Job Title: Field
Finance Manager
Location: Biu, Borno
State
Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since December 2012,
focusing its interventions on adolescent girls’ empowerment, economic
development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the
north-east of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals,
Mercy Corps has decided to address the rising humanitarian needs among
displaced households and vulnerable host communities by starting its
humanitarian program in July 2014.
Mercy Corps Nigeria’s humanitarian program aims to provide
assistance to populations affected by the crisis in north-east Nigeria.
With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA, FFP,
ECHO and the EUTF the humanitarian program has been focusing on food
assistance, non-food items distribution, protection, livelihoods support, WASH
and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian
response in north-east Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional and
varied assistance in a wider geographic area.
All Mercy Corps interventions in Nigeria are implemented in
a conflict and gender sensitive manner.
Job Description
The Field Finance Manager is a member of the senior management
team for the field operations of the humanitarian portfolio, and as such is
responsible for all aspects of financial management of the humanitarian
programs, working collaboratively to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps
internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations. S/he works under
the direction of the Head of Office and is responsible for all financial
functions in North East Nigeria, including accounting, payments and banking,
budgeting, financial reporting and grant financial management and compliance,
in addition to technical capacity building of field finance staff. The Field
Finance Manager, in support of the Program Department, provides timely reports
and assistance to the Director of Humanitarian Programs and the Program team to
ensure that financial resources are used efficiently and effectively.
Essential Job Functions
Team Management
Create a sustainable work environment of mutual respect that
attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them
individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
Supervise and lead a diverse team of direct and indirect
reports in field offices and conduct timely performance reviews and establish
development plans.
Contribute to field office team-building efforts; build
constructive internal relationships; help team members identify problem solving
options and ensure integration of all team members into relevant
decision-making processes.
Support the finance team to develop their technical finance
skills through routine coaching and guidance.
Operations - Financial
Ensure effective, transparent use of financial resources in
compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
Maintain banking relations and plan and monitor field cash
flow requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of Mercy Corps programs.
Provide monthly standard accounting submissions to Mercy
Corps Abuja, including account reconciliations, expenditures by fund/project,
required subgrantee reporting, as well as other financial information in a
timely and accurate manner.
Provide monthly management reports to the Director of
Humanitarian Programs and Program Managers, including expenditures by
fund/project, subgrantee reporting and other financial information, in a timely
and accurate manner.
Develop grant budgeting and forecasting systems with Program
Managers.
Lead in the roll out of finance systems and procedure
documentation in the field offices, ensure that all finance transactions are in
compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
Compliance
Perform the financial review of purchase requests, purchase
orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with MC policies and
procedures and donors grants and contracts requirements.
Perform compliance reviews of field office processes
including procurement, logistics, stock management, and coordinate with the
relevant departments to correct and improve as needed
Reporting
Assist in the preparation of the monthly field cash flow
projections to be submitted to Abuja
Assist in the preparation, maintenance and consolidation of
office operational budgets.
Review and work with program managers on the monthly end
grant spending reports (BVAs)
Consolidate and prepare budget projections.
Accounting
Assist and support the Country Finance Manager in the
process review of the month end closing including but not limited to :
Review of field journals to ensure proper coding of all
transactions;
Posting of transactions daily to Field Connect
The monthly reconciliation of balance sheet accounts as
requested by Country FM;
The monthly payroll preparation process;
Assist and support the Country Finance Manager in the month
end and year end closing reports.
Set-up and maintain the grant files, maintain and distribute
current copies of the approved coded budgets to all relevant parties.
Maintain subgrant financial files, process subgrantee
payments and reconcile subgrant financial tracking to general ledger reports.
Accountability: Mercy Corps team members are expected to
support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries
and to international standards guiding international relief and development
work while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the
design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Organizational Learning: As part of our commitment to
organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning
organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities
they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning
activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: finance department staff and
Abuja-based SFO
ACCOUNTABILITY
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Head of Office, with dotted-line
technical reporting to Country Finance Manager
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: Members of Operations, Program Managers
and others.
Qualification
A BA/S or equivalent in accounting or finance required;
advanced degree preferred.
Requirements
A professional qualification is required
At least 4 + years of progressive financial management
experience, including supervisory experience required.
At least 4 years’ experience in grants management as well as
an understanding of ECHO/FFP/OFDA/EU regulations required.
At least 3 years’ international experience required;
international NGO/PVO field office experience is preferred.
Demonstrated experience and skill with budget preparation
and analysis, financial reporting preparation and presentation and the proven
ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.
Strong accounting skills and experience, including
management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and
balance sheet.
Prior management experience and strong organizational
skills.
Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly
Excel.
Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking,
organizational and prioritization skills.
Excellent oral and written English skills required;
knowledge of Hausa is highly desirable.
Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team
in a sensitive environment.
Previous experience in insecure environments.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have an ability to interact
effectively across international and national program and finance teams
successfully, both in a managerial as well as training capacity. S/he will be
able to support programmatic objectives with timely and meaningful financial
information, have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, and meet deadlines and
process information in support of changing program activities. An impeccable
professional standard of finance and procurement ethics and the willingness and
ability to enforce compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and
procedures is essential. The Finance Manager must be willing to travel
regularly to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites. The most successful
Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and
accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective
written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions
The position will be based in Biu town ( Biu LGA south of
Borno state) and requires substantial amount of travel between field locations
in Gombe, Adamawa and Borno states. Considering the frequent travel from/to
different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of
accommodation and logistics. Housing will be in hotels or guesthouse where
available. Security in the field locations require additional vigilance and
accessibility will be reassessed continuously. Access to good medical services
in North East Nigeria is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity
and water in main urban centers are available but might be erratic.
The location is eligible for hardship and R&R (every 10
weeks) benefits. Working hours require flexibility and working through
weekends/evenings might be necessary.
Mercy Corps Team members represent the agency both during
and outside of work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to
a field posting. 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 in-country venues.
How to apply:
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