Humanitarian Response Finance Lead at Save The Children

Child Safeguarding

• Level 3:  The role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

Role Purpose

• The Humanitarian Finance Lead will take full control of the finance function coordinating both the Borno office and other state offices within the Hub. To support the Finance Director in overseeing the smooth functioning of the Finance Department.
• To provide technical advice to the Director of Support Services and Programme Management on steps and measures to be taken and implemented to assure SC/donor compliant financial management and control over SC resources in Nigeria.
• To appropriately train finance, programme, and Humanitarian Management Team (HMT) staff as and when required. To advice and support the in strategic financial management of the Response.
• The Humanitarian Response Finance Lead will provide the primary financial management inputs in the Save the Children emergency response programme working closely with Nigeria CO.
• The role has three main aspects to it: leading the emergencies finance teams, providing the Response Team Leadership with finance oversight; providing short term interim financial management and/or capacity building support to ongoing emergencies, Fragile States and/or country/regional programmes; and capacity building finance and non-finance staff in their financial professional development.

Key Areas Of Accountability
Financial systems, Control and Strategic financial information & monitoring:

• Provide strategic finance support to the Emergency Management Team and Save the Children members as part of the response Management Team:   Master Budget development and monitoring in coordination with Awards team, and advice on how to best to utilise a programme’s funding portfolio.
• Provide a high standard of financial accounting management, ensuring compliance to local statutory law and donors regulations and consistent with Save the Children accounting policies, procedures and tools.  
• Ensure that Save the Children’s commitment to improving quality and accountability in humanitarian work is upheld, through reference to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards, the NGO Code of Conduct, and other relevant tools.
• Assist in ensuring smooth implementation and updating of robust and adequate financial systems and procedures in line with the managing member’s finance Policy and good accounting practices
• Develop and update the finance diary that covers all the required activities on a monthly basis and lead staff to ensure that the diary is strictly adhered to.
• Ensure that all financial transactions are fully supported and that they are all captured in AGRESSO daily.
• Maintain and ensure the integrity of the SCI’ computerized accounting systems and liaising with Country Office Finance Team for any required support
• Provide strategic financial support to the Response Team Leader (TL) including Master Budget development and monitoring, and advice on how to best to utilise a programme’s funding portfolio.
• Ensure budget holders understand their responsibilities through training
• Ensure the response receive adequate support to operate efficient accounting systems, including timely receipt of monthly budget variance analysis by budget holders, timely answers to queries and scheduling tasks and deadlines
• Provide a high standard of financial accounting management, ensuring compliance to local statutory law and donors regulations and consistent with SC accounting policies, procedures and tools.
• Ensure preparation of donor financial reports and proposal budgets.
• Ensure all donor requirements are complied with and reports are prepared on time with complete audit trial.

Budgeting and Cost recovery:

• Assist in supporting the management /administration of the Country Office resources and its sub-offices including (a) the formulation of work program and resource allocation, (b) providing effective support and guidance to the Management Team and other key program staff during planning and allocation exercises; (c) monitoring implementation of donor agreements and resource utilization. Highlight variances, provide analyses and recommend resolution or reallocation of resources
• Ensure full cost recovery is achieved (through strategic financial management and proposal budget development)
• Ensure all donor financial compliance requirements are complied with and reports are prepared on time with complete audit trial.
• Participate in the annual budget development, forecast and master budget for the field Office and Country Office
• Support budget holders in the proposal budget costings, creating Reporting Templates and DEAs
• Support FD in the development of standard costings for the country programme
• Review monthly transactions with Budget Holders and provide comments to TL & FD.
• Financial Accounting, Reporting, and Control:
• Manage the Humanitarian awards financial systems and provide the budget holders a monthly update on the budget variance analysis and led the monthly finance meeting
• Ensure that effective systems are put in place, and regularly reviewed, to allow adequate financial management and control including:
• Accounting and management information systems.
• Cash and cash flow management and control in particular gain/losses on currency exchange;
• Prepare and monitor accurate and timely submission of financial reports and attachments to members, donors and government regulatory agencies.
• Responsible for checking and verifying the food voucher e-payment to beneficiaries on all humanitarian cash transfer awards.
• Lead and participate in the development of financial policies and procedures to be able to maintain a well-financially controlled environment in both development and emergency contexts.

Internal Controls:

• Ensure that at all stages of the response the control framework of the operation is consistent with the situation and ensure that necessary risks are taken knowingly with appropriate mitigating actions.  
• Monitor coding of emergency expenditures and ensure timely adjustments when activation of new awards with relevant audit trail
• Support Cash Transfer programming activities from feasibility assessment to implementation, and ensure accountability by enforcing adequate controls

Cash flow:

• Ensure access to cash for new areas of operations by establishing effective banking arrangements or by ensuring safe cash in transit alternatives through implementation of emergency cash management guidelines
• Support programs in ensuring adequate cash flow and Treasury management.

Audit function:

• Coordinate and assist DDH during any internal or external audits
• Acting as and Support focal persons in conducting effective grants audits
• Support and strengthen finance management and administration across the programme and ensure appropriate audit functions are carried out.
• Support in ensuring that audit recommendations are implemented

Staff Management, Mentorship, Development and Resources Capacity Building:

• Support the DDH/FD to ensure appropriate staffing within finance
• Assess new partner financial capacity and provide financial capacity building when relevant
• Ensure that all staff understand and are able to perform their role in an emergency
• Directly lead, manage, and motivate staff in the Finance unit and ensure that they have clear work plans and performance management is integrated in day to work activities.

General:

• Any other duties as may be assigned by the line manager.

Competencies for this Role
Delivering Results:

• Takes personal responsibilities and holds others accountable for delivering our ambitious goals for children, continually improving their own performance or that of the team/organization.
• Level required: Leading Edge.

Networking:

• Builds and uses sustainable relationships and networks to support the work of Save the Children with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Level Required: Leading Edge.

Communicating with Impact:

• Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust.
• Level Required: Leading Edge.

Problem solving and Decision Making:

• Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation.
• Level Required: Leading Edge.

Qualifications
Essential:

• Professional qualifications in Accounting (ACA, CNA, CPA, ACCA) and/or a Degree in Accounting
• At least Ten year’s INGOs managerial experience especially in complex budget setting (in excess of $30 million), monitoring and financial accounting
• Proven experience to help facilitate a smooth audit process and work efficiently with external auditors
• Proven skills on managing changes, achieving results, ensuring quality, team building and capacity building.
• Experience with Save the Children financial processes, procedures and systems and overseas accounting software (including Agresso).
• Knowledge of the requirements and experience managing grants from the major emergency donors including budgeting, eligibility issues, compliance management, and reporting.
• Experience of and well-developed skills in staff management and supervision.  Proven coaching and capacity building skills.
• Proven track record of active contribution to a senior management team, and providing strategic support across multiple sectors and/or regions
• Good attention to detail and analytical skills
• IT literate (i.e., Word, advanced Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, financial systems).
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a demanding workload comprised of diverse and challenging tasks and responsibilities
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English, with experience in managing multicultural teams.

Desirable:

• Extensive experience, including first phase responses, with NGOs in an international emergency environment or in fragile states with increasing responsibilities including a proven experience of establishing and running a field finance office.  
• Understanding of award management policies, procedures and systems and Save the Children’s award management system (AMS).

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.