Regional Finance Director – Kenya, National At Church World Service

Position Title: Regional Finance Director

Reports To: Deputy Director Administration

Supervises: Regional Senior Manager, Finance & Budgeting

Division: Church World Service, Africa

Department: Administration, Finance

Team: Regional

Job Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Grade Level: Job Grade 10, National

Introduction:

Church World Service (CWS) is a not-for-profit, faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable solutions to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. CWS does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability or veteran status in employment or in the provision of services.

Primary Purpose:

The Regional Finance Director (RFD) will be the head of finance for CWS RSC Africa and will be responsible for finance administration, fiscal management, and financial reporting. The RFD will also lead the CWS RSC Africa’s annual budget preparation, financial planning and management, Cash accounting to include payroll and payables operations, reporting, and analysis, for all RSC Africa offices in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. The RFD will ensure the organization’s financial health by providing daily management and oversight of all financial management functions and operating budgets preparing financial statements, charts, dashboards, andfiscal presentations for the RSC. The RFD will actively support the development, use and improvement of related systems, including, but not limited to financial ERP systems, payroll systems, and/or other financial related systems. The Regional Finance Director will be part of the RSC Africa Senior Management team and will work closely with CWS Chief Financial Officer. The RFD will build and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders and ensure a productive and conducive work environment between the Program and Finance team.

Key Relationships

Internal to CWS

• Regional Representative
• RSC Africa Director
• RSC Africa Deputy Director Administration and Operations
• Deputy Director, RSC Program Development and Quality
• Deputy Director, RSC Program Implementation
• RSC Africa Senior Management Team
• Regional Procurement Director
• Country Representatives
• Associate Directors
• Direct Reports

External

• Service providers, PRM and other agencies.

Working Environment

• Office environment. Periodic travel to the field as may be required.

Core Job Responsibilities:

Leadership and Management (20%)

• Responsible for the oversight of the Finance Department to ensure provision of top-tier financial services in line with CWS RSC policies, standard operating procedures and donor requirements.
• Provide direct leadership and management to the Finance team to include team organization, staffing, training and development, performance management, employee engagement, conflict resolution, coaching and mentorship as well as day to day supervision of direct reports.
• Demonstrate active performance management by approving detailed work plans for direct reports, providing feedback on performance, and keeping senior management informed on progress towards departmental annual goals and individual staff performance.
• Responsible for providing strategic high-level leadership, vision, alignment and structuring of finance department to make it responsive to program and overall organizational strategic needs.
• As part of the Senior Leadership Team, participate in the development and execution of CWS RSC strategic plan and support RSC operational plans and budget development, execution and monitoring.
• Help to identify and address leadership and management challenges and opportunities especially as they relate to finance and operations and working with country office leadership to address them.
• Provide guidance and support on matters of leadership, facilitating transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making by staying abreast of regulatory developments and changes in finance governance ensuring compliance and adherence to relevant regulations and standards.

Strategic Financial Planning and Budgeting (20%)

• Develop, implement, and ensure compliance with financial strategies, policies, and procedures for long-term financial sustainability of the organization.
• Actively oversee the financial health of RSC across all offices, continuously monitoring and projecting the financial performance, risk analysis, revenue projections and cash flow.
• Offer expert financial advice and analysis to aid management teams in strategic decision-making ensuring performance and key trends are effectively communicated to stakeholders.
• Lead the annual budgeting process, budget revision process to include devising process and tools for use by other managers or department heads for budgeting purposes.
• Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to programme needs. In collaboration with senior management and Operations Director, establish and ensure compliance with finance and operations policies and processes consistent with best practices in the industry
• Ensure that financial systems and policies are consistent with tax legislation and statutory obligations in all countries that CWS operates
• Keep management informed of the current financial health status of RSC Africa operations regularly. Be up to date with the changing external developments in financial management, tax regulations, and other leading practices in similar organizations which directly or indirectly impact RSC Africa’s business.

Financial Reporting and Analysis (20%)

• Ensure that all financial records, reports, and statements are prepared and submitted on a timely basis. These include monthly financial reports, financial statements, gain/loss analysis, depreciation reports, audit reports, inventory and capital purchases, etc., and maintenance of a due date schedule as required under the terms of the Cooperative Agreement and by CWS/IRP and RSC Africa Management.
• Oversee the finance process by which all financial information, including monthly management accounts, cashflows, and annual reports are produced on time, accurately, and in a format that is understood by the users, especially the non-finance staff.
• Monitor completion of financial reports for awards/contracts. Oversee proper accounting and closing of books upon receipt of completed reports and documents from various sub-offices
• Provide lead on the process of budgeting, forecasting, and setting and reviewing annual budget and rolling multi-year NOFO budget in alignment with CWS plan and priorities.
• Lead budget holders to estimate funds requests on a timely basis to ensure resources are in place for carrying out project activities

Finance Systems and Accounting (15%)

• Functional responsibility for all accounting, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll, ensuring compliance with appropriate GAAP standards, U.S. Federal OMB Circulars A-110, A-122, A-133, and Kenyan statutory laws and regulations.
• Develop methodologies to ensure quality control and maintenance of supporting documentation of financial disbursements and accounts under US Government audit requirements and CWS/IRP standards.
• Develop and maintain system strategy for financial accounting systems for cash management, general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and petty cash.
• Develop and implement policy strategy for all CWS Africa policies and procedures to ensure that personnel and financial information is secure and stored in compliance with current compliance standards and legislation.
• Lead and participate in the development of finance policies and procedures to be able to maintain a well-financially controlled environment in both development and emergency contexts.

Internal Financial Controls and Financial Risk Management (10%)

• Develop and implement accounting policies and procedures to enhance the accountability, transparency, and efficiency of RSC Africa’s financial operations and to ensure compliance with the Cooperative Agreement, the relevant OMB Circulars, e.g., Uniform Guidance, etc. and DOS/PRM and CWS/IRP policies
• Document, update, implement, and ensure compliance with accounting and administrative policies and procedures in the RSC Africa’s Administration and Finance Procedures Manual
• Coordinate all the activities done in preparation for annual external RSC Africa audits in all RSC offices in Africa as well as any additional CWS and CWS/IRP, monitoring and compliance audits
• Ensure implementation/ resolution of all recommendations given by auditors and reports on the same to Management within 90 days of receipt of the Auditor’s Management Letter.
• Lead and/or participate actively in CWS Africa efforts to reduce cash in all operations with the ultimate goal of eliminating the use of cash.

Finance Fund Accountability (10%)

• Ensure funds are available throughout the grants award, coordinating fund request from HQ, liaising with sub-offices to ensure high quality forecasting and managing funds available.
• In coordination with HQ address issues raised by the donor on fund request and general management of donor funds, oversee fund transfers to the sub-offices as per month forecast and or on a need basis. Ensure there is sufficient measures to mitigate fund losses.

Additional Responsibilities (5%)

• Other duties that may be assigned to enhance the quality and efficiency of Finance Department to attain the set objectives and maintain high professional standards of RSC Africa.
• Execute special projects and other duties as assigned by CWS/RSC Africa Leadership.

Qualifications:

Experience:

• A minimum of ten (10) years of professional work experience in accounting, finance, auditing or a related field.
• A minimum of five years’ experience in a senior management position within the Finance Department.
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressive work experience in financial management ideally within the international development or humanitarian sectors is required.
• A minimum of five (5) years of supervisory experience is required.
• Previous experience working with USG funding is required.

Skills:

• Excellent strategic thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills to support the smooth running of finance within a complex organization
• Proven ability to lead, manage, inspire and motivate staff at all levels including motivating technical staff in a matrix structure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience in communicating effectively across cultures and with diverse audiences.
• Knowledge of financial management, banking, auditing and internal controls methodologies.
• Excellent skills in MS Word, Excel, Access and good working experience with accounting software systems or any ERP software.
• Ability to cope with rapidly changing environment and handle high levels of pressure and multi-tasking.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting or related fields is required.
• Finalized professional qualifications such as CPA/ACCA/CIMA or related fields is required.
• Master’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting or relevant technical area is preferred.

Abilities:

• Work and make decisions independently and contribute to overall operations of RSC Africa at management levels.
• Exercise good judgement and seek guidance as appropriate when confronted with unanticipated problems.
• Deal effectively and courteously with large number of associates, outside agencies, refugees and members of the general public.
• Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail, completing tasks within set timeframes.
• Actively participate in the implementation of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
• Manage large and diverse workload under pressure with competing priorities.
• Work independently and contribute to overall operations of RSC Africa
• Analyze and solve complex problems and make sound decisions.
• Maintain a high-performance standard with attention to detail.
• Maintain the integrity of official records.

Important Requirements:

• Strong English communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment required.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and willingness to support CWS’ Platform on Racial Justice as a CWS employee required.

Special Requirements:

• The candidate should be of good health, willing and able to travel extensively in often difficult conditions and have a high degree of flexibility. Must have proof of Yellow Fever vaccination before traveling for RSC Africa
• This position is based in (Nairobi, Kenya)
• This position requires the use of a laptop at all times, competence in Microsoft office packages is required.
• This position may require travel in sub-Saharan Africa on short notice and under sometimes difficult conditions to meet demands of a dynamic operational program.
• Background check which includes references, and an educational and criminal check is required before the start of employment.
• A valid passport and the ability to maintain a valid passport throughout the entire appointment is required, which includes having enough passport pages for travel.
• Environmental: Incumbents in this position maybe exposed to excessive noise, marked changes in temperature and/or humidity, dust and infectious diseases, harsh weather climates, long work hours, bumpy roads, extended travel, excessive sun exposure, and non-ventilated spaces.
• The US Embassy rates Kenya as both HIGH in crime and HIGH in terrorism. Incumbents should fully understand the insecurities present within Kenya and the region.
• Full Time position.
• All employees should be prepared to work from the CWS office within their location of hire. Remote work arrangements may vary depending on location and the governing regulations based on prevailing context.

Please Note – CWS recruitment is free of charge.

Church World Service (CWS) does not charge fees of any kind during the recruitment process (Submission of application, interviews, assessments, training, etc.). Any solicitation of funds should be reported to Fraud@CWSAfrica.org.