Regional Finance Manager Africa

Regional Finance Manager Africa

Location:

Flexible - In a Cuso International Office in Africa (Addis, Calabar, Yaounde, or Dar Es Salaam)

Reports to:

Head of Programs, Africa

Salary Range:

To be determined

Language requirements:

Fluent in French and English

This is a local position; there is no reallocation allowance nor international benefits.

Summary

Reporting to the Head of Programs for Africa (HoP Africa), the Regional Finance Manager Africa (RFM) will lead all financial functions to enable the effective and efficient delivery of programs in Africa. The RFM will be the primary liaison between country program office (CPO) finance and Cuso International head office finance staff.

The RFM will:

· Prepare accurate and timely consolidated financial accounting records and reporting for the region;

• Ensure external funding is fully and appropriately spent and controlled; and
• Develop the capability of country program office (CPO) staff in financial and administration management as appropriate.

The RFM also will contribute to the strategic development of the finance and administrative functions for the Africa region, leading the implementation and maintenance of standards, policies, procedures and practices across all CPO and in compliance with Cuso International standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES:

Financial Management

Deliverable:

Support and development of the regional finance team, enabling the effective and efficient delivery of program activities in Africa.

Specific duties and responsibilities:

· Ensuring that all financial transactions are appropriately recorded in accordance with Cuso International policies;

· Ensure the ongoing maintenance of Cuso International’s general ledger, including the completion of monthly, quarterly and annual period end close procedures;

· Ensure that timely preparation and submission of required regular reporting to Cuso International HQ;

· Provide ongoing review and implementation of improvements to financial controls, systems and policies and procedures in the country office;

· Lead the effective development, management and monitoring of an annual department budget with timely and appropriate performance-to-budget analysis;

· Provide ongoing analysis and recommendations to HoP Africa and HQ finance staff

· Maintaining grant compliance in line with donor contractual obligations and requirement and lead on preparation of donor financial reports to ensure full compliance with donor requirements;

· Lead and advise on all financial strategic direction matters and supporting the HoP to assess the short and long-term implications of financial issues;

· Develop and oversee financial management policies which reflect good practice as well as Cuso International’s current financial management policies;

· Coordinate all budgeting activities according to Cuso International guidelines and, through the participatory involvement of CPO staff, ensure that regional budgets are harmonized;

· Coach and train managers and staff in all areas of financial management, include project specific grant management workshops as appropriate;

· In collaboration with the Director of Finance and Operations, set up financial and grant management systems and manuals for each of the externally funded projects/programs in Africa;

· Supporting the preparation of externally funded Cuso International program and project proposals, including project, regional and CPO budgets for review and approval by the HoP Africa;

· Ensure all financial and administrative matters relating to volunteers and staff are processed effectively and in a timely manner;

· Develop, coordinate and facilitate “Grant Management workshops” for CPO staff when appropriate;

· Establish and maintain procedures for the effective and timely processing of payments, monthly and year end accounting, and bank and cash management in line with Cuso International policy and local law throughout the region;

· Facilitate all activities related to internal and external annual financial and donor audits;

· Working in collaboration in a cross-functional manner, ensure integrated and complementary administrative, logistical and financial systems and information management systems;

Administration:

Deliverable:

Support the development and implementation of consistent administrative policies and procedures in Africa in compliance with Cuso International administrative policies.

· Ensure consistency of administrative policies and procedures across the Region and compliance with Cuso International policies and procedures;

· Support each CPO in the development of their Office Operations Manual;

· Develop administrative policies and procedure for the region as needed;

· Assess the capacity of each CPO for administrative management and build their capacity accordingly;

· Ensure that CPOs provide high quality administrative support to international volunteers and staff;

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

Being fluently bilingual both orally, reading and writing in French and English is required for this position.

Education:

• A recognized accounting designation from a national accounting association, accounting qualifications (Master’s or Bachelors’ degree) or relevant and commensurate work experience in accounting/finance roles;

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of relevant work experience in the area of financial management and administration;
• At least three (3) years of experience in grant management compliance of major donor funded programs and projects;

Knowledge:

• Good understanding of administration and financial management policy frameworks and the ability to achieve compliance and/or lead new processes and procedures in this area;

Abilities and Skills:

• Excellent technical financial management skills, including the ability to understand and work with restricted and unrestricted funds concepts and project funding issues;
• Excellent financial planning, budgeting and report-writing skills;
• Good negotiation skills, and strong problem solving abilities;
• Excellent time management and priority-setting skills, including the ability to meet deadlines;
• Advanced Excel skills and familiarity working with computer-based financial systems;
• Ability to effectively communicate complex financial issues, both orally and in writing, to a variety of recipients, including external donors and internal staff;
• Ability to analyze staff development needs (finance-and administration related) and to contribute to the delivery of training and coaching at an individual and group level;
• Ability to stay calm under pressure, a heavy workload and during emergency situations;
• Ability to work effectively with others, including in geographically-dispersed teams located across Africa and at head office;

Others:

• Willingness to travel internationally as needed;
• Fluency in both English and French, written and spoken is essential for this position;
• Practical commitment to a workplace culture of respect, inclusion and high performance;
• Strong motivation and commitment to learning and improving work place systems and practices.

Desirable

• Formal training in Financial Management for the not-for-profit sector;
• Experience working with major donors such as GAC, USAID, the World Bank, etc.;
• Knowledge of Cuso International’s goals and approach to development work;
• Knowledge of the development and socio-political context of African countries where Cuso International works.

HOW TO APPLY:

HOW TO APPLY

Your application must be forwarded to hr.westafrica@cusointernational.org, with the competition number:Regional Finance Manager, 2016-25 clearly marked as the subject number. Applications must be received bySeptember 5th, 2016 11:59 pm Eastern Time. No late applications will be considered. CV must be 3 pages in length maximum and covering letter must be 1-page long maximum written in English or French. To be considered, your résumé and cover letter should demonstrate that all of the essential qualifications are met. Applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.