financial reports to supervisor for review and Addis office timely. Report any red flag observed to supervisor during quality documentation reviews.

Specific

·         Ensure field office documents are reviewed and sequentially field before submission to Addis office

·         Ensure field office are delivering both soft-copy and hard-copy financial reports timely.

·         Ensure field office reports are complete by availing all the necessary support documents

·         Ensure field office submitted their SPC mapping and run field SPC transaction on monthly

·         Ensure field office report is accurate by ensuring proper Account code, T1, T2, T3, T6 and T7

·         Following up low performing field office staff and provide the support required for those specific field office staff.

·         Following up with field team for any variance with the report and address timely.

·         Address Addis office review comments on time.

·         Arrange a schedule for on job-learning opportunity for field office staff to update themselves on all finance areas from source document process to reports.

·         Upload sun backup and run field office reports.

·         Request timely financial pads for field finance and follow up of new pad print based on the remaining balance

·         Submit internal reports timely

·         Report any red flag observed during quality review

·         Submission of intercompany transactions for clearance timely

·         Coordinate with Addis finance and develop tools to monitor and manage the field office tasks

·         Ensure approved payments are processed within 24 hours. Coordinate with SC to submit payment requests generated from the BVA system within 12 hours.

·         Others

3.    Cash management (cash in-flow and outflow)

General

Ensure the field office treasury (cash and bank) properly managed through on time payment process, receivable/payable management, by ensuring the field office cash projection reasonableness and realistically prepared, manage the overall field office cash inflow and out flow, cash transactions are managed daily, conduct regular and surprise cash counts and accurate monthly bank and cash reconciliation prepared. New bank accounts are opened, and old accounts are closed as per the organization and local gov’t procedures. Online BVA is closely monitored, and paid transactions marked as paid and BVA clean-up conducted daily.

Specific

·         Ensure on-time payments of approved payment requests to suppliers and IRC staffs

·         Working with the team to ensure daily update for bank and cash journals

·         Ensure all bank account reconciliation prepared every month and ensure clearance of outstanding checks timely

·         Follow up with main office and ensure on-time transfer of cash to field office based on the cash projection

·         Ensure timely submission of realistic cash projection to Addis finance after field team reviews

·         Provide a cash analysis report to Addis finance manager for operation (treasury and accounting) to decide the next cash transfer for the field office

·         Ensure new bank account opening and closing per the approval

·         Ensure the clearance of all balance sheet account promptly

·         Ensure proper amortization of all prepayments and on-time report for supervisor for any variance

·         Ensure on-time BVA clearance for all paid transactions

·         Ensure all Addis staff salary payments on time

·         Following up on timely and surprise count

·         Conduct regular weekly cash counts

·         Ensure BVA cleanup is done daily for paid payments.

·         Manage field office receivable and payable accounts.

·         Others

1. Risk management and Audit

General

Ensure the monthly pension, Income tax and withholding tax are paid to respective gov’t office on timely schedule. Prepare financial reports for government timely and manage any question or concerns efficiently. Coordinate with Addis finance and engage on audit plan as necessary, coordinate the team in providing sampled documents to auditors as requested by main office and addressing any audit queries related to your respective field office. Ensure good relationship with banks, government tax and pension authorities. The field office monthly financial documents are scanned and filled in easily traceable sequence in the box. Identify potential field office risks, communicate with Addis finance office, and develop a plan to prevent it.

Specific

·         Ensure monthly pension settlement for all eligible IRC staffs before the deadline

·         Ensure monthly settlement of I/Tax and WHT for all IRC offices.

·         Assist the main office on the CHSA audit and avail all requested documents, as necessary.

·         Ensure all soft copy and scan copy of IRC financial documents are maintained as per the IRC standards

·         Prepare financial reports for government and engage in the development of the audit plan when requested.

·         Ensure on-time delivery of audit documents for all grants audit and government audit as requested by main office.

·         Identify potential risk areas, develop plan to prevent/mitigate. When it happens, report immediately to your supervisor for next action.

·         Report red flags to your supervisor immediately.

·         Others

1. Financial and budget management – Field office

General

Ensure quality monthly field office reports shared with main office (Addis office) by 16^th and 2^nd of subsequent month (for the 2^nd and complete batch- up to 30/31^st). Ensure the field office budgets are managed properly and timely.   Be proactive and team player in bringing the team together and providing support. The field office monthly balance sheet report be prepared, and close follow-up and timely correction made in consultation with supervisor and Addis finance.

Specific

·         Ensure field office hard documents and e-reports are submitted to Addis finance on the 16^th (1^st half) and on the 2^nd of the subsequent month (for full month) for the 2^nd half of the previous month.

·         Submit monthly/quarterly cash needs to Addis finance on time.

·         Following up monthly preparation of payable and receivable to share for respective staffs

·         Prepare monthly field office balance sheet report and share with finance manager (operation) in Addis on 14^th of every month.

·         Ensure to restore SUN back to run field reports monthly.

·         Ensure quality controls on every accounting transaction to be processed and uploaded to the system.

·         Verify the a/c and the T- codes combinations

·         Ensure your respective field offices budgets are managed properly and timely. Analytical reports are generated and discussed with budget holders.

·         Ensure all field office grants have spending plan and it is uploaded to the BVA system

·         Flag any issues on grant under/overspending timely and follow up on action plan.

·         Participate proactively on GOM, GRM, GCM, etc

·         Others.

–        Other Duties

·         Contribute to the overall proper functioning of the Finance department and field office operation by taking on any other duties assigned by supervisor.

·         Contribute to the overall improvement of the financial and accounting system in ETHIOPIA by providing recommendation to supervisor for consideration on specific areas that could be improved.

·         Contribute to team work and team play.

Education:

·         Bachelors’ degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance or Master degree in similar field of discipline.

Experience:

·         Minimum 6 year of relevant experience for BA holders and 3 years for Master holders.

·         Proven and progressive experience in financial management of different donors in International NGO setting.

·         Experience in managing donor grants/cooperative agreements, commercial contracts of US and European donors will be an added advantageous.

·         Experience working in the field offices is advantageous.

Skills and Abilities:

·         Good written and verbal skills in the English language

·         Ability to work under pressure.

·         Self-motivated, energetic, honest, highly responsible, and punctual.

·         Proactive to seek to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the level of management appropriate to effect solutions.

·         Ability to work as part of a team as well as to work autonomously when required.

·         Ability to use computer and Microsoft applications specially good knowledge of excel

Committed to staff training and development