KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

 Budgeting & Reporting 

• Act as the key strategic Finance Business Partner to the Director of Finance and Program
•  Implementation team to support key decision making.
• Ownership of the master budget process at Country Office and Field levels – ensuring proactive decision making, the efficient and effective allocation of resources, and financial sustainability (zero gap)
• Provide financial expertise to the donor budget proposal process to ensure proposals are: high quality; reflect the needs on the ground; include the necessary shared costs
• Working with the program implementation team to phase and realign budgets
• Providing high quality weekly and monthly financial BvA reports
• Mitigate the risk of donor disallowances by ensuring that awards are proactively managed and closed out effectively from a financial perspective
• Ensure budget holders understand their responsibilities (e.g., through training and capacity building).
• Identify and effectively manage all key risks, especially financial, related to delivering the Country

 Office program 

• Provide value added ad hoc financial analysis to budget holders to inform decision making

 Partnership Development and Management  

• Undertaking capacity assessment of partners’ organisation in order to identify capacity gaps and areas of support that the partners will require for effective implementation of the programme financial management requirements.
• Undertake regular support visits to the partners organizations to discuss financial and operational issues/progress and identify ways in which SCI can provide the needed support.
• Support the development of partners’ project budgets, work plan, cash transfer plans and procurement plans.
• Support partners external audit exercise and follow up to ensure that the auditors’ recommendations are followed up and implemented.
• Monitor and follow up the implementation of the agreed work plan and budget to ensure that the programme objectives are being realized in accordance to the programme and partnership agreement and take the necessary actions for any identified deviations.

 Field Operations Finance  

• Ensuring best in class financial management at field office level – including leadership in respect to recruitment and succession planning; capacity building; implementing efficient & effective processes and accounting systems; improving and ensuring compliance with internal controls. This should include regular visits to the field locations.

 Staff Leadership, Mentorship, and Development 

• Ensure appropriate staffing and efficient & effective organisation design within the Budgeting & Reporting, and Field Finance teams.
• Ensure that all staff understand and are empowered to perform their role.
• Manage team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly.
• Recruitment, training, and professional development of team as part of the wider staff development strategy.

Performance Management : 

• Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measurable objectives; ongoing feedback; periodic reviews; and fair and unbiased evaluations;
• Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
• Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
• Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ work plans
• Any other duties assigned by the Line Manager.

 QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

• BA Degree in Finance and Accounting, Business Administration, or other relevant discipline.
• Master’s degree in finance and accounting, Business Administration, or other relevant discipline preferred.
• Chartered Accountant (CPA, ACMA, ACA, ACCA) required.
• Minimum of 8+ years management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, of which three to five years at senior management level within a finance department
• Strategic mindset with the ability to lead, inspire and achieve results in a challenging context
• Strong team player
• Excellent inter-personal skills and able to communicate with diverse set of stakeholders
• Strong analytical, decision making and strategic planning skills with the ability articulate complex information in an easy to understand manner
• Solutions focused with ability to identify weaknesses and drive continuous improvement
• Ability to prioritise, plan ahead, and manage a complex and diverse workload with tight deadlines
• Ability to coach, mentor, delegate appropriately and provide developmental guidance to supervised staff.
• Self starter who is willing to go the extra mile to get the job done
• Excellent understanding of business and financial planning including strategic modelling.
• Excellent understanding of budgeting and budget management.
• Excellent understanding of financial systems and procedures.
• Excellent understanding of computerised accounts packages, Excel, PowerPoint and Word
• A full appreciation of the value of co-operation, both internationally and within a team environment.
• Understanding of Save the Children’s vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values.
• Written and verbal fluency in English

 Desirable 

• 7 years within the NGO / charities sector
• Experience of working in an emergency context.
• Understanding of major donor compliance regulations (USAID, Dfid, ECHO, UN, etc)