Position Description
Location Edinburgh, UK
Position Status Full time, Permanent
Reporting to Financial Controller
Salary level depending on experience circa 35K-40K
Travel Occasional
Candidates must hold independent right to work in the UK at the time of appointment.
Please apply with CV and cover letter by October 10th
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps is a leading global organisation powered by the belief that a better world is possible.
In conflict, in disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within.
Now, and for the future.
Mercy Corps Europe (MCE) has grown rapidly in terms of volume of activity and complexity. With offices in Edinburgh, London and Geneva, we now attract over £140m in income, and employ around 100 domestic and expatriate field team members. The breadth and impact of our programmes makes Mercy Corps a unique and truly rewarding place to work. Our teams are proud of what we achieve in the field and we are always looking for talented individuals who share our passion and commitment.
The Role
The Finance team plays a critical role in sustaining and enabling MCE’s growth through the support it provides to Field Teams and HQ departments. All management accounting for European grants is managed by the team, in addition to the financial accounting functions, payables, receivables, fixed asset reporting, uploading field ledgers, fundraising reconciliations and cash management.
The Finance Manager will provide direct leadership to the Finance Assistant, Finance Officer and Payroll Officer. They will also lead the support and maintenance of the finance systems, and support the Finance Controller in ensuring accurate financial reporting, management accounting and donor reporting. They will also oversee the payroll process.
This is an opportunity to provide leadership and actively contribute to MCE’s finance work that is fast-paced, and to be part of a diverse, dedicated team of people who are genuinely motivated by making a difference.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Core responsibilities:
● Contributing to Corporate Finance Financial Reporting responsibilities of management and information reporting through month end and year end processing of financial data
● Deputise and provide cover and support for the Financial Controller as required
● Lead the maintenance of finance systems, including the planning, testing and implementation of any required software upgrades.
● Oversee payroll management and payroll process
● Leading on system changes related to the finance system to identify and implement ways to improve the system.
● Maintenance of static data within the finance system.
● Change control management with robustness in testing and implementation of any system changes in collaboration with IT
● Provide induction and training to existing and new users in the finance team on MCE Finance systems.
● Point of contact for liaising with vendor support for any finance system issues to ensure resolution without impact to day to day business activity.
● Manage active directory drives
● Contribute to the documentation, development and updates to the Finance Manual
● Provide support to finance users across the UK, The Hague and remote workers including day to day queries and supporting the finance processes by troubleshooting.
Team Management
● Direct leadership to the Finance Assistant, Finance Officers and Payroll Officer
● Coordinate with peers to share knowledge and best practice
● Support Mercy Corps global initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development;
● Collaborate with the people team to promote staff access to high quality learning opportunities.
Other:
● Support the audit process by collating information as required.
● Conduct internal research to assist other finance team members as required.
● As part of the department’s commitment to continuous improvement, the Finance Manager should be proactive and lead on ad hoc HQ projects aimed at streamlining processes or increasing efficiency.
● As part of the Finance team, the Finance Manager develops streamlining, and documenting policies, processes and procedures
● Ensure IT systems, databases and matrices containing financial information are updated on time.
Supervisory Responsibility
Finance Assistant, Finance Officer, HQ Finance Officer
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Financial Controller
Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills
● Qualified accountant, with around 5+ yrs of experience with financial, IT systems and direct line management.
● Proficiency with MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) – strong Excel skills key.
● Experience with payroll processing, including expat employees and multiple adjustment processing each month preferable Able to configure systems to adapt to business dynamics and recommend solutions by reengineering financial processes
● Good understanding of financial processes on payroll, receivable, payables and banking
● Experience with high volume transactions
● Experience in Finance Systems necessary,
● Experience with Infor SUN systems and SAGE payroll an advantage as well other ERP systems or similar, Shaperlight, Adaptive
● People management experience
● Excellent spoken and written English.
● Prior experience of working in or with an NGO would be preferable.
Success Factors
You will be someone with a positive, can-do approach, who enjoys the pressure of working together as a team in a fast paced environment and tight deadlines. Strong communication skills are vital, as you will be operating in a truly international environment. The following added skills will support success in this role:
● Proactive with positive attitude and delivery with a customer services mindset
● Excellent organisational and time management skills.
● Systematic, with a strong eye for detail.
● Can work quickly, accurately and to deadlines.
● Able to be an effective business partner, build and maintain effective internal and external relationships.
● An exposure to and interest in international development issues is important, along with an empathy for MC’s mission and values.
Environmental Conditions
The position is based in central Edinburgh with occasional travel.
Although we do not expect this position to travel regularly, MCE team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a short term assignment or trip to country offices. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all Mercy Corps locations.
Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.
Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.
How to apply
Please apply with CV and cover letter at https://jobs.jobvite.com/mercycorps/job/oEA1gfwf