Madagascar: Deputy Director, Finance and Administration (Local Hire Only)

Overview

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) seeks a Deputy Director, Finance and Administration (F&A) 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:

Under the supervision of the Director, F&A, the Deputy Director F&A will provide high-level financial management and operations leadership, and contract and grant management support at the central, regional, and sub-regional levels. S/he will help to ensure the financial and operational management of the 10 regional and 60 district offices, under the direct supervision of the Director of F&A.

S/he provides counsel to help project leadership ensure that resources are allocated and used in compliance with contractual requirements, applicable regulations, and appropriate standards and procedures. The Deputy Director, F&A will liaise with the Director of F&A, local partners, USAID, and MSH’s headquarters regarding any aspects of program implementation, contractual, risk management, cost share, governance, and all other matters related to finance and administration at the regional and district levels.

S/he will work together with the MSH Madagascar management unit to ensure that all central, regional, and sub-regional expenditures, payments, procurements, and vehicle management are carried out in accordance with USAID and MSH standards and regulations. S/he will implement fraud mitigation practices and ensure systems and processes are implemented effectively to support implementation of the award.

S/he also supports the development and monitoring of the project’s budgets.

Specific Responsibilities

General Management:

• Support the Director, F&A in the management of the project and in aligning staff, systems, and other resources with the annual work plan and budget to provide timely, cost effective, responsive, and high quality operations and administrative support within local laws and available resources, and in an environment with adequate internal controls, adhering to contracts regulations, MSH Policies, and standard operating procedures.
• In liaison with the Director of F&A, coordinate the execution of internal/external financial, operations, and program reviews or audits, and ensure timely follow up to review or audit conclusions and recommendations.
• Participate in project risk register development and implementation, and take proactive steps to mitigate risks within operational functions.
• Provide direct supervision to senior staff or support services functions in the MSH Madagascar central office, in particular the Operations Manager and the IT Manager.

Financial Management:

• Identify financial and operational support needs for regional and sub-regional operating units. Provide training, mentoring, and capacity building as required to meet needs of individual staff or teams.
• Plan, organize, and direct establishment of financial and operational systems adapted and scaled to operating needs and responding to organizational policies and procedures.
• Support program annual budget development process for the regional and sub-regional levels that includes managing the annual work plan, life-of-project and activity budgets, and ensuring compliance of program expenditures with approved budgets; ensure the consistency, inclusion, and accuracy of costs and that they comply with agreed policy and practices, and work with staff in developing budgets for technical activities as necessary. Revise overall and partner budgets as needed throughout the work plan year.
• In collaboration with the Director of F&A, maintain systems for program budget monitoring and tracking that include financial and contractual data. In addition, perform routine financial analysis on program expenditures, documenting and monitoring overall performance, analyzing trends, identifying gaps to ensure efficient and sound project management, particularly at the regional and district levels.
• Work with program staff, home office and partners to draft, manage, and monitor implementation of contracts or service agreements. Provide routine progress reports to program management team.

Administration and Operations:

• Establish and implement systems to ensure appropriate monitoring and internal controls of regional and sub-regional operations.
• Help ensure that MSH support systems (ie procurement, human resources, transport, IT, and operations, etc.) are established and implemented in the regional and district offices, as per MSH policy and as established within the MSH Madagascar central office.
• Provide high quality technical support and guidance in operations functions to senior regional support staff, to include regular field visits, remote check- ins, training, and coaching.
• In collaboration with the Director of Field Programs, ensure that support service activities in each regional office are aligned with technical team activities and needs. Regular coordination will be required to ensure that support services are prioritized and adjusted to changes in project activities and requirements.

Contribute to maintaining teamwork, discipline sound work relationships, and productivity.

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, or other relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• A minimum of eight years of related experience required in finance, procurement, contracts management, construction, logistics, and/or human resource for international development activities.
• At least five years’ experience in financial and operational management of complex international development assistance programs.
• Significant experience with USG-funded projects, preferably in Madagascar, with regional field experience strongly desirable, USAID experience highly desirable.
• Thorough knowledge of USG financial reporting and compliance requirements.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, management, planning, analytical and organizational skills demonstrated by ability to work both independently and within a team, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities with attention to detail.
• Proven leadership and capacity in negotiation and conflict management.
• Demonstrated experience to provide technical assistance to support staff/teams and conduct trainings.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt approaches, as needed, to direct, collaborate, and/or facilitate implementation
• Excellent analytical, oral and written communication skills.
• Fluency in Malagasy and French required; proficiency in English desirable.
• Ability to travel to the regional and district levels.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact professionally with donor, project stakeholders, in-country collaborators, and staff at all levels of the organization.
• Strong MS Office skills, including Excel.

https://jobs-msh.icims.com/jobs/10349/deputy-director%2c-finance-and-administration/job