Finance Officers at Oxfam Nigeria

Department: Humanitarian
Reports To: Humanitarian Finance Manager
Internal Job Grade: D2 National

Team Purpose

• To provide a proactive, efficient and effective financial management service to the Oxfam Humanitarian Programme in Nigeria, to ensure financial procedures are working efficiently and effectively and that they are being adhered to, and to provide strong financial monitoring and oversight to Oxfam partners

Job Purpose

• To implement and monitor all financial aspects of the Humanitarian programme, including the management of financial risks.
• To ensure that financial procedures are adhered to and non compliance challenged. To provide financial information and monitoring to programme staff.
• To work closely with the Country Finance Teams to provide quality financial information, process payments and maintain comprehensive accounting records.

Dimensions:

• Handling (finance related) queries regarding Donors
• Interpretation of financial information, advice to Operational Lead, Humanitarian Finance Manager, Business Support Manager and Coordinators
• Analysing reports for programme staff and providing guidance
• Flexibility to anticipate and resolve challenges
• Manages and contributes to project work
• Influences staff to adopt procedures
• 100% focus on the Oxfam Humanitarian programme

Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Humanitarian Payments:

• Ensure supporting documentation for payments is complete and correct (e.g. authorised and coded by budget holder) in accordance with Oxfam financial procedures
• Prepare payments for authorisation by account signatories. Ensure relevant statutory deductions are made, and transactions recorded accurately on Finance System (Pastel)
• Liaise with the Country Office Finance Team for authorisations/payments and recording on Pastel
• Notify the Country Office Finance Team of any expenditure that needs to be moved between projects
• Support the Humanitarian team by ensuring transfers to the field are anticipated, made in a timely manner and with safety in mind
• Ensure payments are made in accordance with the delegation of authority limits

Receipts:

• Ensure that all receipts are properly documented, e.g. by an invoice or receipt

Managing Humanitarian Cash Account:

• Proactively monitor and manage cash account to:
  • Ensure that balances are sufficient to cover anticipated payments
  • Identify receipts or payments that may require further investigation
  • Maintain spreadsheets to summarise receipts, payments and balances
  • Monitor and chase outstanding floats
  • Ensure cash counts undertaken weekly, monthly, and whenever responsibility is handed to another person

Support to Donor Reporting and Donor Proposals:

• Ensure expenditure is recorded accurately against donor budgets and reconciled with Pastel Finance System
• Support year-end processes as required
• Assist Finance Manager with interpreting and collating information in budgets, and monitoring spend

Others:

• Performance manage the Finance Assistant(s)
• Support audits
• Oversee filing systems, both electronic and hard copy (payables, receivables, payments, receipts, cash payments etc).
• Act as point of contact for day-to-day matters with financial service providers, and ensure that bank signatories are up to date
• Support the implementation of the One Oxfam Logistics Tool and all logistics procedures
• Provide support and advice to Humanitarian Staff on various matters including
• Completion of finance related forms (expense claims, float accounts)
• Locating documentation supporting particular payments, receipts and re-charges made to budget holders
• Coding of financial transactions

Skills and Competences

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or any relevant equivalent is required
• ICAN or ACCA qualification will be an added advantage
• 3 -5 years of progressively responsible and directly relevant professional experience, such as finance, accounting, grants management - ideally with at least 2 years in International NGO
• Ability to understand and implement the Nigeria government tax & VAT laws
• Proven knowledge of computerised systems and demonstrable experience of working with computerized accounting packages and spreadsheets
• Proactive, flexible, and able to respond to a variety of questions relating to the job
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Manages own time under guidance and direction from supervisor and meet the deadlines
• Strong analytical and planning skills
• Strong understanding of Gender and Diversity
• A strong commitment to Oxfam’s purpose, a broad understanding of the work culture in the “humanitarian” sector and its impact on key areas of responsibility and a commitment to humanitarian principles and action