Status:	Permanent, Full-time
Location:	Flexible; Based in the one of the following Cuso International office in Africa: Cameroon, Nigeria, Ethiopia or Tanzania
Reports to:	Head of Programs, Africa
Classification:	Grade 5 (Salary range will depend on the country agreed for the location with the successful candidate)
Language requirements:	English is essential; French will be considered a strong asset
Eligibility:	Local National; Must be legally able to work in the country agreed for the location with the successful candidate
Deadline:	May 7, 2017; 11:59pm EST
Competition number:	RFMA-2017-09

 

 

SUMMARY

Reporting to the Head of Programs for Africa (HoP Africa), the Regional Finance Manager Africa (RFMA) will lead all financial functions to enable the effective and efficient delivery of programs in Africa. The RFMA will be the primary liaison between the Africa country program office finance and Cuso International head office finance staff.

The RFMA will:

• Prepare accurate and timely consolidated financial accounting records and reporting for the region, including responsibility for quality control of documents prepared at the CPO level;
• Support & or coordinate the development of the budget for proposals; o Ensure external funding is fully and appropriately spent and controlled; and o            Develop the capability & provide training &/or coaching to the country program office (CPO) staff in financial and administration management as appropriate.
• Provide support to the HOP on all financial related matters

The RFMA also will contribute to the strategic development of the finance and administrative functions for the Africa region, leading the implementation and maintenance of standards, policies, procedures and practices across all CPO and in compliance with Cuso International standards.        

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES:

Financial Management

Deliverable:

Support and development of the regional finance team, enabling the effective and efficient delivery of program activities in Africa.

 

 

Specific duties and responsibilities:

• Ensuring that all financial transactions are appropriately recorded in accordance with Cuso International policies;
• Ensure the ongoing maintenance of Cuso International’s general ledger, including the completion of monthly, quarterly and annual period end close procedures;
• Ensure that timely preparation and submission of required regular reporting to Cuso International HQ;
• Provide ongoing review and implementation of improvements to financial controls, systems and policies and procedures in the country office;
• Lead the effective development, management and monitoring of an annual department budget with timely and appropriate performance-to-budget analysis;
• Provide ongoing analysis and recommendations to HoP Africa and HQ finance staff
• Maintaining grant compliance in line with donor contractual obligations and requirement and work closely with Project Finance Officers to ensure donor financial reports are fully compliant with donor requirements;
• Lead and advise on all financial strategic direction matters and supporting the HoP to assess the short and long-term implications of financial issues;
• Develop and oversee financial management policies which reflect good practice as well as Cuso International’s current financial management policies;
• Coordinate all budgeting activities according to Cuso International guidelines and, through the participatory involvement of CPO staff, ensure that regional budgets are harmonized;
• Coach and train managers and staff in all areas of financial management, include project specific grant management workshops as appropriate;
• In collaboration with the Director of Finance and Operations, set up financial and grant management systems and manuals for each externally funded projects/programs in Africa;
• Supporting the preparation of externally funded Cuso International program and project proposals, including project, regional and CPO budgets for review and approval by the HoP Africa;
• Ensure all financial and administrative matters relating to volunteers and staff are processed effectively and in a timely manner;
• Develop, coordinate and facilitate “Grant Management workshops” for CPO staff when appropriate;
• Establish and maintain procedures for the effective and timely processing of payments, monthly and year end accounting, and bank and cash management in line with Cuso International policy and local law throughout the region;
• Facilitate all activities related to internal and external annual financial and donor audits;
• Working in collaboration in a cross-functional manner, ensure integrated and complementary administrative, logistical and financial systems and information management systems;

 

Administration: 

 

Deliverable:

Support the development and implementation of consistent administrative policies and procedures in Africa in compliance with Cuso International administrative policies.

 

• Ensure consistency of administrative policies and procedures across the Region and compliance with Cuso International policies and procedures;
• Support each CPO in the development of their Office Operation Manual;
• Develop administrative policies and procedure for the region as needed;
• Assess the capacity of each CPO for administrative management and build their capacity accordingly;
• Ensure that CPOs provide high quality administrative support to international volunteers and staff;

 

 

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

 

Essential

• A recognized accounting qualification such as a Master’s in Business Accounting, Management or Finance, or a Bachelor degree with relevant work experience and ability;
• Fluency in English, written and spoken, is essential for this position; functional French is highly desirable
• At least five (5) years of relevant work experience in financial management and administration;
• At least three (3) years of experience in grant management compliance of major donor funded programs and projects;
• Excellent technical financial management skills, including the ability to understand and work with restricted and unrestricted funds concepts and project funding issues;
• Good understanding of administration and financial management policy frameworks and the ability to achieve compliance and/or lead new processes and procedures in this area;
• Excellent financial planning, budgeting and report-writing skills;
• Ability to effectively communicate complex financial issues, both orally and in writing, to a variety of recipients, including external donors and internal staff;
• Good negotiation skills, and strong problem solving abilities;
• Ability to analyze staff development needs (finance-and administration related) and to contribute to the delivery of training and coaching at an individual and group level;
• Practical commitment to a workplace culture of respect, inclusion and high performance;
• Ability to stay calm under pressure, a heavy workload and during emergency situations;
• Excellent time management and priority-setting skills, including the ability to meet deadlines;
• Advanced Excel skills and familiarity working with computer-based financial systems;
• Ability to work effectively with others, including in geographically-dispersed teams located across Africa and at head office;
• Strong motivation and commitment to learning and improving work place systems and practices;
• Willingness to travel internationally as needed;

 

Desirable

• Formal training in Financial Management for the not-for-profit sector;
• Experience working with major donors such as Global Affairs Canada, USAID, the World Bank, etc;
• Knowledge of Cuso International’s goals and approach to development work;
• Knowledge of the development and socio-political context of African countries where Cuso International works;

HOW TO APPLY

Your application must be forwarded to [email protected], with the competition number: RFMA-201709 clearly marked as the subject. Applications must be received by May 7, 2017 11:59pm EST. No late applications will be considered. Your c.v. must not be longer than 4 pages in length, including the cover letter

To be considered, your résumé and cover letter should demonstrate that all of the essential qualifications are met. Applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.