Field Finance Manager at Mercy Corps

Location: Biu - Borno State

General Position Summary

• The Field Finance Manager is a member of the senior management team for the field operations of the humanitarian portfolio, and as such is responsible for all aspects of financial management of the humanitarian programs, working collaboratively to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations.
• S/he works under the direction of the Head of Office and is responsible for all financial functions in North East Nigeria, including accounting, payments and banking, budgeting, financial reporting and grant financial management and compliance, in addition to technical capacity building of field finance staff.
• The Field Finance Manager, in support of the Program Department, provides timely reports and assistance to the Director of Humanitarian Programs and the Program team to ensure that financial resources are used efficiently and effectively.

Program/Department Summary

• Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since December 2012, focusing its interventions on adolescent girls' empowerment, economic development and conflict mitigation. With the insurgency spilling over from the north-east of Nigeria and causing displacement of millions of individuals, Mercy Corps has decided to address the rising humanitarian needs among displaced households and vulnerable host communities by starting its humanitarian program in July 2014.
• Mercy Corps Nigeria's humanitarian program aims to provide assistance to populations affected by the crisis in north-east Nigeria.
• With funding from humanitarian donors including OFDA, FFP, ECHO and the EUTF the humanitarian program has been focusing on food assistance, non-food items distribution, protection, livelihoods support, WASH and capacity building of humanitarian response actors.
• Mercy Corps plans to scale up and expand its humanitarian response in north-east Nigeria to reach more beneficiaries with additional and varied assistance in a wider geographic area.
• All Mercy Corps interventions in Nigeria are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.

Essential Job Functions
Team Management:

• Create a sustainable work environment of mutual respect that attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
• Supervise and lead a diverse team of direct and indirect reports in field offices and conduct timely performance reviews and establish development plans.
• Contribute to field office team-building efforts; build constructive internal relationships; help team members identify problem solving options and ensure integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
• Support the finance team to develop their technical finance skills through routine coaching and guidance.

Operations - Financial:

• Ensure effective, transparent use of financial resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
• Maintain banking relations and plan and monitor field cash flow requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of Mercy Corps programs.
• Provide monthly standard accounting submissions to Mercy Corps Abuja, including account reconciliations, expenditures by fund/project, required subgrantee reporting, as well as other financial information in a timely and accurate manner.
• Provide monthly management reports to the Director of Humanitarian Programs and Program Managers, including expenditures by fund/project, subgrantee reporting and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
• Develop grant budgeting and forecasting systems with Program Managers.
• Lead in the roll out of finance systems and procedure documentation in the field offices, ensure that all finance transactions are in compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

Compliance:

• Perform the financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with MC policies and procedures and donors grants and contracts requirements.
• Perform compliance reviews of field office processes including procurement, logistics, stock management, and coordinate with the relevant departments to correct and improve as needed

Reporting:

• Assist in the preparation of the monthly field cash flow projections to be submitted to Abuja
• Assist in the preparation, maintenance and consolidation of office operational budgets.
• Review and work with program managers on the monthly end grant spending reports (BVAs)
• Consolidate and prepare budget projections.

Accounting:

• Assist and support the Country Finance Manager in the process review of the month end closing including but not limited to :
• Review of field journals to ensure proper coding of all transactions;
• Posting of transactions daily to Field Connect
• The monthly reconciliation of balance sheet accounts as requested by Country FM;
• The monthly payroll preparation process;
• Assist and support the Country Finance Manager in the month end and year end closing reports.
• Set-up and maintain the grant files, maintain and distribute current copies of the approved coded budgets to all relevant parties.
• Maintain subgrant financial files, process subgrantee payments and reconcile subgrant financial tracking to general ledger reports.
• Accountability: Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
• Organizational Learning: As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve - we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
• Supervisory Responsibility: finance department staff and Abuja-based SFO

Accountability

• Reports Directly to: Head of Office, with dotted-line technical reporting to Country Finance Manager
• Works Directly with: Members of Operations, Program Managers and others.

Knowledge and Experience

• A BA/S or equivalent in Accounting or Finance required; advanced Degree preferred.
• A professional qualification is required
• At least 4 + years of progressive financial management experience, including supervisory experience required.
• At least 4 years' experience in grants management as well as an understanding of ECHO/FFP/OFDA/EU regulations required.
• At least 3 years' international experience required; international NGO/PVO field office experience is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience and skill with budget preparation and analysis, financial reporting preparation and presentation and the proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.
• Strong accounting skills and experience, including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and balance sheet.
• Prior management experience and strong organizational skills.
• Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
• Excellent oral and written English skills required; knowledge of Hausa is highly desirable.
• Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
• Previous experience in insecure environments.

Success Factors:

• The successful candidate will have an ability to interact effectively across international and national program and finance teams successfully, both in a managerial as well as training capacity.
• S/he will be able to support programmatic objectives with timely and meaningful financial information, have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, and meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities.
• An impeccable professional standard of finance and procurement ethics and the willingness and ability to enforce compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures is essential.
• The Finance Manager must be willing to travel regularly to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites.
• The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.

Living Conditions:

• The position will be based in Biu town ( Biu LGA south of Borno state) and requires substantial amount of travel between field locations in Gombe, Adamawa and Borno states.
• Considering the frequent travel from/to different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of accommodation and logistics.
• Housing will be in hotels or guesthouse where available. Security in the field locations require additional vigilance and accessibility will be reassessed continuously.
• Access to good medical services in North East Nigeria is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity and water in main urban centers are available but might be erratic.
• The location is eligible for hardship and R&R (every 10 weeks) benefits. Working hours require flexibility and working through weekends/evenings might be necessary.