Deputy Director of Finance At International Rescue Committee

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 50 countries and more than 25 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

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As a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), the Deputy Director Finance (DDF) provides financial leadership and management necessary to ensure that the Democratic Republic of Congo CP has the appropriate financial infrastructure and systems in place to support the strategic vision and mission of the organization.

They will play an active role in the formulation of strategic and operational plans for the country programs, taking ownership of ensuring and monitoring the delivery of financial plans through detailed financial analysis. The DDF holds overall responsibility for establishing policies and leading the financial and accounting aspects of the Democratic Republic of Congo CP. The focus will be on implementing financial management policies, practices, and systems that align with local laws, US regulations, and donor requirements while also facilitating the efficient execution of country programs. S/He will collaborate closely with the country’s senior management team to ensure acceptable levels of performance regarding cross-departmental business policies and procedures and collectively troubleshoot and develop solutions.

They will act as the principal finance business partner to the SMT and Country Director (CD), Regional staff as well as conforming to IRCs financial control environment and CFO standards and objectives.

Based in Goma- Democratic Republic of Congo, the Deputy Director, Finance will have dual reporting to the CD and the Regional Finance Director-EA, including straight-line accountability to the Global Chief Finance Officer.

Major Responsibilities

Strategic Planning & Analysis

• Provides financial information that supports the CD and SMT in making business decisions in line with IRC and Regional & Country Program strategies.

• Provides strategic analysis on the overall financial health of the country program to the CD and SMT.

• Contributes actively and offers feedback in the development of Country Programs Strategic Annual Plan.

Controllership

• Ensures compliance with IRC and donor policies and procedures within the country, leading all aspects of in-country practices.

• Develops in-country finance procedures to complement global policies as needed.

• Reviews financial activities closely and shares insights with the Country Director on the financial performance of the office, issues with internal controls, or financial management.

• Ensures timely completion of monthly financial reports.

• Ensure timely implementation of internal and external audit recommendations related to the Finance Department.

• Manages activities and schedules of the finance department to meet the financial reporting requirements and timeframes set by headquarters and donors.

• Identifies reporting format requirements and develops formats to facilitate the management of country operations and grant expenditures.

• Lead the preparation and approval of all donor financial reports, ensuring compliance with accounting, legal, and contractual requirements, with review by the CD and Regional Controller prior to submission.

• Conducts regular internal control reviews of operations in the country.

• Facilitates external, internal, donor, or government audits.

• Oversees the protection of the country’s assets (cash, inventory, fixed assets) through the enforcement of internal control policies and procedures.

• Stays updated on local government requirements related to finance, ensuring adherence to

• tax and other legal obligations.

• Serves as the primary liaison with IRC HQ on all finance, accounting, grant budget management, and cash management.

Treasury

• Provides supervision for all country program bank relationships and activities related to bank accounts, including the negotiation of fees, interest rates, and currency exchange rates.

• Oversees the review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations in Kyriba system.

• Maintains up-to-date and accurate cash forecasts to effectively plan for future spending, including commitments that entail future spending obligations for the IRC.

• Ensures the maintenance of appropriate balances to support grant implementation and regular withdrawal of cash held at headquarters.

• Ensures the development and implementation of a plan to minimize the country’s foreign exchange exposure to currency gains and losses.

• Supervises the collection of contractual and other receivables.

Budget/Forecast

• Oversees the preparation and revision of grant proposal budgets and finance reports; supports programs by offering guidance on costing and contributing to the creation of budgets for submission.

• Prepares and maintains the country’s annual operating budget, ensuring adequate coverage for in-country operational expenses and regularly updating the budget.

• Presents and facilitates the review of actual budget expenditures with the CD and program managers.

People Management

• Establishes a matrix outlining roles and responsibilities within the finance department, ensuring that staff job descriptions are current. Provide guidance and supervision to the finance team to discuss job expectations, set objectives, and provide appropriate and timely feedback on the performance of direct reports.

• Recruits and retains qualified personnel capable of carrying out finance-related tasks.

• Ensures that comprehensive and meaningful performance reviews are completed annually and implements career planning and development plans for all finance staff.

• Designs and implements a training program specifically tailored to improve the skills of the country’s finance staff.

• Provides oversight for finance training and technical support to non-finance staff, aiming to improve their proficiencies in accounting, reporting, and internal control.

• Create an inclusive team climate focused on the achievement of team and individual results, and that emphasizes the importance of mutual respect, trust, listening, ownership, learning, productivity, accountability, and openness.

• Adhere to IRC’s performance management system, providing regular, timely, and thoughtful coaching, feedback, performance assessment, and professional development for all direct reports, while making sure that they do the same for their direct reports.

• Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, focusing equally on interpersonal exchange, as well as work.

• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being and ensure to create systems and practices where work supports life and continuously role model such practices.

Key Working Relationships:

• Position Reports to: Country Director and the Regional Finance Director-CA

• Position directly supervises: Deputy Finance Controller-Accounting, Deputy finance Controller Internal audit, Deputy Finance Controller- Budgeting & Financial Reporting

• Other Internal and/or external contacts: Country Director and Country Management Colleagues, Local and HQ Finance teams.

External: Financial Institution, Ministry of Finances

Qualification :

• Post-graduate with a minimum of 5 years of experience in a humanitarian context (in complex and volatile context)

• Experience must include work in a similar role within international humanitarian/emergency contexts

• Exceptional coordination and inter-personal skills

• Background in situation analysis, needs assessments and emergency response project implementation.

• Demonstrably excellent written and oral communication skills; strong English writing skills required.

• Experience with integrated emergency response required.

• Proficient in MS Office, MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint

• Flexibility to adapt to changing demands and the ability to work under pressure are essential

• Knowledge of the DRC context (especially Eastern part of the country)

Work experience :

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce, Finance or equivalent required; recognized professional certificate in accounting such as CPA, or a master’s degree in Accounting preferred

• Extensive experience working in development or humanitarian response, including proven experience living and working in the relevant field in developing and transitioning countries

• Minimum of five years of managerial experience in finance

• Requires extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet and database programs (e.g. SUN System, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power BI, and Vision Excel Analyzer).

• Desirable: experience in supporting a transition to an ERP system.

• Desirable: IRC experience

• Essential: fluency in French

• Good written and verbal skills in the English language

• Must be comfortable in being a proactive member of the senior management team. Must have a proven track-record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions.

• Must be able to function effectively in a complex work environment, setting appropriate priorities and manage challenging priorities and pressure

• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support

• Must have excellent interpersonal communication skills and professional patience and be able to interact, partner and thrive in a diverse environment

• Committed to staff training and development and effective at facilitation

The work environment:
The DDF will be based in Goma, in DRC, and will travel throughout the country to field program locations (30%). The security situation in DRC is still unstable but there are different sources of hope for the country to return to peace. The security level remains at 3 (orange phase). The candidate must be prepared to work in insecure environments. This is an unaccompanied position.

Housing: Individual housing unaccompanied. All IRC sites have electricity and internet although some interruptions can be experienced. Food is the individual’s responsibility.

Specific Security Situation/ Housing: The designated base location for this position is Goma in North Kivu Province. Crime and theft are common so there is limited freedom of movement. Civil conflict is ongoing in parts of the Eastern DRC and the area is considered unstable. Strict adherence to security guidelines is requested of all IRC staff.

Returning national candidates:

IRC strives to attract, motivate, and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the Country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the IRC has introduced an attractive remuneration package.

National applications as well as female applications are strongly encouraged.