The Sierra Leone country office in Freetown is seeking a dedicated and experienced Finance and Administration Officer to lead its finance unit and drive its financial processes. This officer will also oversee administrative tasks done by an associate and contribute to the overall office administration with country office leadership.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Country Director (CD) and functional line to the Finance Manager of IPA in Ghana, the Finance and Administration Officer is responsible for the following tasks:

Finance (70%)

• Maintain accurate and timely financial information in IPA’s financial system (NetSuite)
• Ensure compliance and strict application with the accounting rules and practices established by local authorities and IPA Global
• Budget monitoring and monthly financial reporting of projects

Processing of all financial requests (Check Requests, Advance requests, Cost transfer requests, etc). This also includes;

• Ensuring that all requests have first satisfied procurement requirements
• Ensuring that the right forms and IPA approved rates are used for all requests
• Timely communication with staff concerning issues related to reconciliation, at most, a week after reconciliations are submitted
• Requesting monthly cash flow forecasts and cash transfer requests to head office Overseeing payment suppliers (filling, photocopying, and handing over checks to beneficiaries)
• Responding to requests from the Finance Manager, CD, and the Global Finance team
• Reconciling bank accounts
• Coordinating and processing of statutory payments (Withholding taxes, Social Security, PAYE, Severance, etc.)
• Overseeing Petty-cash transactions
• Tracking of outstanding advances on a monthly basis after books are closed
• Managing and processing of staff expense reports
• Archiving of supporting documents and other accounting and legal documents
• Supporting office budget management for Sierra Leone
• Ensuring knowledge, mastery, and application of administrative and financial procedures
• Keeping an eye out on fraudulent transactions & activities including rumors and reporting to the CD and immediate supervisor
• Supporting and organizing IPA Sierra Leone audits for specific projects or the overall country office
• Participation in the integration of newcomers to IPA Sierra Leone with regard to accounting and financial aspects of the office.

Administration (30%)

• Overseeing the work of the Administration and Finance Assistant
• Preparing and providing information to HQ (labor, financial evidence, etc.)
• Monitoring of relations with the various partners in Sierra Leone: government, decentralized authorities, banks, taxes, lawyers, donors, insurance, etc.
• Supporting the management of legal and fiscal affairs;
• Supporting the administrative team for the execution of their tasks (inventory management, procurement, etc.);
• Participating in purchasing decision-making committees;
• Managing office insurance

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field (Master’s degree preferred)
• Experience: A minimum of 2-year of work experience as part of a global organization within a Finance/Accounting role required
• Demonstrated advanced use of Excel is required and NetSuite or other accounting software is strongly preferred
• Knowledge of local accounting policies
• Ability to communicate issues and thoughts clearly
• Process and control-oriented
• Ability to multitask and prioritize

Application Instructions

Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application . After completing a brief registration, choose the Policy job category, then select “Finance & Administration Officer”. Most applications require at minimum a statement of purpose (cover letter), CV and transcripts.

Note that you are able to submit your application before your references complete their recommendation letters; however, you must include their contact information before submitting your application. Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

About IPA

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence on which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

IPA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

As an organization, IPA is dedicated to improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations through evidence and policy. We also recognize how important it is for our staff to reflect the diversity of the places where we work and the communities we work with. As such, IPA is committed to hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, from a range of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. We know that this makes our work stronger and more responsive to the challenges faced by those we work with and for and we encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Click here to learn more about IPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Innovations for Poverty Action is an affirmative action equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class. IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org or via phone at 1-202-386-6200. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the specified position. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org .

• Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager.

How to Apply

Qualified and interested individuals should click on the button below to apply.

 

 

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