Finance and Operations Coordinator

BACKGROUND

The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) Activity is designed to bolster the U.S. Government’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide program is USAID’s flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.

Driven by market demand, ATI embraces innovative approaches to achieve its goals. ATI is designed as a small, core set of centrally coordinated technical and institutional support activities, and a large, flexible performance-based subcontracting and grants under contract facility designed to support the needs and opportunities that USAID Missions and the private sector identify.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Finance and Operations Coordinator will provide financial, procurement, logistical and administrative support to the ATI team. This role will be performed with meaningful support and oversight from Operations and Finance supervisor(s) based in Nairobi.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

FINANCE

General Accounting

• Initiates wire requests for field project implementation ensuring compliance to DAI cashflow management policies.
• Verifies vendor invoices for accuracy.
• Verifies accuracy of expenses and project accounting codes.
• Conducts regular cash flow analyses to ensure availability of funds and the accurate maintaining of bank balances.
• Ensures accurate and timely processing of invoices, advances and reimbursements, checks, and wire transfer payments.
• Ensures request for payments have appropriate approvals.
• Ensures the timely deposit of cash receipts.
• Responsible for recording and assigning costs based on approved budget in field accounting system (FAS/vFER).
• Performs monthly bank reconciliations and routinely monitors bank account balances.
• Verifies back up documentation for all project-related transactions and ensures completeness and appropriate review and approvals are documented.
• Responsible for ensuring petty cash is maintained according to maximum petty cash policy, and that all petty cash procedures are followed.
• Ensures the safeguard of bank checks, and cash receipts.
• Manages periodic payments to local authorities (Income Tax, Social Security, etc) ensuring they are completed on timely and accuracy manner
• Maintains file management systems for soft and hard copy documentation.
• Performs periodic cash counts.
• Records non-billable expenses as appropriate and ensures they are thoroughly reviewed and are kept to a minimum.
• Ensures that foreign taxes paid, if any, are tracked, recorded, and reported to USAID in accordance with ADS guidelines.
• Analyzes and reconciles project inventory on a regular basis ensuring that the value/purchase price of project assets reflected in the inventory register agrees with the total shown in the cumulative Non-Expendable account balance.

Financial Reporting

• Responsible for ensuring that any/all contractual financial reporting requirements are identified and complied in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensures that tax reporting procedures are well documented to facilitate preparation and submission in a timely manner.
• Monitors and submits advance, commitment, and grant reports as applicable.
• Develops and submits other project reports necessary and based on registration requirements to local authorities.
• Monitors and reports on partner/vendor payment schedules and obligations.

Audit

• Supports preparation of internal and external audits.
• Supports responses and actions to internal audit comments.
• Conducts daily reviews of backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and full compliance with all regulations and the Field Operations Manual (FOM).
• Performs regular spot audits on project’s files.
• Ensures adequate backup documentation is uploaded to relevant system according to set deadlines.

Travel Advances & Reimbursements

• Reviews travel requests and expense reports for accuracy and compliance.
• Follows procedures to ensure accurate and timely payment and reconciliation of travel advances, reimbursements for staff and partner travel.
• Develops and monitors outstanding advances report by paying close attention to advances that have not been settled after 30 days of issuance.

Payroll

• Processes timely and accurate payroll payments for the Ghana office and ensures leave balance and payroll taxes and deductions are accurate.
• Tracks and monitors leave balances and liability payments.
• Ensures staff compliance with timekeeping policy and recordkeeping.

Financial Systems

• Uses field accounting system (vFER) and DAI’s project management system (TAMIS and TAMIS Pro) etc. regularly.
• Ensures that voucher files are scanned and uploaded to DAI’s System for the Electronic Archival of Financial Documentation – SharePoint.

Policies & Procedures

• Ensures that accounting policies and practices are carried out in accordance with GAAP standards; project internal controls are established and implemented in accordance with DAI policies, USAID rules/regulations and the terms of the contract.

OPERATIONS

• Responsible for completing all procurement requests originating from the site office, ensuring compliance with all USAID and DAI protocols
• Maintain principled relationships with suppliers and local vendors
• Ensure complete backup documentation for procurement purchases. Perform regular audit spot checks
• Assist in organizing training, workshops, and project events
• Coordinate logistical support and assist with project staff travel, such as hotel booking, and car arrangement
• Support office in distribution of invitations, letters, meeting minutes and other printed material as needed
• Support office with printing, copying, and binding materials
• Maintain office inventory trackers and coordinate equipment maintenance with the relevant departments

REPORTING

The Finance and Operations Coordinator will report to the Associate Finance Director working closely with the Operations Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent
• 7+ years’ experience supporting international donor-funded projects in logistics/accountancy/finance role preferred
• Demonstrated understanding of applicable finance and procurement related USG or other international donors contracting regulations
• Accuracy in working with large amounts of data
• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive inquiries
• An energetic, forward-thinking, and creative individual with high ethical standards and professional presentation
• A well organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgement, and strong operational focus
• Excellent writing, speaking, and reading skills in English