Country Finance Manager – Burkina Faso

About the role

The finance function in Concern Worldwide supports our mission to help people living in extreme poverty achieve major improvements in their lives which last and spread without ongoing support from Concern.

This is a 12-month replacement role with unaccompanied terms based in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with a salary of €44,133 to €49,038 plus benefits.

You will report to the Country Director, based in Ouagadougou, and will line manage Finance staff recruited to support the Concern Worldwide country programme in Ouagadougou and at the field operations level. You will liaise with administrative staff, including HR, Logistics and IT functions, the programme team and Country Management Team members. You will be working with the direct support of a Shared Services accountant in headquarters and will also liaise with the Regional Accountant assigned to Burkina Faso and other headquarters finance staff.

We would like you to start as soon as feasible.

Your purpose:

The Country Finance Manager (CFM) is responsible to manage all aspects of the finance function of the Concern Worldwide country programme in Burkina Faso, to achieve objectives in line with Concern’s policies, procedures and standards. You will also provide support and oversight to national NGO partners who are a key element of the strategy of Concern Worldwide in Burkina Faso.

You will be responsible for:

Financial Systems

• Ensure that the country financial management systems & records are maintained in order to identify and protect the assets & interest of the organization.
• Ensure adequate controls over cash & bank management are constantly monitored & updated to minimise the risk of fraud or misappropriation.
• Supervise all programme office bank relations and bank account activities. Where required, ensure that bank accounts are selected and opened as per the procedures of Concern Worldwide.
• Closely monitor all financial activities, and keep the Country Director/Country Management Team advised of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial management performance.
• Maintain up-to date knowledge of and implement local government requirements and regulations related to financial matters including statutory deductions from national staff salaries such as income tax, social security, etc.

Financial Control

• Maintain an effective & efficient system of internal controls, which comply with Concern Worldwide’s financial guidelines.
• Review existing systems on an on-going basis in order to maintain an adequate level of internal controls, in compliance with Concern’s policies and procedures.
• Oversee compilation of financial records & accounts in a timely and accurate fashion and in line with international accounting standards & donor regulations.
• Ensure that the country financial operations comply with legal & statutory requirements e.g. audit & financial reporting to all relevant national authorities.
• Lead the preparation of annual & revised Country budget and donor budgets including
  • budget template preparation,
  • consolidation of the budget packs,
  • completion of the budget submission to Dublin
  • Complete the responses on budget feedback from Dublin jointly with Shared Services Accountant.
• Keep up to date with donor regulations and ensure that all controls are in place to meet donor compliance.
• Manage internal and external audits that are carried out as per Concern requirements; support the Country Director to prepare management responses; ensure all agreed remedial actions are undertaken in a timely manner
• Undergo regular and random checks for compliance

Financial Reporting

• Manage timely & accurate preparation of data for monthly management accounts for shared service accountant, budget-holders, and Country Management to ensure that they can monitor the budget utilization and take appropriate action on any significant variances
• Review and completion of the financial reporting pack prepared by Shared Services Accountant including country commentary and country management team (CMT) approval and dealing with feedback from head office jointly with Shared Services Accountant. Support the timely & accurate preparation of donor reports for external donors / agencies.
• Reconcile all balance sheet items on a monthly basis, in accordance with Concern Worldwide policies & procedures based on transactions details provided by Shared Service Accountant.
• Provide financial analysis where necessary especially on maximizing available funds and advice to CD.

Staff Management & Capacity Building

• Train and develop the capacity of the local finance team to ensure that a good standard of financial management is maintained.
• Train and develop the capacity of the local partners to ensure that a good standard of financial management is maintained.
• Provide line management to the Finance team.
• Undertake financial training of budget-holders, to assist them in enforcing financial controls & making decisions based on financial reports.

Partnership Accounting:

• Undertake the Concern Integrated Local Partner Assessment tool (CILPAT) with potential Partners on a timely and comprehensive basis in collaboration with Programmes and Systems departments.
• Summarise CILPAT findings and recommend whether partnership is workable with available resources.
• Ensure monitoring visits and provide the necessary trainings to the partner to address any finance actions identified in the Capacity Building Action Plan.
• Review financial reports and transaction lists provided by the partner on a timely basis, bringing any unusual transactions and budget variations to the attention of the Programme Manager.
• Ensure all documentation relating to Concern‘s financial relationship with the partner is filed correctly and updated where necessary.
• Ensure the Partner is able to submit regular and accurate Financial Reports using the template provided by Concern. For any Partner Finance Report issues found, obtain appropriate explanations from the Partner staff before recommending the release of the following tranche of funds. Incorporate any weaknesses found on the partner report compilation into the Partner Finance Action Plan. Assist the partner in meeting any procedural requirements (whether those of Concern or of a donor) detailed in the Partner Contract.

Other financial duties and general systems support

• Facilitate internal, external & donor audits,
• Investigate and implement procedures for statutory deductions, social security & taxes are complied with & to liaise with relevant authorities in this respect.
• Actively participate in the senior management team (SMT) and country management team (CMT) meetings and be proactively involved in the decision-making processes.
• Support training of staff in budget management and systems policies and procedures as appropriate.
• Preparation of monthly cash flow and ensuring adequate monetary levels in field offices

Confidentiality

• Ensuring the non-disclosure of any information whatsoever acquired in the course of duty, relating to the practices and business of Concern Worldwide, to any other person or Organization without authority, except in normal execution of the above duties
• Ensuring strict guardianship and security of financial data and documents at all times, including secure storage, accurate & complete filing and limiting access to the finance office to authorised personnel only
• Ensuring strict adherence to Concern Financial Procedures and Anti-Fraud Policy and remaining within the boundaries of these policies at all times

Other

• Adhere to the standards of conduct outlined in the Programme Participant Protection Policy and Concern Code of Conduct.
• Support and promote the standards outlined in the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4) and Concern Code of Conduct to the team, partner and stakeholders and be committed to providing a safe working environment.
• Actively participate in Concern accountability initiatives (communication strategy, participation and CRM for example) ensuring that they are integrated into the project
• Undertake other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Country Director.

Your skills and experience will include:

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Accountancy degree/masters
• 3-5 years-experience in a similar position
• Experience in developing staff technical and management capacities while motivating them
• Experience managing donor grants
• Fluent in English and French
• Strong communication and teambuilding skills
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, protection and participation including Concern’s Code of Conduct and Associated Policies
• Familiarity with broader systems development including procurement, logistics, HR and IT.
• Experience of working/living in insecure and sensitive environments
• Ability to cope with stress and work under pressure to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload, using initiative when appropriate.
• Strong attention to detail

We would also like:

• Good team player, flexible and capable of working with a multinational country team,
  politically and culturally sensitive.
• Flexibility, adaptability, sense of humour, and patience.
• Facilitation and interpersonal skills.
• Analytical and problem solving skills.