IGNITE Project – Finance and logistic Deputy Director 275 views0 applications

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

This post works under the 36-month AFD-funded grant titled IGNITE (Inspiring Girls and Grass-Roots Networks for Inclusive and Transformative education) Through this project, IGNITE Consortium will support a range of feminist CSOs and WROs working in our 7 target countries and/or at a regional level to accelerate gender equality in and through education. These include:

• CSOs provide direct support to girls and their families to remove individual-, family- and community-level barriers to education.

• CSOs work directly with schools and other sub-national institutions to improve the quality of support for adolescent girls in school as well as access to education for out-of-school girls.

• And CSOs conducting research and/or advocacy to advance the rights of girls, including access to education

The Purpose of the Role

• To provide high-quality financial leadership and support to Project Management Team, and Partners, on financial management for the IGNITE project.

• To lead on a range of financial processes on the assigned project, from financial planning, budgeting, reporting, performance monitoring and financial risk management, invoicing/transfers processes

• To oversee the financial accounting, supplier payments, partners payment and grant/contract accounting on the specific assigned projects.

• To lead on the logistics and procurement needs of the project and ensure that IRC’s and AFD’s guidelines are implemented.

• To lead the yearly audit process and coordinate with IRC Finance, the consortium members and the audit firm.

Scope and Authority

Authority:

• This position has authority to oversee finance and supply chain management aspects of the project and advise the IGNITE Director, accordingly.

Responsibility for Resources:

• Responsible to manage and oversee project budgets.

• Responsible for quality assuring accuracy of donor budget and financial reports

• Responsible for the invoicing/fund transfer’s process.

Key Working Relationships

• This position reports to the IGNITE Project Director

• Has regular contact with the Project Management Team with regards to the financial management of the project?

• Has regular contact with GOAT Team with regards to financial management of the project?

• Has external contact with Consortium Partners with regards to technical and finance/contract management.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Budgets Management (20%)

• Prepare and review the Project Budgets to ensure data is complete and maintained on a timely basis

• In collaboration with the Project Management Team, ensure that all donor-related financial information is disseminated to Project, Finance and Logistics staff as well as Partners to enable them to abide by donor rules and regulations.

Managing AFD agreement (10%)

• Work with the project team to develop tools to implement sound financial management of the IGNITE project (e.g. cash flow management tools, invoice trackers)

• Update the procurement plan with the partners and the project team

• Ensure the approval of the procurement plan by AFD and its application by IRC and the partners

• Support the Grant & Partnership Coordinator in the ANO requests with AFD

Internal and External Reporting (20%)

• Prepare Budget Versus Actual reports on a monthly basis and ensure that the IGNITE Director has a good understanding of the spending progress and any other matters arising from the report

• Prepare quarterly financial reports as per AFD requirements, ensuring they are complete, accurate and produced on a timely manner to ensure adequate review, approval and submission.

• Coordinate and review Partner financial reports

• Setting up financial templates for Partners to report on

• Manage and monitor expenses versus project budget, highlighting variances and resource allocation needs to Director and Grants and Partnerships Manager.

• Review quarterly financial reports produced by Partners ensuring they are complete, accurate and produced on a timely manner for consolidation and submission

• Ensure financial reports are produced in compliance with AFD’s exchange rate policies, including keeping track of expenditure in the various currencies and identifying the rate at which they need to be converted into Euros.

• Support when needed the consortium partners in the grant management component.

Performance Monitoring and Financial Management (10%)

• Prepare cash flow forecasts, consolidated with Partners

• Analyze variances of the forecast and actual spending and submit adjustments as required.

Invoicing/Fund Transfer Process Monitoring (10%)

• Prepare invoices to be issued to AFD and monitor the payment process

• Check the invoices received by Partners and monitor the payment process

• Submit payment requests to finance and overall financial oversight

• Consolidate payment breakdown by Partner according to previous quarter spent, balance and forecasts

• Process fund transfers to Partners.

Support to Project Management Team, Country Offices and Partners (10%)

• Any other additional tasks to support the Project and Partners.

• Lead on the procurement and logistics aspects of the project (organisation of events, recruitment of consultants…) with the relevant department and country teams

• Support the director in the application of human resources guidelines (time sheet, leave tracker etc.)

External and internal audit management (20%)

• Draft the scope of work of the yearly external audit in coordination with IRC finance and the partners

• Ensure the smooth roll out of the audit process and coordinate with the different stakeholders

• Review the external audit report

• Ensure the follow-up on audit findings and implement the best financial practices within the consortium

• Conduct pre-audit and spot checks on regular basis with the partners’ expenses

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

• Bachelor Degree in Accounting, Commerce, Economics, or Business studies

• Knowledge of computerized accounting software, preferably Microsoft Dynamics

• Excellent proficiency in Microsoft Excel

• Knowledge of AFD and/or other European donor rules and regulations will be a plus

• Good communication skills

• Ability to build good working relationships with Project Management Team and Partners, at different levels, functions and in different locations

• Ability to work with limited supervision, be flexible and comfortable in a multi-cultural work force.

• Fluency in both English and French is required.

Experience:

• A minimum of 6-8 years’ of progressive experience in financial management and oversight of development, humanitarian or research projects or programmes

• Solid experience in working in partnership/consortium and in supporting partners or sub-grantees, including support capacity strengthening efforst on financial management

• Good experience in working within an International Donor-funded Organization

• Good experience in managing large(multi-million) pound budgets or contracts

• Experience in supporting grant-making projects will be a plus

• Experience in working on AFD grants an asset

• Experience of project financial close-out procedures

Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to UK-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.