Sudan Finance Officer (National Position) At Invisible Children

Position Title : Sudan Finance Officer

Location : Port Sudan, until a time when it is possible to operate safely from Khartoum

Contract length: One year with a 3-month probation period and the possibility of extension based on funding availability.

About Invisible Children

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Invisible Children (IC) is an international non-profit organization working to end violent conflict and exploitation facing our world’s most isolated and unprotected communities. We partner with local visionaries in volatile conflict zones to build community-led initiatives and drive global policy change to end violent conflict and ensure communities have the safety they deserve. When Invisible Children was founded in 2004, our primary aim was to hasten an end to the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) crisis in central Africa and support the lasting recovery of communities in the region targeted by the LRA and other armed groups. Our comprehensive approach to the LRA crisis has integrated every level of intervention, from direct partnerships with local communities to advocacy campaigns targeting international policymakers.

Over the course of 12 years, working with remote communities in central Africa, we have contributed to significant progress in ending the LRA crisis, while refining and adapting our programs to address violence perpetrated by a number of armed groups and other destabilizing forces threatening the central Africa region. IC’s current work focuses on developing innovative and sustainable solutions to regional insecurity and armed group violence. In recent years, this has included the exploration of community-based initiatives and conflict analysis to address the intersection of human security and illicit wildlife trafficking in the central Africa region.

JOB PROFILE

The Finance Officer is responsible for managing the financial and accounting function of the Sudan Country Program in compliance with Invisible Children’s procedures and policies, and donor regulations. The Finance and Officer is responsible for the financial oversight of projects in Sudan and partners. This includes accounting, budget management, financial reporting, monitoring and capacity building. This position is based in Port Sudan but may require travel to the Darfur region, if the security situation allows.

POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION

This role works under the direct supervision of the Sudan Program Manager and under the Acting Director of Finance and Accounting based at HQ office Washington DC.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following but not limited. Other duties that are in line with relevant skills, experience and role may be assigned by Line Manager and the HQ finance team in Washington DC.

Finance and accounting

• Ensures that project practices and procedures are consistent with IC’s policies and are compliant with the legislation of the Country;
• Applies financial and accounting policies, systems and procedures;
• Monitors the budget on an on-going basis by comparing the approved fund request and the actual expenses for the month;
• Records all financial transactions and verifies the compliance of payment requests submitted before any payment, and produce monthly financial reports to headquarters in a timely manner;
• Act as the interface /key interlocutor between HQ Finance and Country in the transmission of all Country financial reports;
• Informs the Sudan Program Manager and the Director of Finance and Accounting at HQ of any situation likely to have a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance;
• Monitors developments for national taxation and oversees the payment of taxes.

Sub-grant management

• Reviews partners’ advance requests, financial reports, and procurement reports, report to Line Manager of any issues.
• Supports Finance and the Regional Operation Manager to ensure that partners are well aware of and comply with IC policy and procedure, alert budget holders on compliance issues.
• Supports Finance and Regional Operation Manager to ensure donor/ IC regulations and financial, fraud awareness policies and procedures are clearly communicated to partner staff, that they are well understood, and all activities meet donor/ IC requirements.
• Participate in investigation team, if any, and be the focal point to alert partners of any compliance issue as appropriate.
• Participate in program meetings and partners’ meeting.

Capacity Building

• Provide reiterative finance and fraud awareness trainings to partners to enable them to follow IC and donor financial requirements.
• Provide training on financial guidelines to new IC staff.

External and internal audit

• Conduct periodical finance visit to partners in order to ensure compliance is followed by partners;
• Facilitate the external audit conducted for IC Sudan Program and partners’ office, if any;
• Support IC Sudan Finance and partners in drafting responses to auditors’ findings in the field;
• Ensure partner implements and follows recommendations from external audit and internal audits (finance visit).

Other Compliance Tasks

• Support the process of partner selection and lead on conducting partners’ assessment, if required; specifically, regarding the evaluation of potential partners financial and accounting systems.
• Strictly control over the assets and equipment delivered to partners by conducting asset check trips to the field.
• Contribute/provide inputs to the process of policy/guideline updates;
• Other works assigned by the line manager.

REQUIREMENTS

• University degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field;
• At least 5 years experience in accounting, finance management with NGOs/INGOs/Development sector/enterprise.
• Experience in internal control or auditing is an advantage.
• Computer literate with strong computer skills in MS Office/excel;
• Good written and oral communication in both Arabic and English;
• Good organization, communication, and facilitation skills;
• Willing to travel to the field.

Desirable

• Experience with financial reporting for institutional donors (GAC, DFID, SIDA, USAID, ECHO)
• Field-based working experience with knowledge of Darfur context.