Response Finance Manager ( Six Months with possible extension)

Strategic financial information and monitoring

• Provide strategic finance support to the Emergency Management Team and Save the Children members as part of the response Management Team.:   Master Budget development and monitoring in coordination with Awards team, and advice on how to best to utilise a programme’s funding portfolio.
• Develop effective relationships with existing Country finance staff
• Provide a high standard of financial accounting management, ensuring compliance to local statutory law and donors regulations and consistent with Save the Children accounting policies, procedures and tools.
• Ensure that Save the Children’s commitment to improving quality and accountability in humanitarian work is upheld, through reference to the Sphere Project Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards, the NGO Code of Conduct, and other relevant tools.
• Responsible for accurate, complete and reliable financial information is maintained in the Country program financial system, and there exists effective control procedure. And also to provide expert support and advice to regional Hubs, Sub offices, Senior Management Team and budget holders.

Cost recovery and budgeting

• Ensure preparation of donor financial reports and proposal budgets
• Ensure full cost recovery is achieved (through strategic financial management and proposal budget development)
• Ensure all donor financial compliance requirements are complied with and reports are prepared on time with complete audit trial.
• responsible for Budget vs actual Review, budget phasing templates, plan and posting of budgets and other transactions into.
• Manages the Program financial information on the Financial systems.
•  Provide the response Management Team monthly updates, prepares response financial plan and budget
• Ensures timely preparation and audit of the response awards
• Internal Controls
• Ensure that at all stages of the response the control framework of the operation is consistent with the situation and ensure that necessary risks are taken knowingly with appropriate mitigating actions.
• Monitor coding of emergency expenditures and ensure timely adjustments when activation of new awards with relevant audit trail
• Support Cash Transfer programming activities from feasibility assessment to implementation, and ensure accountability by enforcing adequate controls
• Identify, assess, input, recommend on the existing and desired reconciliation process (reporting assurance mechanism) between Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Distribution, M&E that will ensure accountable reporting to donors on all humanitarian inputs (items delivered to beneficiaries).

Cash flow

• Ensure accurate cash flow forecasts are developed and submit cash request as per SC policy to Country office Treasury unit.
• Ensure Safe cash b transit alternatives through implementation of Emergency cash management guidelines

Resources and capacity building

• Responsible for staffing, coaching and mentoring staff, providing equal and relevant opportunities for professional and career development for the Response Finance staffs.
• Assess new partner financial capacity and provide financial capacity building when relevant
• Assess finance surge staff requirements and structure in coordination with existing Country Office and Regional Office finance team
• Recruit, train and manage finance staff and/or work closely with existing finance staff.
• Ensure that all new staff recruited into the response are adequately inducted in Save the Children emergencies and financial systems
• Strengthen the non-finance staff knowledge and capacity to manage finance by providing, induction, training and coaching consistent with their various roles and responsibilities.
• Provide interim support to a country or regional programme which lacks finance resources in various roles (Country Finance and Manager, Regional Finance Manager, Audit Officer etc) if multi-country response.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.
• Ready to travel to the Field Offices for Finance support
• Any other tasks that may be required from time to time.

• Minimum Bachelor Degree in Accounting
•  experience in working with key donors including USAID, EC, ECHO, DFID, NORAD, UNHCR
• Recommended a minimum of 8 years’ management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, of which three at a management level within the finance department of a national or international organization
• Knowledge of the requirements and experience managing grants from the major emergency donors including budgeting, eligibility issues, compliance management, and reporting.
• Experience of and well developed skills in staff management and supervision.  Proven coaching and capacity building skills.
• Excellent understanding of business and financial planning including strategic modelling
• Excellent analytical skills – the ability to analyse complex financial data and design and produce effective management information
• Excellent experience of budgeting and budget management
• Ability to manage a complex and diverse workload and to work to tight deadlines
• Proven track record of active contribution to a senior management team, and providing strategic support across multiple sectors and/or regions
• Good attention to detail and analytical skills
• IT literate (i.e. Word, advanced Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, financial systems).
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a demanding workload comprised of diverse and challenging tasks and responsibilities
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English, with experience in managing multicultural teams

Desirable

• experience, including first phase responses, with NGOs in an international emergency environment.
• Understanding of award management policies and procedures