Somalia: Deputy Finance Director

TITLE: Deputy Finance Director

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Finance

LOCATION: Hargeisa with 50% travel in other area offices and the Country Office.

GRADE: 2

CONTRACT LENGTH: 2 years

POST TYPE: SOMALIA NATIONAL

CHILD SAFEGUARDING:

Level 3: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; ore because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The Deputy Finance Director will support and strengthen the integrity of finance systems, ensure smooth financial operations for supporting programme work and responsibility for updating and generating timely financial information to management and other levels within the managing member and participating members. The Deputy Finance Director will ensure smooth, effective and efficient operational finance support to the country and field offices.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Finance Director

Dimension of Role:

Save the Children operates across all zones in Somalia and currently has three main area offices and additional 8 field offices. Programmatically Somalia is a large Country Office with more than $45million annual budget turnover, more than 50 active awards at any time and over 450 staff.

Number of direct reports: 3

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Financial systems and procedures

· Assist the Finance Director manage the Country Office financial systems and provide SMT and all budget holders with a monthly update on the budget variance analysis to ensure reaching of target KPIs.

· Develop and update the finance diary that covers all the required activities on a monthly basis and in line with Regional and HQ deadlines and lead staff to ensure that the diary is strictly adhered to.

· Ensure that all financial transactions are fully supported and that they are all captured in AGRESSO regularly; make sure that regular backups are taken and stored off site.

· Ensure that effective systems are put in place, and regularly reviewed, to allow adequate financial management and control including:

· Annual accounts and tax statement preparation;

· Accounting and management information systems;

· Cash and cash flow management and control in particular gain/losses on currency exchange;

· Financial procedures during emergency responses, including meeting all relevant responsibilities in the Rules and Principles for Emergency Response;

· Expenditure procedures, especially around procurement;

· Documentation of all controls and procedures;

· Finance training for staff in the field and partners as necessary;

· Ensure monthly financial reviews (MFRs) are prepared, reviewed with CD, and submitted to Regional Office regularly

Financial records and transactions

· Carry out sensibility and control checking before and after posting sub-office transactions into AGRESSO. The post holder is expected of travelling to review financial records maintained in the field offices in compliance with managing member’s policies and procedures

· Ensure the month end is process is completed on time and with high quality.

Financial reports

· Responsible for timely, accurate and efficient financial reporting

· Responsible for all internal management reporting to budget holders and program managers, as well as Country Office line managers.

· Responsible for ensuring that reconciliation of balance sheet/control accounts are carried out on monthly basis and ensuring that year-end accounting procedure are met consistently and that any discrepancies are reported to the Finance Director.

Financial and system controls

· Ensure safe security of cash in the office and coordinate weekly and monthly cash counts, including spot counts

· Ensure that systems are put in place to assure document security for a complete audit trail from the AGRESSO records to supporting documentation and vice versa.

· Ensure the effective and efficient use of all Save the Children resources in order to keep costs low and ensure the security of staff.

· Comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to health and safety, security, equal opportunities and other relevant policies.

Staff management

· Directly lead, manage and motivate staff in the Finance unit and ensure that they have clear work plans and performance management is integrated in day to work activities.

· Assess and identify gaps on the capacity of finance staff and propose training and capacity building as required

Audit function

· Support and strengthen finance management and administration across the programme and ensure appropriate audit functions are carried out.

· Support in ensuring that audit recommendations are implemented

Other

· Regularly act as Finance Director in the absence of the Finance Director.

· Any other duties as may be assigned by the Finance Director.

Working Contacts: Externally-bank, suppliers, partners, internally: Senior Management Team, Regional Finance Team, members, area management teams, and Treasury office-HQ.

COMPETENCIES AND BEHAVIOURS

Delivering Results (Accomplished)

· Maintains a broad strategic perspective at the same time as an awareness of the detail of a situation

· Establishes clear and compelling objectives with teams and individuals and monitors progress and performance

· Creates and applies measures and metrics to track performance

· Holds others accountable for achieving results and challenges underperformance

· Demonstrates financial awareness and a concern for cost effectiveness

Developing Self and Others (Accomplished)

· Gives regular positive and constructive feedback to others

· Identifies clear development needs and development plans through regular constructive reviews of their own performance (and their team’s where appropriate)

· Creates space for others to learn and provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments when people are ready for them

· Coaches others to learn from their experiences on the job and to use the resources available to them

Problem Solving & Decision Making (Accomplished)

· Uses data and evidence to drive decision making for quality improvement

· Analyses and exercises judgment in challenging situations in the absence of specific guidance or knowledge of the full facts

· Evaluates the opportunities and risks of each idea and solution to make informed strategic decisions

· Takes decisions when decisions are due and is prepared to account for them

Applying Technical & Professional Expertise (Accomplished)

· Makes decisions based on professional expertise and experience without deferring unnecessarily to others

· Shares knowledge and best practice on technical solutions so that others can make best use of that expertise

· Actively seeks new ways to develop the application of technical and professional standards within the team

Working Effectively With Others (Accomplished)

· Enables people from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives to contribute to positive outcomes

· Breaks down silo working and challenges behaviours that are not collaborative

· Knows when to follow and lend leadership to strengthen other leaders

· Recognises when trust is broken and seeks to resolve conflict and re-establish trust

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

· Degree in Accounting and/or Professional qualifications (CPA or ACCA)

· At least four year’s INGOs experience especially in complex budget setting (in excess of $20 m), monitoring and financial accounting

· Proven experience to help facilitate a smooth audit process and work efficiently with external auditors

· Proven skills on managing changes, achieving results, ensuring quality, team building and capacity building.

· Strong computer skills, especially in computerised accounting packages such as AGRESSO

· Ability and willingness to work under pressure as part of a professional team.

· Excellent interpersonal skills, including cultural sensitivity, assertiveness and negotiating skills.

· Willingness to travel to field offices regularly

· Experience of working in a busy INGO environment preferably outside of own country

Interested candidates are required to submit a CV and mandatory cover letter quoting the Job Title on the subject line. The file name of the CV and attachments must be the applicants name and sent to Somalia.vacancies@savethechildren.org .

Kindly include your current and expected salary

Applications close on 30^th August 2016

Disclaimer:

Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process and does not act through recruitment agents

Date of issue: August 2016 Author: M.D