Assist the Country Financial Controller (CFC) in the day to day operation of the finance function, month end closure, internal reporting and development of staff and support internal budgeting.  You will be responsible for the payment processing function within the finance team. You will ensure adequate internal controls are in place and give recommendations to the CFC as necessary. The position will in part deputize for the CFC and will closely work with the Donor Accountant (DA) and Partnership Accountant (PA) on a daily basis.

Financial Control

• Assist the CFC in ensuring that specific in-country procedures are developed, approved, documented and rolled out effectively.
• Ensure that country financial management systems & records are adequate in order to identify and protect the assets & interests of the organization.
• Make regular visits to all Concern’s offices to ensure that adequate monitoring systems are in place to minimize the risk of loss or misuse of assets.
• Ensure that statutory regulations regarding deductions and taxation of staff and suppliers are complied with and payment made to relevant authorities on time, before 12th of the following month.

Month end account closure 

• Follow up on timely completion and submission of monthly financial reports from Freetown and all field offices before 5th of the following month.
• Follow up on timely submission of monthly transport & cessation report with the relevant staff on a monthly basis before 5th of the following month.
• Liaise with HQ and field finance staff to ensure that all deliverables are completed within the monthly reporting period.
• Ensure Cash & Bank books ready to be imported in to the Microsoft Great Plains (MGP) system, approved supporting documentation attached & signed by the relevant staff before uploading to the system.
• Prepare all the necessary journals on a monthly basis to be ready to be imported into the MGP system, approved supporting documentation attached & signed by CFC or delegate before uploading to MGP.
• Ensure that all Cash, Bank and other journals have complete, approved supporting documentation attached & signed by the relevant staff.
• Ensure that Payroll and other standard journals have adequate and relevant supporting documents attached, reviewed & signed by CFC or delegate.
• Ensure that all bank accounts and cash books are reconciled and reviewed by CFC.
• Ensure all balance sheet accounts are reconciled and reviewed by the CFC before the management accounts are shared with budget holders. And keep custody of signed balance sheet reconciliation files on a monthly basis.
• Prepare Support Cost Allocation and close the accounts before/by the 15th of the following month.
• Maintain signed hard copy and file all related & necessary supporting month end documents on a monthly basis.

Review of Financial Documents

• Review all hard copies of Freetown payment documents and a sample of field payment documents on a monthly basis.  Advise the CFC of any anomalies with CWW finance policies and procedures.
• Communicate with the field finance officers and cashiers to ascertain financial policies are understood and the required documentation is sent to Freetown on time.

Monthly Management Accounts

• Prepare and share monthly management account for support costs to all budget holders before/by the 10th of every month.
• Review and collect feedback from budget holders on support costs on a monthly basis and make the necessary adjustment before finalising the month end accounts in consultation with the DA, PA & CFC.
• Communicate and respond to any queries/feedback that may arise from the budget holders on the management accounts related to support costs
• Maintain a file for hard copy of monthly summary of Management Account & signed feedback forms on a monthly basis.

Financial Reporting, Budget and Audit

• Assist the CFC during preparation of annual budgets (ABs) and budget revisions (BRs) for the support management accounts.
• Review Support management accounts on regular basis and advise the CFC and budget holders on areas which require special attention.
• Participate in the annual country level external audit (which includes preparing ledger and transaction list for auditors).
• Assist the CFC to handle queries related to internal and external audits and provide/facilitate feedback (responses) to issues and recommendations raised during/post audits.
• Work closely with CFC in follow up, and implementation of recommendations by Auditors and Regional Accountant (RA).
• Participate in the production of any ad-hoc year end reports for Dublin or external audit.
• Assist the CFC in preparing / updating the Chart of Accounts (COA) and distribute on time to the relevant Budget Holders including Managers, Coordinators, Senior Management and relevant departments at every budget Revisions.

Staff Management and Capacity Building

• Directly line manage and supervise three Finance staff as directed by CFC. This may change over time.
• In consultation with the CFC, coach and mentor national finance team who have potential to rise to more senior level positions in the organisation.
• In consultation with the CFC, provide on the job training to subordinates on regular basis including during field office visits.
• Support CFC on delivering training on finance issues to non-finance staff where a need is identified in all field office and remote locations.
• Support CFC on delivering training on fraud & corruption to finance and non-finance staff where a need is identified in all field office and remote locations.

 Others

• Ensure all time sheets are submitted before 20th of each month and check the %age is matched with payroll allocation %age in a monthly basis & communicate immediately if any correction needed.
• Coordinate & consolidate monthly cash forecast & submit to CFC before/ by 23rd each month.
• Prepare recharge forms for any costs incurred on behalf of any other country Concern office and ensure it reconcile with the balance sheet reconciliation.
• Work closely with the CFC, DA & PA on yearend closing activities.
• Providing, as requested, cover to key finance functions during staff absence especially DA & PA.
• Complete any others reasonable tasks as requested by CFC.

1. Education 

• Required: Bachelors level university degree related to accounting; part qualified ACA, ACCA, CIMA accountant with strong experience.
• Desired: Masters level university degree related to accounting; Qualified ACA, ACCA, CIMA accountant.

1. Job related Experience and Knowledge

• At least 5 years’ experience in finance.
• At least 3 years’ managerial level experience in an NGO.
• Experience of management reporting would be highly desirable.
• Computer literacy, particularly in Microsoft Office programmes such as Word and Excel as well accounting packages & other database competencies, is essential.
• Experience in developing finance staff capacity on the technical aspects of finance and training/awareness raising of non-finance staff on finance functions.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.

1. Time required in Job to reach effective performance

Probation period – 4 months.

Time to reach full effectiveness – 4 months.

Honesty and impartiality

Hardworking & results-focused

Cooperative communication style

Financial training & experience people management

Time management & prioritization skills

Report writing

Decision making

Computer and analytical skills

Analytical thinking

Flexibility

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy, which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them.  In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment.   By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

You will assist the Country Financial Controller (CFC) in the day to day operation of the finance function, partner management including capacity building, training, reporting and development of budgets. You will ensure that all relevant partner compliance and Concern Policy requirements are adhered to and data integrity is maintained, while reviewing financial data from various partners. You will ensure adequate internal controls are in place and give recommendations to the CFC as necessary. You will also act as focal person for support to Concern field offices and may be deployed to the field offices to provide support as needed. The position will in part deputize for the CFC and will closely work with the Donor Accountant (DA) and Management Accountant (MA) on a daily basis.

Partner Financial Assessment (including INGO partners)

• Undertake assessment of new & potential national partners, using Concern’s CILPAT tool, on a timely and comprehensive basis.  Summarise findings, ensure assessment is signed off by all relevant staff and maintain documentation on each partner file
• Undertake annual reassessment of current partners to identify any risk areas and/or capacity building needs
• Undertake assessment of new & potential international partners, using Concern’s ‘light-touch’ CILPAT tool, on a timely and comprehensive basis.
• Carry out Systems Review visits in accordance with the Partner Monitoring Programme.
• Perform regular Transaction Audits/expenditure verification of partners in accordance with the Partner Monitoring Programme
• Ensure programme staff are aware of their responsibilities regarding monitoring of partners. Ensure sign off from appropriate senior Programme representatives is obtained on the CILPAT, Partner Monitoring Programme and Annual Risk Review.
• Ensure Partner Reports and findings are circulated to all interested parties within Concern and the Partner. Ensure all documentation relating to Concern‘s financial relationship with the partner is filed correctly and updated where necessary

Partner Monitoring (including INGO partners)

• For each partner, prepare a partner monitoring schedule, based on frequency as identified during the CILPAT assessment and visit accordingly
• Review financial reports, cashbooks and supporting documents provided by the partner to above timeline, bringing any ineligible costs and budget variations to the attention of the Project Manager and the CFC
• Make periodic visits with programme staff to Concern’s project sites to ensure that adequate monitoring systems are in place to minimize the risk of loss or misuse of funds
• After each field visit prepare and disseminate a Partner Visit Report, clearly identifying action points, responsibility and timelines

Partner Contract Management

• Assist the partner, in conjunction with the programme staff, on review and preparation of partners budget.
• Ensure the partner is able to submit regular and accurate financial reports using the template provided by Concern.
• Review partner financial reporting template ensuring correct budgets are used and the correct formulas are in place.
• For any issues or concerns noted in any partner finance report, obtain appropriate explanations from the partner staff and if unresolved refer the issue to the CFC before recommending the release of the following tranche of funds.
• Incorporate any weaknesses found during the monitoring visits into the partner report and include actions to address the weakness into the partner financial action plan.
• Review partner report and prepare and upload partner expenditure journals and carry out a funds reconciliation with the balance sheet

Partner Communication, Documentation and Reporting

• Ensure regular communication with programme staff and attend programme/partner review meetings on a regular basis
• Ensure partner reports and findings are circulated to all interested parties within Concern and the partner.
• Ensure all documentation relating to Concern’s financial relationship with the partner is filed correctly and updated where necessary.
• Review all hard copies of partner documents and ensure copies are given to CWW
• Undertake sample payment verification reviews for all partners including consortia partners as per contractual deadlines
• Advise the CFC of any anomalies with partner or CWW finance policies and procedures.
• Communicate with the partner staff to ascertain financial policies are understood and the required documentation is sent to CWW on time.

Partner capacity building 

• Ensure plans for addressing any weaknesses found during the partner assessment are built into a partner finance action plan.
• Deliver training to the partner as per the requirements of the partner finance action plan, and on an ad hoc basis where necessary.

• Ensure that necessary partner reporting deadlines are met and CFC is kept informed of any concerns over meeting due dates.

Financial Reporting, Budget and Audit

• Assist the Donor accountant and CFC during preparation of annual budgets (ABs) and budget revisions (BRs) for partners
• Review partner financial reporting on regular basis and advise the CFC and budget holders on areas which require special attention.
• Participate in the annual country level external audit and as well as donor and partner audit processes
• Assist the CFC to handle queries related to partner, donor, internal and external audits and provide/facilitate feedback (responses) to issues and recommendations raised during/post audits
• Undertake a quick review of audit test (e.g. Matching partner reports to TL) before commencement of audit
• Work closely with CFC in follow up, and  implementation of recommendations by Auditors and Regional Accountant (RA)
• Participate in the production of financial statements (accounts) for external auditor and for any ad-hoc year end reports for Dublin.

Staff Management and Capacity Building

• Directly line manage and supervise Finance staff as directed by CFC
• Coach and mentor CWW and partner national finance team who have potential to rise to more senior level positions in the organisation.
• In consultation with the CFC, provide on the job training to CWW and partner national staff on regular basis including during partner/ field visits
• Deliver training on finances issues to non-finance staff where a need is identified in all partner / field office and remote locations
• Deliver training on fraud & corruption to non-finance staff where a need is identified in all partner / field office and remote locations

Field Office Support

• Provide support to field offices on financial tasks as assigned by CFC
• May be assigned to cover gaps in finance function in field offices

 Other tasks

• Follow up and support on mapping of partner budgets against Concern Chart of Account.
• Assist the CFC at partner level finance meetings and take the lead on any action points
• Work closely with the CFC, MA & PA on yearend closing activities
• Providing, as requested, cover to key finance functions during staff absence especially MA & DA.
• Complete any others reasonable tasks as requested by CFC

1. Education 

• Required: Bachelors level university degree related to accounting; part qualified ACA, ACCA, CIMA accountant with strong experience.
• Desired: Masters level university degree related to accounting; Qualified ACA, ACCA, CIMA accountant.

1. Job related Experience and Knowledge

• At least 5 years’ experience in finance.
• At least 3 years’ managerial level experience in an NGO.
• Experience of management reporting would be highly desirable.
• Computer literacy, particularly in Microsoft Office programmes such as Word and Excel as well accounting packages & other database competencies, is essential.
• Experience in developing finance staff capacity on the technical aspects of finance and training/awareness raising of non-finance staff on finance functions.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.

1. Time required in Job to reach effective performance

Probation period – 4 months.

Time to reach full effectiveness – 4 months.

Honesty and impartiality

Hardworking & results-focused

Cooperative communication style

Financial training & experience people management

Time management & prioritization skills

Report writing

Decision making

Computer and analytical skills

Analytical thinking

Flexibility

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy, which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them.  In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment.   By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

You will assist the Country Financial Controller (CFC) in the day to day operation of the finance function, donor management, financial reporting, development of budgets and controls. You will ensure that all relevant donor compliance and Concern Policy requirements are adhered to and data integrity is maintained, while reviewing and dispatching financial data to various stakeholders. This includes also, the analysis of financial data and giving recommendations to the CFC as necessary. The position will in part deputize for the CFC and will closely work with the Management Accountant (MA) and Partnership Accountant (PA) on a daily basis.

Financial Control

• Assist the CFC in ensuring that specific in-country procedures are developed, approved, documented and rolled out effectively.
• Ensure that country financial management systems & records are adequate in order to identify and protect the assets & interests of the organization.
• Make regular visits to all Concern’s projects to ensure that adequate monitoring systems are in place to minimize the risk of loss or misuse of assets.

Donor Management (Budgeting, Reporting, Filing)

• Prepare donor financial reports and ensure the reports are shared with relevant persons Ensure that necessary donor reporting deadlines are met and CFC is kept informed of any concerns over meeting due dates.
• Ensure that donor reports tie back to the general ledger from GP and donor original budgets.
• Assist the programme staff in formulating budget proposals.
• Map staffing to donor funding to ensure that gaps are identified and included in future donor proposals, provide relevant information to senior management to inform decisions that may be necessary on staffing positions if there isn’t sufficient funding.
• Work with Programme Managers on the coding of new grants and ensure circulation to all relevant staff and accounts are created in GP, in conjunction with the Management Accountant.
• Follow up and support on mapping of donor budgets against Concern Chart of Accounts.
• Ensure all relevant donor guidelines, policies, proposals, periodic reports and other communications are readily available, categorized by grant, and documented in soft and hard copy filing.
• Prepare interim & final donor financial reports and submit to CFC & programme managers/ coordinators.
• Undertake periodic joint review of donor reports with budget holders based on agreed upon arrangements.
• Preparation of donor budgets, liaising with programme managers to determine appropriate costs for inclusion.
• Maintain a hard copy filing system for each donor, as per the ‘Donor File Contents Checklist’ and ensure it is kept up-to-date with signed final versions.
• Ensure all Finance related Donor Budgets, Contracts & Reports are uploaded onto Concerns Grant Management System (GMS).
• Ensure familiarity with various donor compliance rules and report layouts & timelines – in particular the main donors like- FCDO, Irish Aid, ECHO, EU, USAID & update the relevant staff.

Month end account closure 

• Follow up and support as necessary, on the month end process including the support cost allocation.

Monthly Management Accounts

• Prepare and share monthly donor management account to all budget holders before/by the 10th of every month.
• Review and collect feedback from budget holders on a monthly basis and make necessary adjustment on the MGP before finalising the month end accounts in consultation with the DA, PA & CFC.
• Communicate and respond to any queries/feedback that may arise from the budget holders on the management accounts.
• Hold monthly review meetings on Donor management accounts with the relevant budget holders to identify early issues on areas such as over/under spending and address those
• Maintain a file for hard copy of monthly summary of Management Account & signed feedback forms on a monthly basis.

Financial Reporting, Budget and Audit

• Assist the CFC during preparation of annual budgets (ABs) and budget revisions (BRs) for projects Review Donor management accounts on regular basis and advise the CFC and budget holders on areas which require special attention.
• Participate in the annual country level external audit and as well as donor audit processes.
• Assist the CFC to handle queries related to donor, internal and external audits and provide/facilitate feedback (responses) to issues and recommendations raised during/post audits.
• Undertake a quick review of audit test (e.g. Matching donor reports to TL) before commencement of audit.
• Work closely with CFC in follow up, and implementation of recommendations by Auditors and Regional Accountant (RA).
• Participate in the production of financial statements (accounts) for external auditor and for any ad-hoc year end reports for Dublin.
• Assist the CFC in preparing / updating the Chart of Accounts(COA) and distribute on time to the relevant Budget Holders including Managers, Coordinators, Senior management and relevant departments at every budget Revisions.

Staff Management and Capacity Building

• Directly line manage and supervise Finance staff as directed by CFC.
• Coach and mentor national finance team who have potential to rise to more senior level positions in the organisation.
• In consultation with the CFC, provide on the job training to subordinates on regular basis including during field visits.
• Deliver training on donor management accounts, donor budgeting and donor financial requirements to finance and non-finance staffs in Head office as well as field offices.
•  Support CFC in Delivering training on finances issues to non-finance staff where a need is identified in all field office and remote locations.

Other tasks

• Providing, as requested, cover to key finance functions during staff shortage.
• Prepare quarterly FX rate, In country Income & accepted recharge for Dublin & submit to CFC in a quarterly bases on the 1st three days of the following month of each quarter.
• Assist the CFC at consortium level finance meetings and take the lead on any action points
• Work closely with the CFC, Management Accountant & Program Accountant on yearend closing activities.
• Providing, as requested, cover to key finance functions during staff absence especially MA & PA.

Complete any others reasonable tasks as requested by CFC.

1. Education 

• Required: Bachelors level university degree related to accounting; part qualified ACA, ACCA, CIMA accountant with strong experience.
• Desired: Masters level university degree related to accounting; Qualified ACA, ACCA, CIMA accountant.

1. Job related Experience and Knowledge

• At least 5 years’ experience in finance.
• At least 3 years’ managerial level experience in an NGO.
• Experience of donor reporting would be highly desirable.
• Computer literacy, particularly in Microsoft Office programmes such as Word and Excel as well accounting packages & other database competencies, is essential.
• Experience in developing finance staff capacity on the technical aspects of finance and sensitizing/training non-finance staff on finance functions.
• Financial management capacities.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines.

1. Time required in Job to reach effective performance

Probation period – 4 months.

Time to reach full effectiveness – 4 months.

Honesty and impartiality

Hardworking and results-focused

Cooperative communication style

Financial training and experience people management

Time management and prioritization skills

Report writing

Decision making

Computer skills

Analytical skills

Analytical thinking

Flexibility

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy, which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them.  In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment.   By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.