Finance Manager at CARE USA

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

The Finance Manager is responsible for supporting CARE SSDN’s financial health and viability by ensuring good financial planning and management as well as overall compliance with CARE, donor and government rules and regulations at the Country Office level. The Finance Manager is responsible for the day to day financial operations at the Country Office level; implementing CARE International’s financial systems to provide effective support to the Country Office. He/she plans, directs, and is responsible for providing quality financial services to all projects, units and staff in the CO. The Finance Manager reports to the Country Director, works closely Senior Management to ensure that partnership is developed between finance, programs and administration.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership and Functional Management

• Lead the Finance Department in an effective and efficient financial planning and management of resources:
• Ensure proper staffing/recruitment to enable the Finance Team to manage CARE SSDN’s resources efficiently; work with the Program Management Team (PMT) to deploy finance department staff to support each project appropriately;
• Develop and implement the annual work plan and budget for the Finance department; carefully managing expenditure and safeguarding CARE’s resources by following accountability procedures before signing approvals
• Through supervision of the Grants and Contracts Team, ensure that CARE’s investments achieve the desired impact and that finances are managed in accordance with CARE, GoSSDN and Donor requirements, rules and regulations; Provide analysis to SMT and PMT on efficiency and value for money achieved with our financial resources.
• Through supervision of the Accounts Payable staff, ensure good practice in treasury and cash management, promoting the use of wire and digital transfers, timely and efficient process for making payments; and always maintaining appropriate levels of cash in country to keep operations going; This includes supporting project managers and heads of departments with accurate and timely cash forecasts; Always maintaining a healthy level of cash in country to maintain operations going.

Strategic Management and Planning

• Ensure that CARE SSDN is provided with the financial management, analysis and support necessary to accomplish its strategic objectives.
• As a senior manager, ensure effective collaboration with all department/unit heads and support them with their financial planning processes. Participate in strategic & operational planning at CO level, contributing personal expertise in financial management; and contributing to regional level discussions on CARE’s financial management practices, operating model, etc
• Contribute to the development, implementation and achievement of CARE’s strategies and approaches (e.g. Program, Partnerships, ECSA Road Map, Horn of Africa Impact Growth Strategy)
• Lead the financial planning for CARE SSDN ensuring a good match between plans, ambitions and the availability of financial resources at all times; Building & nurturing strategic relationships with CARE International Member Partners (CMPs), H-Quarters and RMU, Shared Services Center, Donors and other stakeholders (Banks and Financial Service Providers with whom we work, peers in other INGOs with whom we collaborate, etc
• Ensure the development and implementation of appropriate financial risk management mechanisms; including risk prevention, identification, assessment, response and reporting, with particular emphasis on the risk of fraud and corruption; If required, be prepared to conduct investigation into allegations of fraud; Ensure internal controls and segregation of duties reduce the risk of fraud.

Policies, Procedures & Systems

• Develop and implement policies, procedures and operational systems that will ensure smooth running of CARE SSDN finances and the delivery of a good standard of customer service by the finance team.
• Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant CARE, donors and Government of SSDN policies, procedures and statutory requirements, including keeping abreast of any changes (e.g. in tax laws, labour laws, etc), and ensuring they are strictly adhered to.
• Monitor the relevance of existing policies, procedures and systems in order to identify areas for improvement, striving for greater efficiency; take corrective actions as appropriate, referring to Accountable Managers, CO SMT, RMU or CMPs as may be deemed necessary.
• Ensure that the day to day financial operations of CARE SSDN are run smoothly, and that financial operations are properly and accurately recorded, documented, controlled, monitored and reported, according to organizational, donors and GoSSDN policies and best practice;
• Ensure that the Country Office finance system operates correctly and is being used effectively by CARE staff (both finance team and customers).
• Ensure that all required internal controls are in place and followed and continuously identify ways of tightening them in the light of the high risks for fraud in SSDN.

Budgeting and Forecasting

• Oversee the development and implementation of CARE SSDN country-wide budgets
• Establish the processes by which the country budget will be developed, adhering to CARE USA annual budgeting timeline, guidelines and policies and holding staff country-wide accountable for doing their part.
• Ensure that accountable managers are equipped and empowered to carry out budgeting activities according to best practice
• Ensure that mechanisms for monitoring, control and review of budget implementation are in place, including quarterly “health check” reviews of CO cost recovery efforts, continuously analyzing the extent to which the CO is recovering its costs (Shared Program Costs, Sub & Field Office Costs);
• Forecast to confirm the availability of financial resources and maintain CO Master Budget updated in order to anticipate shortages and propose timely corrective actions to CO SMT.
• Develop systems, take actions and behave in a way which will generate and maintain relationships of mutual trust with donors; liaising with donors to ensure that they are provided with all required information,
• Ensure statutory audits, internal and donor audits are conducted in a timely and professional manner; Cooperating with external audits and leading the implementation of recommendations.

Awards & Sub Awards Management

• Ensure effective end-to-end Awards & Sub-Awards management is carried out; ensuring full compliance with Donor requirements, CARE International policies & the laws of SSDN.
• Keep up to date with changes to CARE USA policies and Procedures as well as CARE International requirements and any developments in donor requirements and relevant legislation.
• Ensure that all budgets and contracts are comprehensive and accurate and comply with Donor agreements and requirements, CARE International policies and the laws of the Country. Ensure budgets are prepared in line with CARE International Shared Program Costs policy and cover their fair share of SPC.
• Ensure that all grants; reports are made on time and accurately and that Shared Program costs are allocated as per CARE USA Policy.
• Proactively review Contract Aging reports in order to note breaches of contract, forthcoming expiries and any other problems or concerns.
• Provide CARE Accountable Managers with quality financial information and advice in order to aid their decision making concerning the grants and sub grants they manage;
• Ensure that comprehensive due Diligence and organizational capacity assessments of partners’ including their financial capacity, have been carried out for all of CARE SSDN’s potential partners according to policy.
• Ensure that CARE’s policies and procedures for Sub Awards management are carried out; liaising with accountable managers to trouble-shoot any problems.

Capacity Building

• Build the capacity of CARE Staff and Implementing Partners to manage financial resources according to good accounting practice and in compliance with Donor & CARE International standards.
• Support the development and implementation of strategies for bridging the partner capacity gaps that are identified during partner assessments.
• Liaise with Department Heads and the HR staff to understand financial capacity building needs of CARE staff; ensuring the development and roll-out of any required professional development initiatives.
• Ensure that CARE Staff and Partners fully understand what is expected of them and are equipped to manage awards and sub-awards according to best practice, policies and procedures.
• Deploy the team of Awards & Sub-Awards Staff to the project teams; ensuring that they provide all necessary support, and carry out monitoring visits according to the project plan.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, Finance or Business Management or related field
• Fully Certified Public Accountant (CPA and / or ACCA)
• At least five years as a Finance Manager or equivalent experience
• At least 8 to ten years’ experience working in the developmental and / or humanitarian sector specific technical experience in budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, grants/contracts management and business management
• Demonstrated experience with financial troubleshooting and audit
• Thorough understanding of financial accounting, reporting, and grants and contracts management processes
• Relevant donor policies and procedures
• Facilitation skills to conduct training for small, medium and large sized groups
• Solid analytical skills and problem solving
• Ability to maintain customer focus while handling multiple priorities
• Ability to learn quickly new systems, processes and procedures and accept local practices to global standards
• Excellent leadership, coaching and negotiation skills
• Ability to both lead teams and work with teams,
• Ability to work at detailed level while understanding the larger picture
• Proficiency in Microsoft office and financial software applications
• Good communication skills both oral and written in English