🇸🇱 Job Vacancy @ Gola Rainforest Conservation LG – Program Finance Lead
Gola Rainforest Conservation LG
164 Dama Road
Kenema
Sierra Leone
Phone: +232(0)76420218
Email: info@golarainforest.org
www.golarainforest.org
16 September, 2025
External Vacancy Announcement – Re-Opening for Additional Applications
(Due to increased interest, the vacancy has been re-opened to allow more applicants. Previous Applicants Need Not Reapply)
Job title: Program Finance Lead
Number of Position: 01
Location: GRC-LG HQ Office
Employer: Gola Rainforest Conservation LG (GRC-LG)
Reports to: Head of Gola (HOG)
Supervises: REDD & Grant Finance Superintendents
Position Purpose:
The Program Finance Lead is responsible for overseeing the financial strategy, planning, and management of GRC-LG, with full oversight of both institutional and programmatic finance functions, including REDD Finance and Sub-Project Finance. The role ensures the effective allocation and utilization of financial resources across all program areas, supports long-term financial sustainability, and upholds the organization’s financial integrity. The Program Finance Lead plays a critical role in driving financial accountability, optimizing budget performance, and aligning financial operations with GRC’s strategic objectives. In addition, the role collaborates closely with the Administration Department to ensure all procurement-related financial transactions and processes comply with GRC-LG’s internal controls, donor regulations, and statutory requirements. This includes supporting procurement planning, validating financial documentation, and ensuring alignment with approved budgets.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage the GRC-LG’s finances, ensuring adequate internal controls comply with donor policies and accounting standards.
- Lead the installation of new financial systems, such as migrating from Excel to the QuickBooks package, within GRC. This transition aims to not only enhance the quality and accuracy of financial data but also to strengthen financial governance across all GRC programs, improving management decision-making, ensuring compliance, and expediting project reporting.
- Ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and consistency of all financial plans, invoices, reports, and other financial documents and transactions with GRC-LG and donor guidelines and regulations.
- Review and improve all end-to-end financial processes and policies in line with the input of new financial systems in GRC.
- Provide reliable donor reports, Budget vs Actual reports to the HOG, RSPB PM, GRC-LG Directors, and Programmes staff to facilitate good planning and anticipation of any changes needed to programme delivery.
- Provide financial management, operational, and capacity-building support to GRC staff based on an assessment of their capacity and capability. Ensuring they have the necessary capacity to effectively operate new financial systems.
- Review and improve the financial governance framework and all financial controls, ensuring alignment with the implementation of new financial systems in GRC and addressing audit recommendations. Additionally, ensure that the financial calendar includes both programmatic and organizational-level reviews to support comprehensive financial oversight.
- Ensure continuous review of internal controls, communications, risk assessments, and documentation maintenance
- Ensure GRC is capable of meeting all its statutory and compliance obligations, including those relating to accounting and tax issues, as well as its internal and partner reporting requirements.
- Undertake an assessment of financial capacity and capability across GRC and the Cocoa Producer Organization (NGOCFU).
- Oversee the implementation of the GRC-LG partner development financial management capacity strengthening implementation plan and recommendations.
- Ensure Procurement Compliance and Oversight by Coordinating with the Admin department to verify adherence to procurement thresholds, competitive bidding procedures, donor guidelines, and financial policies during vendor selection and contract award processes.
- Collaborate with Admin to reconcile procurement expenditures with financial records and budgets, ensure accurate payment coding, and support timely, compliant processing of procurement-related payments.
- Facilitate joint reviews, contribute to policy updates, and build the capacity of Admin and program staff on procurement-finance compliance, risk identification, and audit readiness.
Essential Requirements:
Applicant must be a Sierra Leonean National and have/be:
- At least a degree in financial management, accounting commerce or business administration, finance or related field (proof of qualification required).
- Demonstrated experience leading financial oversight for large-scale, multi-stream program portfolios (experience in environmental conservation, or REDD+ programs is an advantage)
- Extensive (10 years) financial management experience in financial management and administration in a complex organization, in a project / programme capacity, preferably with a focus on budgeting / forecasting and management or project reporting.
- Experience of working with non-governmental organizations in developing countries to build financial management capacity including management of multi donor grants and good knowledge of donor compliance rules and requirements
- Experience of leading the implementation of new financial systems, improving financial processes and controls, and providing training as part of the implementation.
- A strong understanding of computerized accounting and Microsoft packages such as QuickBooks, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Fluency in written and spoken English.
Desirable Attributes:
- Fluency in Mende
- Strong analytical, leadership and influencing skills.
- Strong interpersonal and demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations, team-building skills with a proven ability to build effective relationships
- Extensive experience in general administration work.
- Strong communication skills with ability to present things in a simple and straight -forward way.
- Culturally and ethnically sensitive.
- Demonstrate strong analytical and conceptual competence, coordination, and organizational skills, even in the face of high workload.
- Confidence and knowledge to make decisions without referring upwards.
- Demonstrate a keen interest and awareness of conservation, and its related challenges.
GRC-LG is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from women.
How to Apply:
Please provide a covering letter, Curriculum Vitae, photocopies / scans of your certificates and any other relevant document.
The deadline for this application is on 30 September, 2025.
All Applications must be directed to, the HR Superintendent, Gola Rainforest Conservation LG, 164 Dama Road, Kenema or by e-mail to: macarthysylvia8@gmail.com and fomba.kanneh@golarainforest.org
Candidates will be shortlisted according to their ability to meet the requirements of the position and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.
