Finance & Administrative Specialist, Akwa-Ibom

Title: Finance & Administrative Specialist

Location: Akwa Ibom**

Background:

The purpose of the five-year (2020-2025) “State Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness” (“State2State” or “S2S”) Activity is to increase the accountability, transparency and effectiveness of selected state and local governments (LGAs) in Nigeria. This will be achieved by: strengthening governance systems (with a focus on public financial management [PFM] and procurement, as well as monitoring and evaluation) related to the delivery of services in key sectors (basic education, primary health care, and water, sanitation and hygiene [WASH]); increasing government responsiveness to citizen needs and priorities; and improving government and civil society capacity to manage conflict (through work on prevention, mitigation and reconciliation with the same sectoral partners, not stand-alone assistance to the police or judiciary). State2State will achieve this purpose by facilitating the strengthening of subnational governance systems in a sustainable manner, supporting the efforts of local reformers and building on locally derived solutions including, to the extent possible, reforms already working in other parts of Nigeria.

Position Objectives:

The Finance & Administrative Specialist position will manage the state finance/accounting and administrative activities in Akwa Ibom.

Responsibilities:

The Finance & Administrative Specialist will prepare relevant reports; ensures that all states transactions follow DAI/USAID standards, regulations and policies; Manage the states administration processes; collates financial and technical reports; ensures timely and accurate financial reporting, aligned with technical outcomes. S/he will be responsible for providing the Senior Accounting Manager and the Accountant with the appropriate financial and operating information as necessary; allocate project funds among the states various program activities; work closely with other departments in the state on problems involving accounting systems and financial planning. The incumbent will help establish and maintain adequate system controls to protect against financial misstatement, in accordance with applicable government accounting and administrative regulations; will support the Federal level in coordinating the state annual and other financial audits—including preparation of supporting schedules and information—respond to auditor questions and consolidate report formats; manage all banking activities including withdrawals, deposits, and preparation of all bank payments and checks. S/he will record all financial transactions in Field Accounting System (FAS) on daily bases; ensures accurate and timely processing of invoices, advances and reimbursements, checks, and wire transfer payments; upload the expenses into Oracle based on DAI’s schedule; Performs monthly bank reconciliations and routinely monitors bank account balances. This role will work with the Accountant to approve and distribute travel advance amounts based on S2S’s travel advance policy; audits travel requests and expense reports for accuracy and compliance; follows procedures to ensure accurate and timely payment and reconciliation of travel advances, reimbursements for staff and partner travel; reviews and monitors outstanding advances report by paying close attention to advances that have not been settled after 30 days of issuance.

Reporting:

The Finance & Administrative Specialist will report to the State Team Lead, and coordinate closely with the finance and administrative team in the main office (Bauchi)

Line Management:

The Finance & Administrative Specialist will supervise the Administrative Assistant and Drivers in Akwa Ibom.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business administration, public administration, economics, or other relevant field is required. An advanced degree is preferred.
• At least 8 years of experience in finance and accounting. Previous experiencing working on US Government funded projects highly preferred.
• Strong training, communications, and personnel management skills.
• Previous supervisory experience highly preferred.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Women and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.