Finance and Operation Manager (FOM)

Job Title: Finance and Operation Manager (FOM) Location: Tunis, Tunisia (on sight, remote work not possible) Contract duration: 1-year national contract with a possibility of renewal Reporting to: North Africa sub-region Director

DRS is looking, on behalf of our client, an INGO, for a Finance and Operation Manager (FOM) to lead and support the organization in North Africa (NA) operation, finance, logistics, and administration team across countries and ensure sufficient and effective relevant support to all programs and teams. The FOM secures quality data required by the NA Director to manage the sub-regions finances together with other Senior Management Team (SMT) members. The FOM also ensures sufficient compilation, monitoring, and reporting on the NA budget by working closely with country and Affiliates colleagues to ensure a comprehensive overview and relevant data at the country and, hence, subregional level.

The FOM will be working with the 3 Executing Affiliates to advise and support the harmonization of policies, procedures, and systems – as and where possible and feasible – to align with the structural transformation of the organization in North Africa.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Performance Management & Business Intelligence

• Steward performance management leading the financial planning, budgeting, and reporting process within the countries where the organization works in North Africa.
• Prepare the operational plan, consolidated budget and reports, standards and processes, and the consolidated reporting for expenditure (Budget versus Actuals), all in cooperation with the 3 Executing Affiliates.
• Provide counsel on strategic financial aspects and regular, accurate, and timely financial updates and information to the NAF Director for her to lead the overall management of budget and operation across countries and the subregion.
• Lead the operation and finance business intelligence activities, performing proactive monitoring and analysis to drive strategic business decisions and continuous improvement activities.
• Support the development of KPIs and action planning to meet targets.
• Understand the key drivers/scenarios that impact performance.
• Analyze the impact of different financing strategies on programs.
• Support Collective Resource Allocation (CRA) investment decisions by ensuring the Global Program Influencing and Investment Framework (GPIIF) ratios are correctly interpreted and maintained.
• Support reimbursement process within and across countries.
• Ensure and support communication and information flow between the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Finance Manager, affiliates, and NA offices.
• Develop a comprehensive knowledge of major HR programs, donor compliance, and other management issues.
• Lead and support a climate of continuous professional improvement in business support across the NA offices.
• Work in coordination with the HoPP and Fundraising and Compliance Lead to ensure the financial sustainability of programs.
• Support the HoPP and Funding and Compliance Lead to ensure sufficient management of all grants and compliance with institutional donor policies by partner organizations/partners in coordination with affiliates that have signed contracts with donors.
• Support financial governance by ensuring the NAF Director, the Senior Management Team (SMT), the MENA Regional Platform, and relevant EAs have quality financial information that is presented according to defined processes and timelines.

Risk Management

• Work closely with and support the NAF Director by conducting regular effective risk analysis (i.e., variance analysis, trends) and reviews, ensuring proper financial and operational controls are in place.
• Create strategies to mitigate financial and operational risk, working closely with NA offices, teams, and the executing affiliates.
• Develop a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the national laws and regulations, ensure sufficient legal and fiscal support in all countries, and monitor and manage potential risks at all levels.
• Ensure compliance with all national legal and statutory financial reporting requirements – in all relevant countries – including providing audited accounts to the relevant government bodies.
• Ensure compliance with the organization’s operation and financial procedures and policies, including financial
• risk management, aid diversion, money laundering, anti-fraud, safeguarding, etc.

Leadership and Coordination

• Ensure competent and strong operation and finance units across the countries by identifying key HR and competencies gaps within the NA Operation and Finance team and proactively coordinating, designing, and implementing relevant training.
• Effectively manage the relevant staff capacity development plans and opportunities.
• Initiate, coordinate and assist in conducting finance and operation (on policies, procedures, systems, etc.) related training to all staff in NA, in coordination with the NA SMT, and collaboration with the relevant Executing Affiliates (EAs) and other relevant colleagues.
• As a member of the senior management team (SMT), support the development of the NA strategic direction and programs, with a focus on ensuring sufficient capacity and support in business operations, finance, and risk management to the organization’s work, staff, and partners.
• Proactively engage in and support the design and implementation of required new systems, processes, and policies, working in coordination with the NA Director and functional teams (NA offices and affiliates).
• Promote and shape the One organization culture by facilitating spaces of participation and contribution across the various programs and support functions.
• Act as a change agent aligned with the Transformative Business Support Unit, as needed and possible, to provide insights and vision on enabling change and creating process improvements.
• Work closely with relevant colleagues of the 3 Executing Affiliates to work on harmonizing policies, procedures, and systems for better alignment and meaningful management.

Qualifications and competencies:

Education

• Education to Graduate level with a recognized accountancy qualification or equivalent professional years of work and experience that are not less than 15 years.
• Full professional qualification in accountancy (e.g., CA/ACCA/ACA/CIMA).
• Fluent English language skills, and one language among Arabic or French. Sufficient working knowledge of all three languages is a plus.

Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in providing a whole range of Business Operations services to an organization (including financial management and financial controlling, risk management, logistics, and technology), ideally with at least 5 years in the International NGO.
• Excellent management and leadership skills: experience working in a supervisory position with a team structure in a multi-national, multi-disciplined, multi-cultural environment and building good and healthy working relations and environment/s.
• Experience in leading and managing complex organizational structures and multi-country programming.
• Proven solid ability to interpret financial procedures and standards put them into practice, and influence others in their implementation.
• Proven knowledge of computerized systems and demonstrable experience working with computerized accounting packages and spreadsheets.
• Senior-level self-management, including the ability to prioritize workload and work independently and commitment to meet deadlines.
• Ability to travel within and across the countries in the North of Africa and possibly ME.

Competencies:

• Solid analytical, risk management, reporting, and planning skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills, particularly in cross-cultural contexts, and a high capacity for negotiation.

Desirable:

• Proven working experience in and knowledge of the North of Africa (Desirable)