Finance Coordinator - Nigeria at INTERSOS

Code: SR-49-2755

Duty station: 70% Maiduguri and 30% Abuja, Nigeria

Starting date: 01/12/2022

Contract duration: 12 months

Reporting to: Head of Mission

Supervision of: 1 international staff and 3 national staff

Dependents: Non-family duty station

General context of the project

According to the Nigeria Humanitarian Response Plan 2022, 8.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the north-east and north-west of the country, with the majority of them being women and children who are facing significant protection risks. The people in need is likely to increase due to continuation of insecurity in the intervention areas with IDPs fleeing to relatively safer places.

INTERSOS has been rendering humanitarian responses in Nigeria since 2016, providing life-saving support from the most affected communities such as health and nutrition, covid-19 response and vaccination, protection, food security and livelihoods, shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, camp coordination, and common warehouse management.

General purpose of the position

The Finance Coordinator is a member of the Senior Management Team of the Nigeria Mission, who is responsible for managing and controlling the Nigeria mission's financial processes to ensure full compliance. S/he will take leadership in ensuring sound budget planning and control, striving for optimal cost-efficiency of the operations. S/he will lead the team in development of relevant financial information, forecast and analysis, as well as timely financial reporting for senior leadership, donors, and key stakeholders. S/he will take lead in making strategic changes to upgrade and improve process, policies or procedures, and develop the finance team of the mission.​

Main responsibilities and tasks

The Finance Coordinator is responsible for the proper technical performance of all accounting-financial activities of the mission and its projects. Key functions include:

Strategic planning

• Lead and provide strategic advice on enhancement of financial management of the mission, including strategies in maintaining healthy growth in profile, cost recovery, risks mitigation, as well as staff development.

Financial Management

• Responsible for verification of expenditure and implementation of corresponding payments and recoveries.
• Oversee the treasury management including review of cash management and control system
• Ensure all month-end closing process: review Bank reconciliations, cash account reports, prepare balance sheet accounts reconciliations and internal reports.
• Leads in the timely production of financial accounts, ledgers and reports as required
• Consolidate monthly cash needs from financial plans and ensure cash flow statement and cash forecasts for the mission are prepared as required.

Budget planning and monitoring

• Ensuring annual mission budgets are prepared with sound forecast and analysis
• Working with concerned Program staff to prepare grant budgets to support new proposals or realignments to ensure adequate coverage of direct and indirect costs
• Review monthly grant actual spending against the spending/procurement plan and liaise with budget holders for follow-up
• Assisting in the development and preparation of cost allocation processes for overarching costs that comply with donor regulations on allowable costs.
• Identify any shortfalls in shared costs budget coverage and ensure new budgets cover the appropriate percentage of shared costs.

Financial reporting

• Ensure the schedule for Donor reporting is followed and all reports are compiled in an accurate and timely manner.
• Review donor financial reports as per the donor agreements & contracts and ensuring donor regulations are adhered to for all aspects of the operations
• Update the economic and financial status of the mission and related-projects, in terms of expenses, appropriations, available cash and liquidity (Prima Nota)
• Be responsible for mission administrative-accounting documents and all finished project Documentation (with the support and overall responsibility of the Regional Finance Officer)

Internal Controls & Audit management

• Facilitate efficient conduct of statutory audit, donor fund audits
• Develop audit plans and assist the team on the grant audit process.
• Ensure compliance with INTERSOS’s policies and regulations, as well as donors' grant conditions.
• Closely monitors all financial activities which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance.
• Develops field visit schedules and performs the completion of country internal control assessment, and initiates actions necessary to correct internal control weaknesses.
• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.

Staff Management and Development

• Train and coach the country's finance staff to ensure staff development.
• Ensure that donor finance guidelines, formats and processes are understood by all affected colleagues at the start of each project and are adhered to throughout the project.
• Conduct staff appraisal and develop capacity building/improvement plan for finance staff

Required profile and experience

Education

Advanced university degree from a recognized academic institution in one or more of the following areas: Finance Management, Business Administration, Management, Accounting, Economics, International Development, Contract/Commercial Law.​

Professional Experience

• Relevant 7 years of experience in financial management, of which 5 years should be managerial and preferably in INGO at the national and/or international level
• Proven experience in handling different donor finance compliance and reporting (e.g.: ECHO, OFDA, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF, etc)

Professional Requirements

• Excellent skills in MS Excel
• Knowledge of MS Access an advantage

Languages

Fluency in written and oral English is required​

Personal Requirements

1) Core Values

• Commitment and Respect of local culture
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Integrity

2) Core Competencies

• Excellent Communication Skills
• Drive for Result
• Working with People of all backgrounds and cultures.

3) Key Functional Competencies

• Leading and Supervising
• Deciding and Initiating Actions
• Planning and Organizing
• Conflict resolution skills
• Strong coaching skills.

4) Skills and knowledge

• Ability to work strategically, independently and to realize organizational goals, develop strategies, set clear visions.
• Ability to persuade and influence, negotiate to obtain agreement, promote ideas.
• Ability to network and establish good relations with stakeholders, at all levels.
• Fast learner, adapts and responds to change, tolerates ambiguity