Finance Manager – Romania Response

Finance Manager – Romania Response

Location: Romania

Contract duration: 12 months

ROLE PURPOSE:

Following the start of the conflict in Ukraine, thousands of people fled to neighboring countries including Romania. Save the Children Romania is one of the organisations who responded the earliest in the country as they are already working with refugees in refugee asylum centers in border towns and already have members in these border counties.

Save the Children International (SCI) deploy an international response team who are teaming up with Save the Children Romania to set up immediate response in the early stage of the refugee crisis and enable SC Romania families in Romania and is scaling up programmatic response with its main partner Save The Children Romania which have been working with asylum seekers and children for over 20 years and has a strong network with local civil society organization and authority. The progamme include operating safe space for children and mothers in reception and asylum center, provision of NFI and psychosocial support at border crossing points, support integration of children in formal and informal education system, supporting child protection system when required, providing legal and other counseling support to families in need. SCI intends to implement a cash and voucher programme in Ukraine and neighboring countries through UCAN project targeting people on the move and settling in Romania.

The Romania Response Finance Manager will provide the primary financial management inputs in the Save the Children emergency response programme working closely with Save the Children Romania. The role has three main aspects to it: leading the emergencies finance teams, including those in the country offices if the response is multi-country; providing the Response Team Leadership with finance oversight; and capacity-building finance and non-finance staff in their financial professional development

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Response Team Leader

Dimensions: The Romania Response Finance Manager will provide the primary financial management inputs in the Save the Children emergency response programme working closely with Save the Children Romania.

Number of direct reports: TBC

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Strategic financial information and monitoring

• Provide strategic finance support to the SCI Response Team of SCI and Save the Children Romania as part of the response SMT: Master Budget development and monitoring in coordination with Awards team, and advice on how to best to utilise a programme’s funding portfolio.
• Develop effective relationships with existing Country finance staff
• Provide a high standard of financial accounting management, ensuring compliance to local statutory law and donors regulations and consistent with Save the Children accounting policies, procedures and tools.
• Ensure that Save the Children’s commitment to improving quality and accountability in humanitarian work is upheld, through reference to the Sphere Project Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards, the NGO Code of Conduct, and other relevant tools.

Cost recovery and budgeting

• Ensure preparation of donor financial reports and proposal budgets
• Ensure full cost recovery is achieved (through strategic financial management and proposal budget development)
• Ensure all donor financial compliance requirements are complied with and reports are prepared on time with complete audit trial.

Internal Controls

• Ensure that at all stages of the response the control framework of the operation is consistent with the situation and ensure that necessary risks are taken knowingly with appropriate mitigating actions.
• Monitor coding of emergency expenditures and ensure timely adjustments when activation of new awards with relevant audit trail
• Support Cash Transfer programming activities from feasibility assessment to implementation, and ensure accountability by enforcing adequate controls
• Identify, assess, input, recommend on the existing and desired reconciliation process (reporting assurance mechanism) between Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Distribution, M&E that will ensure accountable reporting to donors on all humanitarian inputs (items delivered to beneficiaries).

Cash flow

• Ensure access to cash for new areas of operations by establishing effective banking arrangements or by ensuring safe cash in transit alternatives through implementation of emergency cash management guidelines

Resources and capacity building

• Assess new partner financial capacity and provide financial capacity building when relevant
• Assess finance surge staff requirements and structure in coordination with existing CO and RO finance team
• Recruit, train and manage finance staff and/or work closely with existing finance staff.
• Ensure that all new staff recruited into the response are adequately inducted in Save the Children emergencies and financial systems
• Strengthen the non-finance staff knowledge and capacity to manage finance by providing, induction, training and coaching consistent with their various roles and responsibilities.
• Provide interim support to a country or regional programme which lacks finance resources in various roles (Country Finance and Manager, Regional Finance Manager, Audit Officer etc) if multi-country response.

General:

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice*)*

Accountability:

• holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Qualified Accountant (CCAB) or equivalent experience.

• Experience with Save the Children financial processes, procedures and systems and overseas accounting software (including Agresso).

• Knowledge of the requirements and experience managing grants from the major emergency donors including budgeting, eligibility issues, compliance management, and reporting.

• Experience of and well developed skills in staff management and supervision. Proven coaching and capacity building skills.

• Proven track record of active contribution to a senior management team, and providing strategic support across multiple sectors and/or regions

• Good attention to detail and analytical skills

• IT literate (i.e. Word, advanced Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer, financial systems).

• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people

• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure

• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a demanding workload comprised of diverse and challenging tasks and responsibilities

• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills in English, with experience in managing multicultural teams

Desirable

• Extensive experience, including first phase responses, with NGOs in an international emergency environment or in fragile states with increasing responsibilities including a proven experience of establishing and running a field finance office.
• Understanding of award management policies, procedures and systems and Save the Children’s award management system (AMS

In the case of a Category 1 and Category 2 response, the candidate must reflect the experience and qualifications of a Grade 2. This must include the following proven behaviour/experience:

• Demonstrate leadership and management skills in a complex international setting.

Previous experience as member of Senior Management Team.

We offer a competitive package in the context of the sector. This Role is offered on the basis of unaccompanied International terms and conditions. Also, interviews will be held on an ongoing basis, adverts will be closed once a person is identified.

For non- EU citizens; Visa is to be obtained.

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application, and include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordnce with our global anti-harassment policy.