Finance Career Opportunity at the International Rescue Committee

overview:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world's leading crisis response agencies, providing life-saving assistance and supporting recovery and reconstruction for people affected by war and natural disasters. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.IRC entered Nigeria in October 2012 in response to a widespread flood disaster. IRC’s emergency response team, with local partner CISCOPE (civil society coalition for poverty eradication), implemented a project to support livelihoods and improve WASH in kogi state from February to May 2013. This was followed by a 3-month nutrition and food security program in the same location from October 2013 to January 2014. IRC has been supporting programming in Adamawa state since early 2014 and in September 2015 expanded into Borno state with live-saving emergency intervention.  IRC is now providing an integrated, multi-sector response including health, nutrition, EH, protection, food security, and education programming for IDPs who have fled from Boko Haram-related violence in the NE.  In June 2016, a new emergency was called due to growing numbers of SAM cases resulting in near famine level malnutrition in Borno state which has led to a further scale up of IRC’s programs in Nigeria. 

Job Overview/Summary:
 
The TTA Assistant Finance Controller is mainly expected to build IRC Nigeria finance staff capacity  on month end closing, cash forecasting, sub grant management, donor financial reporting, internal financial reporting (BVA & BS reconciliation) and payroll accounting through on the job training.

Specific responsibilities within each functional area are as follows:

SUN Processing

• Control over and/or entry of changes to the Chart of Accounts, Analysis Codes and Exchange Rates
• Performing or supervising the posting of entries ensuring proper controls are enforced and appropriate systems in place to maintain all required supporting documentation.
• Production of required monthly and ad-hoc reports.
• Developing expertise to control the system, develop new reports and be able to train staff in processing of data.
• Ensuring budgets are loaded on a timely basis
• Ensuring a backup and retention procedure is in place and followed for all SUN master files
• Train IRC Nigeria finance staff on sun processing  and month end closing
• Field Office Training & Support

• Providing training and support for the country office program and operational staff on the IRC Finance policies; accounting procedures and requirements, assists the staff in finance related issues and activities.
• Coach, train, provide orientation for and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team
• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and providing documented performance reviews.
• Review of financial data submitted by the field to identify weaknesses or problems being encountered by field finance staff and recommend corrective action.
• Monitor the follow-up of the staff, vendor advances and other balance sheet items before month end. Train finance staff on follow up of BS reconciliation

Cash Forecasting

• Ensure that the country program cash forecasts and CTR reports are accurate by working with Finance Manager, field and program coordinators to help them develop more accurate cash forecasts of their program needs.

• Monitoring cash usage and requirements and advises the Finance Controller of possible unusual activity or requirements
• Train IRC Nigeria finance staff on cash forecast and CTR reports

Sub-grant

• Review the adequacy and effectiveness of IRC Nigeria's partners/sub-grantees systems and internal policies, rules and guidelines, ensuring that these controls offer adequate protection against error, fraud and loss of all kinds.
• Review and monitor sub-grantees financial reporting and compliance. Provide additional assistance to partners as necessary to maintain high standard of compliance.
• Review partner procurement and financial transactions to ensure adequate supporting documentation, accuracy of amounts and control over payments.
• Produce regular partner compliance reports with findings and issues identified during the audit, give appropriate recommendation and actions, providing advice and suggestions on improvements to systems and procedures where appropriate.
• Provide in-person and remote capacity building and/or training to partners in financial management, reporting and compliance.
• Build IRC Nigeria Finance staff capacity building on review of sub-grants financial report and uploading to financial system

Donor Financial Reports

• Preparation of draft donor reports for review by the Finance Controller
• Analysis of actual to budget results to identify problems in accounting or compliance
• Identification of procedural or training issues to be addressed to improve the quality of report data.
• Preparation of the creation of detail level budgets in IRC SUN format to ensure required donor reports can be produced form the accounting system
• Provide on the job training to  finance managers on preparation of donor reporting

National Payroll

• Supervising the review of the national payroll report ensuring accuracy and standard financial controls are maintained
• Responsible for the preparation and training of finance staff of the monthly international and national staff payroll accounting entries including salary allocations/mapping.
• Liaison with the revenue department to ensure compliance with income tax and other related tax regulations

Other

Any other duties assigned by the Finance Controller

Working Environment

The position will be based in Maiduguri, Nigeria with frequent travel within IRC Nigeria field offices (Yola, Mubi and Abuja)

Working relationship

Finance Controller, Finance Managers, Finance Officers, DDP, DDO, Field Coordinators, Program Coordinators, Program managers, Senior HR & Admin Manager

Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Advance Diploma in Accounting from recognized College/Institutions with a minimumof   three (5) years of accounting experience in IRC of which 2 years must have worked as finance manager in IRCand management skills to others
• Personal qualities: Team player, flexible, network-builder, able to handle pressure well
• Fluency in English required

Deployment Security Protocols:

• North East Nigeria is security phase 3 (ORANGE) so the TTA will be expected to respect the various security protocols in place in country. 
• Phase 3 requires clear contingency planning in place with staff prepared should hibernation or evacuation be called. This position is unaccompanied