Deputy Finance and Compliance Manager at Mercy Corps

Department Summary

• The Mercy Corps Finance Department is responsible for all financial functions in Nigeria, including accounting, payments and banking, payroll, budgeting, financial reporting, and grant financial management and compliance. The Mercy Corps Finance Department ensures compliance with donor regulations as well as Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures. In its role as a support to the Program Department, the Finance Department provides timely reports and assistance to the Country Director and the Program team to ensure that financial resources are used efficiently and effectively.

General Position Summary

• Working in the Finance Department under the direction of the Deputy Director, Finance and Compliance, the Deputy Finance and Compliance Manager will support the Country Office in the reporting of financial information, review and analyze records, reports, financial statements and management practices to ensure adequate internal controls are in place to mitigate risks in compliance with laws, regulations, donor requirements and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
• The Deputy Finance & Compliance Manager is responsible for managing the programmatic, financial and operational aspects of sub-awards issued under all programs across the Mercy Corps Maiduguri office. Working with an increasingly wide and diverse set of local and international partners at all levels of public, private, and civil society, there is a need to strengthen programmatic and financial support to partners to enable more robust growth and development of sub-grantees. Compliance with the donor regulations and Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures is a critical part of the capacity building process and essential to enable sub-grantees to develop strong systems that will help in the delivery of programmatic interventions

Essential Job Responsibilities

FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT

• Perform financial reviews of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with MC policies and procedures and donors’ requirements.
• Perform compliance reviews of processes, including procurement, logistics, stock management, HR & Admin, and coordinate with the relevant departments to correct and improve as needed.
• Provide advice, training, and consultation on compliance with MC policies and procedures as well as donor compliance requirements.
• Ensure grant files are maintained and up to date in accordance with Mercy Corps’ minimum program requirements.

Accounting

• Support the Finance and Compliance Director in month-end and year-end HQ required reports, quarterly balance sheet reconciliation reports, fiscal year-end reports, statutory deductions reports, and other taxable benefits reports.
• Assist in posting the transactions in the accounting system and reviewed for any necessary corrections.
• Prepare timesheet allocations for all international and national staff and review and post timesheet allocations in the accounting system.
• Prepare/review necessary reclassification entries and other accounts’ adjustments;

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & REPORTING

• Prepare and update monthly grant spending reports (Budget vs. Actuals, BvAs) for the Country Office, including administrative/operational projections; work with program managers to ensure program projections are updated; and, together with the relevant program managers and staff members, review BvAs and projections, to ensure program implementation is on time, target and budget
• Assist in the preparation of financial reports, including budget projections of assigned programs.

SUB-GRANTS & COMPLIANCE

• Support maintenance of a filing system for sub-grants and related documents as required by policies and regulations of Mercy Corps.
• Conduct the pre-award assessment process as well as the contracting and closeout processes; ensure that all steps are properly documented in accordance with Mercy Corps’ minimum program requirements.
• Ensure subgrantee payments are on time, and subgrant financial reports are properly reconciled.
• Review subgrantee financial reports, manage and assist in subgrantee site audits, and follow up on subgrant compliance issues. Ensure subgrantee information is entered and updated in the accounting system on a regular basis.
• Provide training and compliance guidance and consultations to subrecipients on a demand-driven basis.
• Ensure that subawards are executed in alignment with the prime award agreement and the applicable regulations, staying abreast of changes in regulatory environment related to donor/grant compliance; update procedures as necessary
• Responsible for subaward financial close-outs, including ensuring that all requirements of the subaward agreement have been met and that subaward funds have been properly settled.

Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.
• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations, and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Provide team members (new and old) with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.
• Provide coverage and backstopping for Finance and compliance Director
• Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem-solving options and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
• Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.

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.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward 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.

Knowledge And Experience

• Five (5) years of finance experience, including budgeting and grant management.
• At least four (4) years of high-level finance management experience with international NGOs.
• A university degree in finance, accounting, or related business management is required.
• Advanced postgraduate qualifications and membership of a professional body and will be an added advantage.
• Strong background in compliance and coordination with operations, program departments, and partners.
• Good understanding of accounting and proven experience in managing financial systems, payroll, and balance sheet accounts.
• Experience in financial analysis and reporting within non-profit organizations.
• Experience in budgeting for various donor proposals.
• Experience in leading internal and external audits is a strong asset.
• Experience in training and capacity building of staff.
• Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs are required, particularly Excel;
• Fluent written and oral communication in English is required. Fluency in Hausa and any other Nigerian language will be an added advantage.