Director of Finance at Creative Associates International

Job ID: 2022-2360
Category: Accounting / Finance
Reporting & Supervision: Reports to the Chief of Party.

Project Description

• Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and in close partnership with federal partners and select Nigeria States (designated as legacy [Bauchi and Sokoto], launching and technical assistance), the five-year Leveraging Education Assistance Resources in Nigeria (LEARN) project will support sustainable improvements in reading outcomes for first and second grade pupils.
• The goal of LEARN is to strengthen and scale early grade reading (EGR) best practice by ensuring that standards-based, context-appropriate assessment, materials, training, and administrative supports needed to improve literacy skills for P1-2 pupils are embedded within the federal policy, funding, and monitoring frameworks, and state and local authorities have the implementation protocols, capacity, and resources to carry out and sustain standards-based, data-driven EGR reform.
• The project objective is to instill ownership in and build capacity of school-community, local, state, and federal systems to establish a base for adequate, consistent data-driven funding, monitoring and performance that increase the equity, inclusion, and wellbeing necessary to achieve sustained EGR gains.
• LEARN will therefore be building on lessons learned from prior Nigeria reading programs to introduce a flexible, cost- efficient EGR intervention model that can be tailored to state contexts.

Position Summary

• Director of Finance provides overall financial management and administration oversight for the project. They ensure project liquidity and establishes appropriate checks and balances to mitigate financial risks and conflicts of interest.
• They ensure all records are audit ready, establish cost and fiscal controls, and enforce stringent international financial and auditing standards.
• They ensure funds expended are compliant with the Creative policies USG regulations as well as local labor and tax laws.
• They implement fraud mitigation practices and ensures systems and processes are implemented effectively to support the project implementation.
• They provide operational support on procurement, grants, and human resources and oversight on accounting and finance, and ensure financial compliance and timely reporting.
• They must fully understand cost allowability, allocability, and reasonableness, USAID and USG procurement regulations, the financial responsibilities associated with grant management, and the design and implementation of financial training activities.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to the finance team and oversight on the project’s accounting and finance functions, including identification of areas for improvement and strategic guidance for financial management
• Ensure accurate and timely information is provided, to assist in the day-to-day management of the project and to drive management, strategic and budgetary decisions
• Establish and maintain financial management and accounting control systems for program expenditures
• Ensure project liquidity and establish appropriate checks and balances to mitigate financial risks and conflicts of interest
• Ensure all financial records are audit ready, establish cost and fiscal controls, and enforce stringent international financial and auditing standards that ensure efficiency, accountability, and compliance
• Lead the development of the annual budget, annual and quarterly forecasts and reforecasts, pipeline analysis, budget realignment, and fund obligation requests
• Support the development of the project annual workplans
• Work closely with field-based implementing partners to ensure budgets, projections, and invoices are completed according to the Creative policies and procedures and USG regulations
• Direct the formation and implementation of financial management and compliance policies and procedures, guiding policy decisions and providing technical expertise
• Verify all project procurements prior to execution and determine source selection methods for complex procurements to ensure compliance with the Creative policies and USG rules and regulations
• Manage finance team and provide financial management and systems training for the staff
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of quarterly and annual financial reports on financial status of project expenses and budget information
• Ensure that the project meets all contractual requirements and complies with the USG regulations.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Master's Degree in a Finance‐related field; an additional 2 years of experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master's Degree
• A minimum of 10 years of experience working in senior financial management positions with increasing levels of responsibility for large complex projects, of which at least five years’ experience managing multifaceted development programs, with strong experience with funds control, and the ability to monitor fraud and abuse
• Strong knowledge of USAID rules and regulations
• Experience working in conflict-affected regions; experience specifically in the West Africa region is highly desirable
• Fluency in written and spoken English.