IFRC recruits 01 Finance and Admin Coordinator

Finance and Admin Coordinator

Closing date (Geneva time zone):02-05-2019

Duty station:Maputo

Country:MOZAMBIQUE

Duty station status: Family Duty Station

Accompanied status: Non-Accompanied

Duration:12 months

Category of Staff: Delegate

Grade: To be determined

Vacancy No:IFRC03006

Background

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with 190 member National Societies. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our work is guided by seven fundamental principles; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organization established by and comprised of its member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. The IFRC is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional, country cluster teams and country offices throughout the world. The Secretariat is led by the IFRC Secretary General and provides the central capacity to serve, connect, and represent National Societies. The Secretariat’s focus includes providing support to the IFRC governance mechanisms; setting norms and standards; providing guidance; ensuring consistency, coordination, and accountability for performance; knowledge sharing; promoting collaboration within and respect for the Movement; and expanding engagement with partners. The southern Africa Cluster Office based in Pretoria, South Africa provides representation supports to the ten National Societies (NS) of Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia. South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Based on IFRC mandate. Cyclone Idai made landfall on the evening of 15 March 2019 in the port city of Beira located in Sofala Province of Central Mozambique. The cyclone wreaked havoc on Beira and surrounding areas resulting in loss of communication, important damage and destruction to shelter and settlements, health and WASH facilities and thousands of hectares of standing crops, communication infrastructures and as well as loss of life and injury. In response, the IFRC launched a CHF 31 million dollar, 24 month appeal seeking to support over 200,000 people in the areas of health, shelter, WASH, Protection Gender and Inclusion and National Society Development. The IFRC has established a large operational structure working with CVM (CVM (Mozambique Red Cross) to implement the operation.

Job Purpose

The Finance Coordinator is responsible for leading a finance team in the provision of accounting services, ensuring financial control, financial reporting, training and providing advice and support to relevant stakeholders within a comprehensive financial management structure which are related to all operations of Mozambique country office.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Manage the Delegations Financial Position, in relation to Income and Expenses, ensuring that Project Exposure and Unfunded Items are managed with PEAR approval limits, Donor Pledge Requirements are adhered to and that the longer term financial situation across all projects is clearly understood by Senior Management.

Line Manage a finance admin department of 3-4 Staff and manage technically 5-7 Staff ensuring a robust efficient and effective financial infrastructure in compliance with Federation procedures, able to respond to changing requirements, and adapt to new program initiatives.

Record and report separately on Mozambique Idai operation financial commitments (external MoUs, pipeline purchase orders, program commitments, etc.) and be fully aware of possible commitments and planned ventures.

Provide comprehensive technical review/and advise on donor grants and proposal to senior management and RM colleagues prior to signing of agreement. Finance validation is a crucial part in concluding the agreements.

Track monitor and follow up on delegation income and pledges, identify overdue pledge payments or dormant pledges and indicate underspending and the requirements for possible time frame extensions. Ensure that all donor reporting requirements (financial) are met within the deadlines, and the accuracy, integrity and timeliness of the reports are maintained. Eliminate any dormant projects.

Manage the monthly financial cycle, within the deadlines, without significant error and maintain the accuracy of the numbers, resulting in satisfactory audit reports and positive evaluations of the financial aspects of the operations. Liaise closely and conclude successfully, dealings with auditors either external or internal, howsoever initiated. Act upon Audit Report Recommendations and ensure implementation and follow up maintenance of these recommendations.

Ensure that Federation Internal control procedures are in place and compiled with, and continually review to identify possible areas of weakness in financial controls within the system, implement changes to address these.

Act as Finance Controller to safeguard Federation’s legal obligation and commitments and take logical and financially sound decisions. Track Donor balances and ensure appropriate coding of expenses.

Manage the Budgeting Cycle (Appeal and PEARs) and ensure the detailed, realistic and achievable budgets are presented for the delegation.

Ensure that all spending is within PEAR approval, and no cases of expenses above budget/PEAR occur at the project/account group level. Ensure that all spending is valid and complies with the IFRC procedures and reject any payment requests or working advance clearances for non-compliant expenses.

Produce a comprehensive, relevant and useful monthly financial report (both analytical & narrative explanation) for the delegation management, clearly highlighting the financial issues and risks of the delegation, any exceptional or other items of relevance for Senior Management.

Manage carefully the Financial assets of the delegation in all locations, maintains a fully reconciled Balance sheet, with financial asset values in line with targets and commensurate with the scale of operations (60 day Turnover), with realistic forecasts of planned expenditure, limited FX Gains/Losses, and minimal Requests for Write Offs.

Liaise closely with the Technical Manager, Regional Finance Administration Manager keeping her/him updated of all significant financial issues pertaining to Mozambique Operations and seek advice/input/instruction as required.

Be Proactive and Customer focused in the work, resolve issues and suggest solutions, drive the processes forward, seek assistance from the appropriate sources, and encourage the Finance Function to be seen as an integral part of Operations

Management.

Continually review the focus/placement of the Finance HR resources, ensuring sufficient manpower in the correct locations, to ensure that the decision making wherever taken, has available locally the Finance Resource to contribute to the decision process.

With ever evolving Program initiatives, seriously consider the financial risks inherent in program activities, and suggest/implement methodologies to reduce such risk, in particular, field spot checking and approaches that lead to greater physical verification and validation of transactions.

Provide clear concise and decisive financial advice to the Delegation Senior Management and readily alert the relevant parties of areas of financial risk or irregularity.

Ensure that Administrative Services are invoiced in a timely manner and that Shared Office & Services Costs (SOSC) fee are recovered as per Costing principles of Full Cost recovery. Track and report on this shortfall in recovery of costs. Accurate calculation need to be in place for all sub-delegations/and base camp.

In corporate risk management framework & control mechanism in the operation, and also provide training and disseminate the procedure on Fraud and Corruption prevention and control policy.

Ensure MoUs and Project Agreements are in place prior to transferring working advance to national society for implementation. Project agreements should have clear budget breakdown, project proposal, time-frame for spending and reporting. Compulsory to complete monthly working advance reconciliation between federation and CVM balance sheet.

Train, support and advise the National Society in the development of its financial management and systems with collaboration of Finance Development colleagues in the region.

Be integrate part of the Indirect cost recovery policy that need to be establish by CVM, provide the required support at field level and work closely with Regional Development colleagues.

Federation Wide Reporting System (FWRS), provide the required support to regional and country team to ensure compilation of data from field.

Education

Relevant university degree

Professional qualification in accounting or equivalent

Relevant professional training courses (Red Cross/Red Crescent related, humanitarian and development sector, management, etc.)

Experience

Minimum of 7 years work experience in an international financial role

Minimum of 2 years work experience with an International Organisation, international non-governmental organization, NGO and/or government development agency

Volunteering or working within the Red Cross / Red Crescent Movement

Management of a team with a minimum of 3 direct reports

Developing budgets, plans and financial analysis

Management of an accounting services function

Communicating financial results to managers

Preparation for, conduct of and/or support to external financial audit

Knowledge, skills and languages

Ability to lead and manage in a diverse cultural context

Highly organised/time management

Effective team management, often from a distance

Advanced skills in computer productivity applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)

Advanced knowledge of accounting concepts

Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards or equivalent

Advanced knowledge of financial management and reporting applications (e.g. CODA and Business Objects )

Understanding of treasury management concepts

Financial management skills

Ability to effectively provide training on financial management matters

Fluently spoken and written English

Good command of Spanish or Portuguese is preferred

Competencies and values

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust

Managerial competencies: Managing Staff; Managing Performance

Comments

The Federation is an equal opportunity employer.