Response Finance Manager

ROLE PURPOSE:

The primary function of the Finance Manager is to support in ensuring Humanitarian Response in Ethiopia is in compliance with Save the Children’s accounting policy, donor requirements, and generally accepted accounting principles through the development and implementation of financial policies and procedures or to support the response team in quickly developing and implementing a humanitarian-response.

The Response Finance Manager will provide the primary financial management inputs in the Save the Children emergency response program working closely with Ethiopia Country Office. The role has three main aspects to it: leading the emergencies finance teams, providing the Response Team Leadership with finance oversight; and capacity building finance and non-finance staff in their financial professional development.

Strategic financial information and monitoring

• Provide strategic financial 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 the Awards team, and advice on how to utilize a program’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 a complete audit trail.
• responsible for Budget vs actual Review, budget phasing templates, plan and posting of budgets, and other transactions.
• Manages the Program's 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

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Strategic financial information and monitoring

• Provide strategic financial 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 the Awards team, and advice on how to best utilize a program’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 an 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 a complete audit trail.
• responsible for Budget vs actual Review, budget phasing templates, plan and posting of budgets, and other transactions.
• Manages the Program's 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 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 requests as per SC policy to the Country office Treasury unit.
• Ensure Safe cash b transit alternatives through the 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 staff.
• 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 program 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.

Job Requirements

Essential

• 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 in and well-developed skills in staff management and supervision.  Proven coaching and capacity-building skills.
• Excellent understanding of business and financial planning including strategic modeling
• Excellent analytical skills – the ability to analyze complex financial data and design and produce effective management information
• Excellent experience in 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 the 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 organize 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

How to Apply

Qualified candidates can submit their CVs and applications letters to the below link.

https://stcuks03.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en&portal=101430233-