Senior Finance Manager

This position is contingent on IRC being awarded funding and is anticipated to begin in September 2022**.**

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading humanitarian relief and development organizations. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive, recover and regain control over their lives. Working in more than 40 countries, the IRC is helping to restore hope and opportunity to millions of people.

At the height of the civil war in 1999, the IRC began implementing emergency interventions in Sierra Leone and supported the country throughout its 2014 Ebola outbreak which affected more than 14,000 individuals, by providing protective equipment to frontline workers, developing public health plans with local officials, and conducting community sensitization on hand washing and other safety measures. The IRC continues to assist vulnerable communities throughout the country to this day. Current programs support the rebuilding of health and education services while actively promoting women and girls’ empowerment. Since the start of its implementation in Sierra Leone, the IRC has reached over two million beneficiaries.

Project scope and objectives:

The project “Civic Engagement in Local Governance for Accountability (CELGA) in Sierra Leone” funded by USAID aims to foster the social contract between local governments and citizens in through scaling up successful initiatives that support local governments and relevant national government institutions, civil society, and citizenry to 1) increase citizens’ participation in local government and political processes, and 2) bolster the provision of critical services by local governance institutions through processes that are transparent and accountable to citizens. The project will work directly with local government entities and the citizenry, especially women and youth engagement, local CSOs, and government entities working on decentralization, local governance, and elections with an anticipated $3.5M budget.

The senior finance manager position:

The Senior Finance Manager will be responsible for supporting the Project Director in management of staff, capacity building and stakeholder engagement. S/he will coordinate the development, implementation and reporting on detailed management plans that may include implementation plans, deliverable tracking, etc., in assigned area of responsibility. S/he will manage implementing partners and oversee operations. As Senior Finance Manager, S/he will have responsibility for all aspects of strategic and operational finance, acting as the principal finance business partner to the Project Director and other Senior Management team members.

Main Responsibilities:

• Ensures that all policies and procedures are in compliance with IRC and USAID policies, procedures, and requirements.

• Establishes project’s finance and supporting function policies, systems and procedures, and directs or performs their development, documentation, and implementation.

• Manages project finance activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by New York HQ and USAID. Prepares quarterly accrual reports, expenditure reporting, and burn rate projections.

• Provides project management and program staff with monthly actual-to-budget expenditure reports and analysis for project funds and facilitate the review and discussion.

• Ensures balance sheet reconciliations are completed monthly and on a timely basis and review final reconciliations and trial balances with the Project Director.

• Closely monitors all financial activities, and keeps the Project Director advised of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance.

• Directs the preparation of and approval of all USAID financial reports in respect to accounting, legal and contractual requirements and ensures the review of such reports by the Project Director and HQ prior to submission.

• Enforces internal control policies and procedures with utmost integrity.

• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.

• Establishes project finance roles and responsibilities matrix; ensures job descriptions are current; recruits and maintains qualified staff to perform finance functions.

• Develops and implements a training program for the project’s finance staff.

• Ensures constructive performance reviews are completed on a timely basis and facilitates discussion of performance and career options with project finance staff.

• Supervises all project office bank relations and bank account activities including negotiation of fees, interest and currency exchange rates.

• In compliance with IRC policy, establishes policies regarding cash holding limits, cash movements and foreign currency holdings of the project.

• Oversees the timely preparation, review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations.

• Designs, implements, and monitors systems, procedures and reporting necessary to maintain on current basis accurate forecasts of cash requirements for meeting future spending, including commitments entered into and which obligate IRC to future spending.

• Supervises the preparation of Cash Transfer Requests to New York and ensures that appropriate cash balances are maintained to facilitate project implementation.

• Assists with the preparation and revision of project budgets.

• Prepares the annual and monthly cash budgets based on approved funding.

Job Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance with a recognized professional certificate in accounting such as CPA, or a master’s degree in Accounting.

• Minimum of 5 years in similar financial, compliance, or operational role supporting USAID and/or international donor projects in similar contexts.

• Experience with budgeting and financial reporting requirements on multimillion-dollar USAID and/or international donor funded projects.

• Experience with financial management and reporting on projects with substantial sub-award components.

• Strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting practices, financial reporting standards, financial management processes and procedures.

• Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations preferred.

• Extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet and database programs (SUN System).

• Good written and verbal skills in English and Arabic.

• Must have a proven track record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions.

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and professional patience and be able to interact, partner and thrive in a diverse environment.

• Committed to staff training and development and effective at facilitation.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.