Finance Officer

International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) is an intergovernmental organization with 34 member states hailing from different continents around the world. International IDEA aims to support sustainable democracy worldwide, doing so, inter alia, by working with both new and long-established democracies to strengthen the institutions and culture of democracy. Located at the interface of research and practice, International IDEA serves as a forum for dialogue and uses comparative experience and analysis to identify good practices for democracy-building. It also produces knowledge tools and practical guides for democracy support. The Institute maintains a global network of experts, provides training materials, and offers strategic advice to democracy actors at the international, regional, and national levels. The Institute is headquartered in Stockholm with field offices in Africa and West Asia, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean

Based in Abuja, Nigeria, International IDEA seeks to appoint a:

FINANCE OFFICER

International IDEA anticipates managing the second phase of the “Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Phase II Programme” in Nigeria. The programme is funded by the EU for a period of five years. The programme will work towards three anticipated Outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Enhanced performance, quality, and oversight of the criminal justice system and of justice service delivery.
• Outcome 2: Improved access to justice for vulnerable women, children, juveniles, persons with disabilities and victims of sexual and gender-based violence.
• Outcome 3: Increased transparency and accountability of anti-corruption systems and reforms.

The Finance Officer is primarily responsible for maintaining the accounts for the programme, ensuring payment processing and ERP encoding is updated regularly, and monthly closure deadlines are met. The Finance Officer has an in-depth understanding of International IDEA’s Finance and Accounting Procedures Manual, and Procurement Policy, and incorporates these into all facets of the role.

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Checks and processes invoices, petty cash, bank payments, expenditure reports, project advance requests, travel claims and settlements in accordance with International IDEA policies and procedures, and ensures supporting documentation is collected and filed;
• Registers and uploads contracts to the ERP system in the absence of the administrative assistant;
• Allocates invoice costs, and verifies compliance of invoices in accordance with International IDEA’s policies and procedures;
• Assists in organizing procurement processes in accordance with the programme needs, in cooperation with the Project Financial Officer, RoLAC II (NG-FC);
• Assists with expenditure control, checks expenditure against budgets ensuring adherence to International IDEA policies and procedures and advises team members on cost saving measures;
• Assists in the planning and budgeting process; Monitors budget allocations and actual expenditure monthly and prepares monthly and quarterly forecasts;
• Assists in the preparation and provision of supporting documents for both institutional and programme audits; Ensures relevant financial information is kept updated and made available to auditors to ensure the audit is conducted effectively and on time;
• Operates and maintains use of computerized accounting systems and spread sheets to assist day to day accounting procedures and reporting requirements;
• Prepares, analyses, and submits financial statements and reports;
• Produces and regularly updates cash flow forecasts and ensures timely remittance requests to ensure sufficient funds are available to meet programme commitments;
• Maintains financial records and ensures compliance with donor and International IDEA financial policies and procedures;
• Carries out other duties and responsibilities as related to the post that may be assigned from time to time.

The Finance Officer must possess and be able to demonstrate:

• University degree in finance, financial management, business administration, or other relevant discipline;
• Full or part professional qualifications in finance and accounting, for example ACCA is considered advantageous;
• A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience working in a bookkeeping, accounting, audit or financial management capacity, ideally for a development organization, NGO, or well-regarded accounting/ financial services firm;
• Demonstrated experience working with cloud accounting systems is essential;
• Experience in working in an international context, e.g., in an intergovernmental organization, considered an advantage;
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office package (including MS Work, Excel and PowerPoint) and Internet is required; Knowledge of ERP systems is desirable.
• Excellent knowledge in written and oral English is required; Any other widely spoken language in an International IDEA priority region (Arabic, French, Spanish) and/or official EU language would be an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Liaises regularly with all internal and external stakeholders involved in his/her projects;
• Acts in all assignments with personal energy and engagement

Please note as this is a local post, International IDEA will bear no costs relating to relocation of the selected candidate to the duty station. This position is open to those legally authorized to live and work in Nigeria for the duration of the contract. International IDEA is not able to support work permit applications.

This is a fixed term appointment for 2 years after commencement.

International IDEA is an equal opportunity employer which seeks to further diversify its staff in terms of gender, culture and nationality.