Finance Officer at Save The Children

Ref Id: 2000035A
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employee Status: Fixed Term

The Organisation

• We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better health care, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realize the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.
• We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
  • No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
  • All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
  • Violence against children is no longer tolerated
• We know that great people make a great organization and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children.  We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.
• Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all our personnel and programmes are absolutely safe for children.
• We undertake rigorous procedures to ensure that only people suitable to work with children are allowed to join our organization and all candidates will, therefore, be subject to this scrutiny.
• We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Role Purpose

• This position will be responsible for implementing and/or coordinating all financial support functions for the Borno state office.

Scope Of Role:

• Reports to: Finance Coordinator
• Staff directly reporting to this post: Finance Assistant & Intern

Key Accountabilities

• Assist in ensuring that direct reports have clear roles and responsibilities, and a strong understanding of all of Donor’s and Save the Children’s regulations and policies, especially the core policies such as; Child Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, Fraud & dishonesty policies, Anti-bribery and corruption policy and whistle blowing policy.

Finance:

• Manage the electronic spreadsheet/format for receiving and disbursing funds; coordinate the preparation and timely submission of monthly financial reports and other reports to Borno/Abuja as required. Ensure accurate keeping of account books (electronic and paper) for the state office.
• Help ensure that timely and accurate information is generated and disseminated accordingly to the project team, to inform activity planning and forecasts.
• Process all banking activities in the state office, ensuring that bank account records are accurately maintained, and that bank statements are obtained on a timely basis.
• Process all payments (cheque and/or cash) to vendors, service providers, and partners in line with SC policies & USAID requirements.  Ensure all financial transactions in the state office are appropriately approved, authorised and administered, in line with SC & USAID policies.
• Maintain the office cash box and disburse cash payments. Ensure weekly cash counts are done and properly documented by non finance staff.
• Conduct state level finance induction for all new staff on finance policies, systems and procedure
• Support the state teams to provide administrative and technical support to the partners to ensure that all financial documentation and reports are prepared and submitted on a timely basis in line with SC policies, project agreements and donor guidelines.
• In collaboration with the line manager support the training in financial management in accordance with SC’s financial management policies

Skills & Experience - Administrative & General Skills
Essential Criteria:

• Level of Education - B.Sc / HND or equivalent
• Specified Study Area - Finance / Accounts
• Minimum 2 years post NYSC experience
• Experience in working with partners accountable for grants and other financial support provided to implement project activities, particularly at community level.
• Excellent verbal communication and listening skills.
• Language Requirements: Spoken English-Excellent; Written English-Excellent
• Must be able to speak at least one local language predominant in that state.
• Level of IT Expertise: Excellent (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Ongoing Professional certificate in accounting and finance.

Desirable Criteria:

• Good training and facilitation skills (for financial training/support to partners).
• Ability to multi-task, engage in long-term planning, meet deadlines, and handles last-minute demands; exercise patience, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Ability to be creative and proactive health service improvement is essential.
• Understanding of local language(s).

Skills And Behaviours (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:

• Accuracy and timeliness in all areas of responsibility
• High level of accuracy in work, and ability to analyse complex sets of relationships and situations
• Holds self and others accountable

Ambition:

• Creating best-in-class EA function
• Future-orientated, thinks pro-actively

Collaboration:

• Working effectively with stakeholders to achieve common goals
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to

Creativity:

• Designing more effective admin systems
• Willing to take disciplined risks

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, demonstrates highest levels of integrity.