Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 19 Jul 2017
About the role:
This is a 18 month, replacement role with unaccompanied terms based in Kinshasa with a salary of Grade 3 (€34,106 to €37,895 and benefits).
You will report to the DRC WASH Consortium Director, and work closely with the DRC WASH Consortium Communication, Learning and Advocacy Coordinator, M&E Manager, and with Concern DRC Country Financial Controller (CFC).
We would like you to start in August 2017 as the current post holder leaves on 30th August 2017.
Your purpose:
The DRC WASH Consortium comprises the following agencies: Concern Worldwide as the lead agency, Action Contre la Faim (ACF); Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED); Catholic Relief Services (CRS); and Solidarités International. The Consortium is funded by UKaid (DFID). The total grant amounts to £30m. Concern Worldwide leads the Consortium through a Kinshasa-based Consortium Coordination Unit (CCU) made up of the Consortium Director, a Compliance Manager, a Communication, Learning and Advocacy Coordinator, and an M&E Manager.
The purpose of the role of the Compliance Manager is to oversee the consistent application of relevant financial and operational policies and procedures to support effective programme implementation across the DRC WASH Consortium, which includes:
Compliance management: Lead the management of the Consortium’s financial and operational systems to ensure compliance with donor procedures and sub-grant compliance between members and the lead agency.
Financial management: Lead on budgeting, financial reporting and forecasting for the Consortium, to ensure management of financial risks and delivering Value for Money in programme implementation.
Main duties & Responsibilities:
DRC WASH Consortium Financial Systems (approx. 25% of the time)
• Responsible for the management and coordination, as lead agency, of all financial aspects of the DRC WASH Consortium, ensuring donor requirements and Concern’s policies & procedures are adhered to at all times.
• Undertake regular support field visits to Consortium members and local partner field offices to assess the financial systems in place, verify that financial management and operational systems of Consortium members are being implemented appropriately, and make recommendations for improvements where appropriate.
• Ensure implementation of a tracking system to facilitate the regular review of Consortium partners’ budget verses actual spend. Anticipate any potential problematic variances and recommend preventative/corrective action.
• Maintain a comprehensive filing system for all financial and accounting records related to activities of the CCU for internal/external/donor audit purposes.
• Act as lead in the finance and systems working group, working to standardise compliance and financial procedures, support budget follow-up and Value for Money, and address any relevant issues.
Financial Control and risk management (20%)
• Monitor the financial and systems risks identified in the Consortium risk register and review appropriate controls to mitigate the risks, on an ongoing basis.
• Ensure that donor regulations are adhered to within the CCU and by all Consortium partners at all times.
• Liaise regularly with the Financial Compliance Manger at Concern HQ to stay up to date on any relevant donor changes and to contribute to organisational learning.
• In conjunction with Concern DRC’s CFC, ensure all financial records & reports for the DRC WASH Consortium are compiled on a timely basis and are in line with international accounting standards & donor regulations.
• Maintain reporting calendars and up to date tracking sheets for the effective planning and oversight of grant and sub-grant deliverables and deadlines.
• Work with Consortium members to ensure that relevant procurement rules are followed with periodical reviews of procurement plans, and check this during field visits.
• Participate in tender/purchasing committees with partner agencies where relevant and appropriate.
• Manage and facilitate all applicable audit functions including; external and donor audits, annual expenditure verification exercises and facilitate audits with Consortium partners.
• Document lessons learnt and share with Consortium partners during the course of implementation.
• Carry out field visits to assess donor compliance, typically with a focus on: finance and procurement; stock and asset management; and staff contracts.
• Produce compliance visit reports and recommendations, including indications on proper filing and archiving of documentation.
Financial Reporting, Budgeting and Forecasting (20%)
• Review and consolidate financial reports, forecasts and fund requests from all Consortium partners for timely submission to the donor according to grant calendars.
• In case of proposal development or revisions, review and consolidate budgets of Consortium member agencies and the CCU as part of budget development.
• Record and reconcile all payment requests and cash receipts from the donor, keeping track of disbursements made to Consortium partners and local partners.
• Monitor the budget utilisation of the CCU and Consortium partners and take/recommend appropriate action on any significant variances.
• Provide financial analysis especially on maximising available funds and value for money in terms of economy and efficiency.
• Maintain a fixed assets register of all assets acquired with Consortium funding and ensure timely reporting, proper tracking and disposal procedure as per the grant agreement.
• For Consortium members, ensure all financial reports are thoroughly checked and supported with a full transaction listing.
Staff Capacity Development (5%)
• If necessary, provide financial training for budget-holders where required to address any compliance weaknesses, by developing and maintaining appropriate Consortium-specific tools.
• Discuss the training and capacity building requirements for finance and non-finance managers of Consortium members, to capitalise on any cross-Consortium training/learning opportunities where necessary.
Financial and Systems Management for the Consortium Coordination Unit (CCU) (10%)
• Manage CCU financial reporting and forecasting and budget development and review, in collaboration with other CCU staff.
• Lead CCU budget follow-up, including verification of monthly management accounts from the CFC and update of forecasts and expenditure commitments in collaboration with other CCU staff.
• Ensure that CCU financial operations comply with Concern legal & statutory requirements.
• Ensure that CCU procurement is in line with relevant Concern procurement rules, with periodical reviews of procurement plans and participating in tender/purchasing committees as required.
Donor compliance support to other projects managed by Concern Worldwide in DRC (15%)
• Carry out field visits to assess donor compliance, typically with a focus on: finance and procurement; stock and asset management; and staff contracts.
• Produce compliance visit reports and recommendations, including indications on proper filing and archiving of documentation.
• Provide timely technical compliance guidance/support as the need arises.
Other duties (5%)
• Maintain a comprehensive set of grant files, reporting calendars, and record of all relevant internal documentation for the Consortium unit.
• Any other duties as requested by the WASH Consortium Director, including but not limited to support to the CFC.
Your skills and experience will include:
Essential:
• Professional accounting qualifications. E.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA or the equivalent.
• At least three years post-qualification experience in a finance/accounting role, including budgeting, reporting and grant management of multiple donors (DFID, ECHO, USAID, etc.).
• Working knowledge of spoken and written French and English (most communication within the Consortium is in French);
• Strong analytical, interpersonal, communication and organisation skills.
• Strong coordination/negotiation skills specifically with the ability to effectively communicate among Consortium partners.
• Computer literacy, particularly in Microsoft Office programmes e.g. Word and Excel and accounting packages & other database competencies
• Experience in coordinating and reporting on multiple funding sources.
Desirable:
• Experience in overseas positions with international NGO.
• Previous experience of working in or managing a finance function in a consortium.
• Proven experience of conducting training for finance and non-finance managers.
• Experience in Audit and/or financial assessment and due diligence.
All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date. CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.
Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.
How to apply:
All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date. CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.
Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.