Somalia: Head of Finance

BACKGROUND

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and its sister organization DDG has been providing relief, humanitarian community safety, and early recovery/development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. Using a protection of human rights framework, DRC has mainly focused on Somalis who are displaced by conflict and other natural disasters in the region. Programs include protection, food security and livelihoods, shelter and NFI distribution, water and sanitation and advocacy amongst others.

Danish Demining Group aims to recreate a safe environment where people can live without the threat of landmines, unexploded ordinances and small arms and light weapons. These goals can be effectively advanced through cooperation and joint action with other organization as well as with integration of operations and programs with its sister organization, the DRC.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• To assist the Country Director in ensuring a timely and proper financial management of the programme
• To fulfil all the accounting & administrative tasks assisted by the team while working in close collaboration with the Regional HOFA.
• To supervise and manage finance, administration, IT, and provide training and mentoring support to relevant partner staff.
• To report on Support Services Key Performance Indicators.

Accounting / Finance

• To maintain cashbooks as recommended and ensure timely submission to DRC/DDG HQ.
• Monitor systems for financial operations in all field offices in accordance with the DRC/DDG Operations Handbook/Field Finance Manual and donor regulations, including systems for cash flow management, budgeting, consolidation of accounting information, internal controls, financial reporting, financial record-keeping and compliance.
• Maintain banking relations and plan/monitor country cash flow requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of DRC/DDG programs.
• To monitor the petty cash handled by the finance staff.
• Develop annual fiscal year budgets with the Area Managers and implement grant budgeting and forecasting systems with Area Managers.
• Plan and maintain oversight of co-funding requirements
• Develop and maintain local office policies and procedures and provide training for all issues related to local financial matters.
• Analyse compensation packages, taxation requirements and human resource policies for local staff to ensure that DRC’/DDG’s has adequately planned for of local staff compensation and benefits.
• Oversee management of insurance coverages for DRC/DDG staff and properly.
• To ensure timely payment of salaries, and all suppliers/partners’ invoices by finance.
• To supervise the preparation of vouchers and related invoices.
• To ensure cash counts cash are at least done once per week with the admin/finance officer, and at the end of each month before closing accounts.
• To monitor cash flow and liquidity of the country programme.

Reporting

• To prepare quality financial reports for HQ review and ensure timely submission to the donors.
• To compile the accounting/financial data for the monthly report.
• To prepare the monthly accounting report as required by the DRC/DDG Somalia, regional office and HQ.
• To maintain a timely and proper organization of the accounting supporting documents into files according to DRC/DDG requirements.

Budget, Financial Management and Control

• To ensure that a financial and administrative related information is accurate and is well maintained. This includes an overall planning, budget and control of expenditures for shared operational costs, but also coordination of budgeting and expenditure related to programme implementation.
• To prepare the cash transfer’s request for HQ whenever needed.
• To update and share regularly the financial documents, allowing an accurate/timely/safe financial management of the programme.
• Implement all relevant financial control tools within the country programme.

Management, Monitoring & Capacity Building

• To train, support, supervise and monitor the finance staff ensuring that HQ/donor procurement guidelines are followed
• To train, support and monitor partners’ finances – cashbooks, receipts, financial reports – and provide regular feedback and mentoring.
• To organise the administrative work and distribute administrative tasks.
• To report on administrative achievements to the Operations Director
• To supervises, audits, control and implements corrective actions related to the DRC/DDG standards for operations.
• Lead in training plan and training needs assessments as part of improving compliance with DRC /DDG standards. This includes on-the-job training, instructions and relevant follow up measures, as well as the design and conduct of more topic-bound training sessions.
• Lead in systems development and roll out of systems already developed in close cooperation and coordination with DRC’s Regional office and headquarters. This includes tools for monitoring shared expenditures, donor co-funding and decentralised book keeping.

Coordination

• To share and coordinate the admin/finance information with the Operations Director and other senior staff, and attend any internal coordination meetings organized regularly.
• To attend the meetings organized by the donors/NGOs on admin and finance if any.
• Any other duties as agreed with the Country Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance or Business Administration.
• At least 8 years’ experience working with NGOs, other international agencies or multinational business
• Previous DRC/DDG experience advantageous
• Good budget development skills for multiple donors.
• Experience capacity building and mentoring partners.
• Strong information technology skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills, working with different groups and nationalities.
• Good management skills.

Essential Competencies:

• Excellent people and team management skills, able to hold to account, build and motivate people and teams effectively
• Strong initiative and self-motivated, with a strong commitment to teamwork and humanitarian principles.
• Ability to multi-task and cope with competing demands under tight deadlines.
• Identify priority activities and assignments, adjust priorities as required.
• Experience of leading the implementation of operational improvements and the persistence to achieve change in a challenging environment.
• Ability to operate and think strategically, coupled with proven analytical skills and the use of these to problem solve and make firm decisions.
• Aptitude and openness to change, with an ability to lead change management

General

Commitments:

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability committments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework into the work of DRC

CONDITIONS

Availability: 1st December 2016

Duty station: Hargeisa-Somaliland,with frequent travel to the other offices ,at least 30% in each location, namely, Puntland, South Central and Somaliland.

Reporting: This position works directly under the supervison of Operations Director.

Contract: 1 year contract dependent on both funding and performance. Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Global Expatriates (available at www.drc.dk under Vacancies). This position is graded as A10.

For qualified National staff the terms of employment will be in accordance with DRC terms for National staff

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post.

We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on www.drc.dk under Vacancies.

Please forward the application and CV, in English through the online application on www.drc.dk under vacancies no later than 26th October 2016.

Due to urgency to fill this position, interviews will be ongoing and a candidate may be identified before this advert closes.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact job@drc.dk.

For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.