State Finance and Admin Officer at Palladium Group

ID: req10485
Job Family: Programme Administrative Team
Responsible to: Senior Finance Manager
Responsible for: Nil

Background

• Propcom Mai-Karfi is a six-year DFID programme aimed at increasing incomes for the poor in Northern Nigeria through enhanced employment opportunities for increased employment and improved productivity in selected agricultural market systems in northern Nigeria.
• It now has a three-year extension 2018-2021 to work in a reduced number of states from mid-2018:
  • Tier 1 (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe);
  • Tier 2 (Gombe, Taraba and Bauchi) and
  • Partnership states (Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa).

Purpose

• To coordinate the disbursement of funds to programme staff, consultants, vendors, service providers etc. daily.

Scope Of Work

• The State Finance and Admin Officer will be responsible for the administrative and financial components of the project at the state levels which include disbursement of funds including petty cash to staff, consultants, vendors, supervision of the project drivers, cleaners, etc.
• S/he will form part of the programme finance team and work closely with the Senior Finance Manager, Operations and Security Manager and Personnel and HR Manager, and report to the Senior FinanceManager and through him/her to the Finance and Administration Manager.

Specific Responsibilities
The State Finance and Admin Officer will support the Senior Finance Manager and the Finance and Administration Manager with the following:

Finance:

• Preparation of payment vouchers for all transactions ensuring appropriate signing, filing and documentation and the existence of a clear audit trail in line with DFID and Palladium guidelines.
• Support the Senior Finance Manager in preparation of monthly financial forecasts for the state, including statements of the office Imprest account and requests for funds from the Abuja office.
• Vouching all cheques and getting necessary signatures on each cheque.
• Passing all vouchers to the programme Senior Finance Manager for checking and posting
• Responsible for petty cash and payment out of the petty cash for project purposes.
• Maintaining daily cash balances for each cash account and requesting for cash top up of petty cash whenever the balance is low.
• Update all financial registers including travel advance register, cash and bank registers, cheque registers, recurrent bill register, withholding tax register etc. daily.
• Prepare monthly office running costs analysis.
• Balancing all cash registers and payments against records of cash.
• Liaise with programme bank account officers in respective banks on payment issues
• Responsible for making bank lodgements for receipt into project bank accounts or for payment into other banks for payees in the case of salaries and other payments.
• Draw up schedules on withholding tax monthly for remittances to appropriate authorities, and ensure prompt remittance of PAYE, WHT and other statutory taxes in line with the tax guidelines.
• Support the programme Senior Finance Manager in the preparation of cash books
• Coordinate funds/advance retirements, reimbursement and refunds ensuring that advances are promptly retired as at when due.

Administration:

• Maintain the project vehicles at the state level ensuring that logbooks are maintained for all movements.
• Maintain an up-to-date register of preferred suppliers and vendors and solicit for periodic evaluation and performance input from main service users.
• Ensure that inventory quantities are adequate for the office by conducting regular inventory checks and timely ordering of supplies.
• Support in the maintenance of fixed assets register by updating the assets register (tag numbers, condition, location, purchase date, repairs, etc.) on a regular basis.
• Close supervision of contractors and service providers to ensure proper maintenance of generators, photocopiers, air conditioners, etc. is carried out promptly and to set standards of quality.
• Assist in procurement, (clarifying specifications, analysing quotations, seeking approval) ensuring that purchases are made according to approved specification, price, quality and quantity.
• Maintain rigorous operations that ensures systems are in place for proper receipt, rotation and control of programme’s materials.
• Other duties as delegated by the Senior Finance Manager and the Finance and Administration Manager and the senior programme management team.

Working Relationships

• The State Finance and Admin Officer will report to the Senior Finance Manager and, through him/her to the Finance and Administration Manager as designated by the Team Leader or Director of Operations.
• S/he will form part of the programme finance team and be expected to work closely with the Senior Finance Manager. S/he will also be expected to establish and maintain good working relationships with the rest of the Propcom Mai-karfi team.
• The State Finance and Admin Officer will also be expected to establish and maintain relationships with key account officers in the various banks through whom the programme financial transactions take place.

Required Qualifications
The State Finance and Admin Officer should have:

• Relevant academic qualification in a Finance-related field,
• Relevant work experience within Finance and Administration,
• Good organizational and accurate record-keeping skills
• Good numeracy and IT skills required for operating various systems
• Integrity and use of initiative
• Demonstrate excellent computer skills in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ability to work independently with initiative to manage high volume and sensitive workflow, knowledge of FCDO employment regulations.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Able to manage multiple tasks efficiently and must work well under competing deadlines
• Previous experience providing financial support in a busy international team would be advantageous