PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:
Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of over 150 people working in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Province Orientale. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in Bukavu (South Kivu) and Mweso, (North Kivu). The current Mercy Corps strategy in DRC focuses on activities for the provision of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in camps of internally displaced people, large-scale WASH infrastructure and service delivery development in urban centers; Food Security, Economic Recovery/Development and Governance programs, with an increasing shift towards transitional and integrated development programming. The DRC team has a strong commitment to providing entrepreneurial and innovative solutions to development challenges, and is actively seeking and facilitating market-based solutions.
GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY:
Working under the Finance Director based in Goma, the Financial Reporting and Compliance Manager will support the reporting of financial information and assist the Country Office in ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures and donors’ grants and contracts requirements. Also, the incumbent of this position will assist the Finance Director in the overall management of the country-wide accounting, capacity building of the national team members in support of the country finance strategy, and will play a coordinating role with the different departments and functions within the country office.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Compliance:
- Perform 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 in country processes including procurement, logistics, stock management, HR & Admin, and coordinate with the relevant departments to correct and improve as needed
- Supervision of sub-office finance staff with frequent travels to relevant sub-offices and other locations.
- Provide advice, training, and consultation on compliance with MC policies and procedures as well as donor compliance requirements.
- Hire, train sub office and other national finance staff.
Reporting:
- Prepare and update the monthly grant spending reports (BvAs), including administrative projections, work with program managers to ensure program projections are updated, and set meetings with relevant program managers and staff to review BvAs and projections.
- Consolidate and prepare financial reports including budget projections, as required.
- Maintain allocation projection files for staffing and other administrative and running costs for budget projections
- Review subgrantee financial reports, manage and assist in subgrantee site audits and follow up on subgrant compliance issues. Ensure subgrantee information is entered and updated in the accounting system.
- Prepare HQ required reports including but not limited to EPAR (timesheet allocations), quarterly expatriate taxable benefits reports, quarterly balance sheet reconciliation reports, travel allocation reports, subgrantee reporting, etc.
- Assist in the preparation of the monthly cash flow projections.
- Work with operations managers in the preparation, maintenance and consolidation of office operational budgets.
Accounting:
- Manage and support the senior finance officers in the process review of the month end closing including but not limited to :
- ;
- Ensuring all transactions for the month are posted in the accounting system and reviewed for any necessary reclasses (including subgrantee entries);
- Review Payroll and Net Pay journal entries (review of monthly payroll preparation process);
- Prepare/review necessary reclasses;
- Review amortization schedules and journal entries;
- Prepare/review EPAR (timesheet allocations) for both expat and national staff;
- Prepare/review of employee receivables accruals;
- Work with HQ on tracking and entries for intercompany payments
- Run month close allocation routines in accounting system;
- Monthly reconciliation of balance sheet accounts, review, monitor, and control balance sheet accounts;
- Work with the Finance Director, Finance and Subgrants Manager and senior finance officers in the month end and year end closing reports and submission of required documentation.
- 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.
Other
- Assist in preparation and review of proposal budgets for new programs.
- Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and to not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
- Other duties as assigned and appropriate.
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.
Accountability to Beneficiaries: 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.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: 1-3 staff in Goma, 1-2 sub-office finance staff as necessary
ACCOUNTABILITY:
REPORTS DIRECTLY TO: Finance Director
WORKS DIRECTLY WITH: All MC DRC team members including: Department Directors/Managers,Program Directors/Program Managers, Heads of Field Offices, and headquarters team members at MCE and MC PDX, as appropriate.
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:
- Three to five years of finance experience, including budgeting and grant management;
- A university degree in finance, accounting or a related business field is required;
- Strong accounting skills and experience including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and balance sheet;
- Strong background in compliance, donor regulations (USAID, UN and European donors), and coordination with operations and program departments;
- Experience in financial analysis and reporting within non-profit organizations;
- Experience in training and capacity building of staff;
- Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel;
- Fluent written and oral communication in French and English.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
The ability to interact effectively with international and national personnel is required. A demonstrated ability to multi-task, meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities is necessary. A high professional standard of finance and procurement ethics as well as the willingness and ability to enforce compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures is essential. The ability to take financial data and present it in meaningful financial reports is essential. The Financial Reporting and Compliance Officer must be willing to travel to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.
LIVING CONDITIONS/ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:
This is an unaccompanied post based in Goma. The position is entitled to share staff housing in Goma and is not eligible for hardship but is eligible for one R&R per year.
While conditions in the country are improving, and security is quite stable in Goma, there are still pockets of violence and insecurity and petty crime is on the increase. Mercy Corps’ sub-offices experience variable levels of insecurity, with the situation closely monitored by UN peacekeepers. Years of conflict and corruption have badly damaged the country’s infrastructure. Air travel is necessary to get from one end of the country to the other. There are virtually no telephone land lines in the DRC, though mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is limited, but available in all Mercy Corps offices. Travel to field sites will be required where living conditions are clean and secure, but basic. There are a number of health services available with several evacuation options for serious illnesses. There’s reasonable access to most consumer goods, although they can be expensive.
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. Staff are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and Mercy Corps’ policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
