Finance Assistant at Mercy Corps

Program / 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 Senior Finance Officer and with close coordination with the HR team, the position will assist the country portfolio in adhering to the compliance procedures for all operational and program-related activities and the Mercy Corps financial implementation, and ensure adequate internal controls are in place and in compliance with laws, regulations, donor requirements and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

Strategy and 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 with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Assist the Senior Finance Officer to enhance the efficiency of the existing control system and ensure any identified compliance gaps are corrected.
• Enter transactions (PIs, GJs etc.) into the accounting software accurately.
• Prepare Monthly Payroll related statutory remittances (PAYE, Pensions, NHF, NSITF & WHT)
• Prepare National staff monthly payroll based on HR advice.
• Prepare monthly Expat Tax and Field salary advances.
• Assist the team in the preparation of Monthly Balance Sheet Reconciliations.
• Sorting and reviewing timesheets for coding, leave, holidays, etc.
• Manage Finance archiving and ensure monthly update of finance archiving index.
• Support audits (donor, internal, external, statutory) by retrieving and refilling documents.
• Make payments on the bank platforms, print off all payment vouchers and match them with the document to be filled.
• Prepare Amortizations of prepaid expenses and tracking of prepaid benefits for compliance with policies and procedures.
• Prepare Monthly Month end account reconciliations for Naira and USD Accounts.
• Coordinate with all field offices to collect HQ Monthly, Quarterly and annual packages for onward submission to HQ.
• Ensure compliance with GAAPs, Nigerian, US and standard accounting practices.
• Make sure all income taxes, withholding taxes, VAT and other taxes are withheld and paid accordingly.
• Be adaptable and flexible to take on new tasks and new assignments as requested from time to time.
• Work closely with the Finance and program departments to ensure the Standard Operating Procedures for voucher redemption are followed properly.
• Conduct himself/herself both professionally and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to Mercy Corps and not jeopardize its humanitarian mission.
• Any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Influence and Representation

• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country.

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.

Supervisory Responsibility

None

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Senior Finance Officer – Accounting.

Works Directly With: Compliance and Finance department in Abuja, program and operational teams in the Northeast Nigeria.

Knowledge and Experience

• A minimum of 1-year of compliance and finance experience is required.
• A university degree in finance, accounting or any related field.
• At least one year or more experience in the compliance department of an international NGO is preferred.
• Demonstrated competency with computerized general ledger software.
• Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
• Prior management experience and strong organizational skills.
• Excellent oral and written English skills.

Success Factors

The successful candidate will be capable of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring skills and proven experience with capacity building. S/he will be committed to long-term program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the community level. Successful Mercy Corps team members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal communication a priority.

The successful candidate will be willing to travel to field locations in the Northeast based on program needs. This will mean sometimes staying and working in stressful environments with very basic living conditions, strictly following security protocols and sometimes working long and irregular hours.