Finance & Compliance Specialist 242 views0 applications

Department/Unit: International Programs, World Relief South Sudan

Reports to: Director of Finance & Administration, and functionally report to the Project Managers.

Work Location: Juba, South Sudan with frequent travel to the project sites (Koch, Mayendit, Guit, Rubkona, and Mayom) County

Position Type: Unaccompanied, Juba/field-based.

BACKGROUND: The Finance and Compliance specialist oversees the financial management and coordination of special projects requiring a dedicated team to implement and oversee project operations. While the role evolves to take on up to two special projects at any given time, this position is responsible for the financial management and coordination with the South Sudan Finance and Administration Director of World Reliefs South Sudan Reconciliation, Stabilization, and Resilience Trust Fund (RSRTF-UNDP) project in Koch County, and a USAID-funded Strengthening Community Outcomes through Positive Engagement (SCOPE) project in Ibba & Maridi County.

The objective of the RSRTF fund is to provide strategic financing to integrated programs that together lessen the destructive drivers of conflict and develop more peaceful and, ultimately, self-reliant communities in Koch County. The Fund will focus on supporting activities to achieve durable intra- and inter-community reconciliation and to foster stable environments in which communities can engage constructively on resilience. Through adaptive, complementary reconciliation, stabilization, and resilience efforts the intent is to attain lasting change, supporting communities to realize the long-term, economic, and livelihood gains of sustained peace. Through an area-based programming approach, the Fund will bring together UN agencies, NGOs, and the Mission to collectively work with communities in pursuing opportunities for transformational change, to move beyond cycles of conflict and violence.

The objective of the SCOPE fund is to collaborate with key stakeholders to reduce preventable maternal health and child morbidity by increasing the utilization of reproductive health services for women of reproductive age and the utilization of primary health care services by under five children. It seeks to use and improve existing private and public health systems, working with health service providers to co-train community health actors and strengthen policies to improve access to services while working through the local faith community for long-term effective and durable impact. SCOPE envisions a world in which people of reproductive age, pregnant women, and caregivers of children under five adopt healthy behaviors and seek necessary care, and that high-quality community health services are accessible to all mothers and children. The SCOPE Project is a five-year-funded New Partnerships Initiative project implemented in partnership with Christian Connections for International Health.

POSITION SUMMARY: World Relief is leading a consortium for the implementation of an RSRTF project in Koch County. Consortium partners include CARE International, Mercy Corps, UNMISS & UNIDOR. The SCOPE project runs entirely under World Relief, however, is a four-country project which also includes World Relief Kenya, Malawi, and Haiti offices. The finance and compliance specialist position will be housed within World Relief but will support the entire consortium of RSRTF and SCOPE teams. The position is responsible for financial oversight of the projects in coordination with World Relief South Sudan as well as RSRTF consortium staff and Home Office SCOPE management. The finance and compliance specialist will be expected to spend 50% of the time in the field (Koch, Ibba & Maridi counties) and will be responsible for managing project staff, overseeing all finance functions of the project, and liaising with finance staff at consortium partners.

SPECIFIC JOB DUTIES:

• Review and maintain grant documentation and reporting both locally and in the World Relief’s Cyrus system in conjunction with the World Relief Country Office in Juba and the Home Office Grants Management department.
• Prepare donor financial reports with respect to accounting, legal and contractual requirements and ensure the review of such reports by the Project manager prior to submission.
• Review and consolidate financial reports, fund requests, and budgets of member agencies in a timely and up to a high standard as the grant calendar dictates.
• Monitor budget utilization of the consortium unit and consortium members and take appropriate action on any significant variances.
• Stay abreast of various grant regulations and requirements, tracking and monitoring changes and interpretations of US Federal and national grant regulations.
• Contribute to the development of a risk register on financial and logistics and review it on an ongoing basis developing and improving appropriate controls to mitigate the risk as appropriate in compliance with donor policies and procedures
• Oversee the protection of the projects’ assets through the enforcement of internal control policies and procedures.
• Monitor fixed assets register of all assets acquired with consortium funding and ensure timely reporting, proper tracking, and disposal procedure as per the grant agreement.
• Maintain an effective & efficient system of internal controls which comply with consortium financial guidelines to minimize the risk of fraud or misappropriation.
• Participate in SCOPE weekly coordination calls and updating the SCOPE team on financial activities.
• Enforce financial regulations and requirements of the RSRTF and SCOPE projects.
• Maintain current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters ensuring compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.
• Oversee the protection of the assets under the projects through the enforcement of internal control policies and procedures.
• Conduct visits to member agencies’ offices including field program offices where necessary for periodical review of records and have a thorough understanding of activities in the field and recommend corrective actions for improvement.
• Oversee the timely preparation review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations related to the project.
• Keep track of lessons learnt and share with consortium members during implementation.
• Perform payroll functions for all World Relief RSRTF-related employees.
• Maintain the current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters ensuring compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.
• Perform other duties and tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

COMPLIANCE & AUDIT:

• Ensure donors and WR policies and procedures are strictly followed during financial transactions.
• Perform regular spot checks for consortium partners’ management of project funds and WR Field locations where RSRTF and SCOPE Projects are implemented.
• Ensure maintenance of all financial documentation such as payment vouchers, bank reconciliations, cash forecasts, and fund transfer files for the projects to make sure all necessary documentations are readily available for audit and compliance review.
• Organize and lead donor and any other external audit functions.
• Work closely with and support the Juba finance unit in monthly account closing, BvA preparations, and other year-end and donor audit preparations.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Ability to manage budgets, financial accountability procedures, logistics, and commodity tracking.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple tasks at once.
• Prior multicultural team leadership experience, independent thinker, and self-starter.
• Previous employment with a not-for-profit organization that receives funding from multiple sources, preferably in an international context preferred.
• Ability to maintain performance expectations in a hardship location

REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a suitable field, Master’s degree, or recognized professional certification such as CPA, preferred.
• At least 3 years experience in managing humanitarian funding (USG, UN, EU, etc.) public grants preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Experience in MS Office package and high proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Christian faith and adherence to World Relief’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• This position is based in South Sudan. Travel to and from the other field offices (sub-offices) will be required periodically.
• This is an unaccompanied position with supplementary hardship leave.
• The operating environment is volatile, with security restrictions in force in South Sudan.
• Working hours will be structured in light of the prevailing emergency situation being addressed and may be unsociable at times.
• Equipment used: Employee computer (desktop or laptop), printer, and copier.
• All of the above duties and responsibilities are essential job functions subject to reasonable accommodation. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills, and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. This job description is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Individuals may be required to perform any other job-related instructions as requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation. This position description is not all-inclusive and is always under review.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to have ordinary ambulatory skills sufficient to visit other locations
• The ability to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crouch, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to medium weights of 10-15 pounds.
• Requires good hand-eye coordination, and arm, hand, and finger dexterity, including the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to use a keyboard, operate equipment and read application information.
• The employee frequently is required to sit, reach with hands and arms, talk and hear.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For World Relief staff, a strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title Vll of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Legal Background in the United States

World Relief is both an equal-opportunity employer and a faith-based religious organization. This means that we conduct hiring without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, marital status, parental status, membership in any labor organization, political ideology, or disability of an otherwise qualified individual. The status of World Relief as an equal opportunity employer does not prevent the organization from hiring staff based on their religious beliefs so that all staff shares the same religious commitment.

Pursuant to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 702 (42 U.S.C. 2000e I(a) World Relief has the right to, and does, hire only candidates who agree with World Relief’s Statement of Faith.