Madagascar: Compliance Officer (Local Hire Only)

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) seeks Compliance Officer for a 5 -year USAID-funded Accessible Continuum of Care and Essential Services Sustained (ACCESS) program in Madagascar. The purpose of the program is to build the capacity of Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) actors at the district level and below in all districts in the implementation regions, to design, develop, manage, deliver, monitor and evaluate health services and programs in their catchment areas. The activity will also engage with regional health authorities with limited interventions to ensure coordination, planning and effective management of health activities in their districts. Work at the national level will focus on informing policy, guideline development, as well as advocacy on key health service delivery issues. ACCESS will work to improve the clinical skills and health governance skills of primary health care providers to deliver high quality, accessible preventive and curative health services. To expand the reach of the public health system, the activity will work to improve the skills and motivation of community health volunteers to deliver quality health services and ensure they work under the supervision of their respective CSB. Finally, ACCESS will promote positive health behaviors, including care seeking behaviors in the target communities through a comprehensive and contextualized social and behavior change (SBC) approach and improve the capacity of the MOPH and local institutions to design, implement, and monitor and evaluate SBC activities.

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Compliance Officer will conduct verification of internal controls and compliance of all financial and operational functions in MSH Madagascar offices. The position holder will verify that all staff are well versed in donor and MSH policies and procedures, and are adhering to such standards. S/he will identify gaps in existing internal control systems, and provide recommendations to strengthen them; will identify gaps in knowledge and skills; and will provide recommendations for training.

In coordination with the Director of Internal Audit, s/he will develop a plan and evaluation tools, and then carry out independent appraisals and verifications of the effectiveness of MSH and donor policies, procedures and standards, and Madagascar law, by which MSH Madagascar project and financial resources are managed. S/he will review and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of financial reporting, compliance with applicable laws and the safeguarding of assets. S/he will plan, perform, and report back on internal assessments to ensure that financial control, financial guidelines of donor organization and other control procedures are in place and are being properly implemented and managed within MSH Madagascar offices. S/he will also be responsible for advising and monitoring quality standards of operations and value for money.

S/he will follow-up on recommendations from the internal and external auditors to ensure the recommendations have been implemented and adhered to.

Under the direction of the Director of Internal Audit (and MSH General Counsel, where necessary) s/he will conduct thoroughly documented investigations of whistleblower cases, and suspected fraud and will directly interface with the Director of Internal Audit on these or other specific cases.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Ensure that all MSH Madagascar project, financial, and operational activities are in compliance with Madagascar law (tax laws, labor laws, and government pension agency laws), donor rules and regulations, and MSH policies and standards.
2. Develops an annual customized compliance monitoring plan, including evaluation tools, standards, ethical considerations, and schedule to evaluate all MSH Madagascar functions, including remote staff/office locations, and to visit sites needing attention and further verifications.
3. Develops compliance framework for the MSH Madagascar offices; including compliance checklists for the various business processes, transaction classes, country laws governing NGO operations, and specific donor requirements.
4. Periodically reviews and updates the compliance monitoring checklist and other tools to stay current with MSH procedures and policies.
5. Examines the effectiveness of internal controls and compliance within MSH Madagascar policy framework and identifies gaps in procedures and controls systems and provides recommendations to the Country/Project Leadership Team for strengthening them.
6. Tests internal controls, targeting high risk areas, including Procurement Workshops, Vehicle usage, Inventory control and Cash advance management, Payroll, and Fleet Management.
7. Documents internal control weaknesses and compliance deviations and their impact, and makes recommendations to address these weaknesses.
8. Identifies gaps in knowledge and skills and provides recommendations for training.
9. May be requested to provide training directly to staff.
10. Prepares detailed reports of each compliance review and other task assignments, with prioritized findings and recommendations.
11. Presents final reports to the MSH Madagascar Country Leadership Team after review and approval from Supervisor.
12. When necessary, collaborates with internal and external audit on investigations of whistleblower cases, suspected fraud, mismanagement, loss of assets, etc.
13. Follows-up on recommendations from the internal and external auditors to ensure the recommendations have been implemented and adhered to. Assists the Project Director and Finance/Operations Director in providing response to ad hoc requests from auditors.
14. Stays abreast of laws, directives, and current trends in the local legal and NGO environment.
15. Provides risk assessment for financial and operational landscape. Identify high risk, high probability events, and provide recommended mitigation plan. Provide ad hoc risk assessments for specific scenarios by request.
16. Provide ad-hoc advice, helping staff to achieve the goal of establishing sound risk management and internal control systems; offer practical advice on how best to comply with financial policy and donor guidelines.
17. Prepares quarterly Compliance review/verification, investigations, and status of audit recommendations reports for submission to Director Internal Audit and (country/project) leadership team, if applicable.
18. Meets with Project Director and Finance/Operations Director on a regular basis, or when requested.
19. Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Internal Audit.

Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or business management or related area.

Preferred:

• Advanced degree preferred
• Professional certification in Accounting, Internal Audit, and Fraud Examination

Experience:

Required:

• Six-plus years of experience in compliance, risk management or audit required.

Preferred:

• Experience in compliance and/or audit review of USAID projects in Madagascar preferred

Knowledge and Skills:

• Extensive familiarity of U.S Government grant rules and regulations (USAID, CDC,) or other donor rules and regulations (E.U) required.
• Experience in international development programs preferred.
• Excellent planning, management, and organizational skills.
• Proven leadership and interpersonal skill.
• Professional proficiency in French required. General proficiency in English is preferred
• Availability to travel domestically and internationally as needed. Up to 50% domestic travel.

https://jobs-msh.icims.com/jobs/10334/compliance-officer-i/job