Summary
Save the Children is seeking a Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) for an anticipated five-year Resilient Education for Crisis-Affected Children activity in Burkina Faso. The purpose of this activity is to increase primary education completion, particularly for displaced and host community learners who have been marginalized due to conflict and crisis conditions, with improved foundational skills and wellbeing, even in the face of shocks and stressors. A disproportionate number of Burkinabe primary school-aged children are unable to complete their primary school education, nor receive quality instruction, and therefore struggle to acquire foundational skills. Insecurity, displacement and climate risks further exacerbate poor education conditions for both host community and displaced learners. This activity has been designed to support the Government of Burkina Faso’s Education Sector Plan (2017-2030).
The DFA is responsible for the overall leadership of the project’s finance team and oversees all financial management, internal controls and financial compliance aspects of the program, in accordance with USAID guidance and regulations. They will manage the implementation of accounting systems, budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting for Save the Children and any sub-awards. This position sits on the project’s senior leadership team. The DFA is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate structure exists to ensure effective support of field operations and to protect the integrity of the country office financial and administrative operations. They will also need to maintain consistent coordination and teamwork with other senior positions and individuals working on the program as well as with USAID guidelines.
This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
Management & Oversight
- Provide day-to-day leadership, management, and oversight of the project’s finance team.
- Support COP and DCOP to maintain effective working relationships with donors and key government officials related to finance and operations.
- Review and consolidate monthly financial reports to ensure accuracy and to provide regular feedback to senior management.
- Ensure all financial plans, invoices, reports, and other financial documents and transactions are accurate, timely, and consistent with Save the Children and USAID guidelines and regulations.
- Verify that appropriate segregation of duties exists to ensure effective support of field operations and to protect the integrity of the country office financial and administrative operations.
- agreed budget plans and competitive compensation structure benchmarking studies.
- Encourage a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Coordinates and manages the mobilization of short-term and long-term technical assistance and administrative staff.
Budget Management
- Prepare and monitor budgets to ascertain that spending occurs as planned and that variances are anticipated, noted, and corrected; ensure that key program personnel are aware of budgetary resources and are able to monitor their budgets respectively.
- Perform financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with Save the Children’s policies and procedures and the donor’s grants and contracts requirements.
- Oversee subgrant monitoring and compliance including organizational assessments, review of financial reports/advance requests, and financial tracking; develop subgrant monitoring plans; and perform and document compliance visits.
- Supervise the finance and administrative staff, conducting performance appraisals and revising job descriptions as necessary. Providing capacity development and training opportunities for the team and facilitate their professional growth.
- Monitor burn rates, advise on spend projections and maintain and update the status of obligated funds.
- Ensure coordination of audits and the implementation of recommendations.
Financial Reporting
- Prepare and revise finance and operations guidelines in order that they adhere to SC and USAID requirements.
- Develop internal control measures to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting at all levels.
- Prepare quarterly reports, consolidated annual fiscal report, cumulative life of project report, and any other required donor submissions.
- Manage the reporting component of the award including reconciling timesheets with financial reports; oversee administrative duties as needed.
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree in finance, business, accounting or other relevant field; professional qualification in Accounting desired.
- Minimum of five years of experience managing finance for USAID-funded projects; in-depth knowledge of USAID financial management rules and regulations.
- In-depth knowledge of US Government rules and regulations including 22 CFR 226.22, CFR-145, and OMB Circulars A-122 and A-133.
- Proven ability to prepare multi-year budgets, donor financial reports and USAID audits.
- Strong analytical, leadership and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations.
- Experience as a coach/mentor to train staff and develop financial skills of colleagues.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French.
- Expert computer skills in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ten years of progressively responsible experience in financial management for large and complex programs funded by international donors, including the U.S. Government.
- Strong experience of working within a complex national program in the context of an emergency intervention or in conflict/fragile state contexts.
- Ability and willingness to be very flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes dangerous working circumstances.
- Familiarity with the political, social, and cultural context of Burkina Faso.
- Personal commitment to gender equality, child rights and social inclusion.
About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.
Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.
We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.
Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.
Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.
More Information
- Job City Ouagadougou
