Finance & Awards Manager

Finance & Economy

Overview

Ensure financial policies, control, and systems are implemented properly in Laos.

You have:

• Educational qualification, e.g. M. COM, B. COM, MBA, BBA, CPA, CIMA, ACCA.
• At least 5-7 years’ experience in financial management, preferably in international organizations, INGOs and/or bilateral organizations.
• Solid understanding of Laos government system and international development area.
• Excellent analytical skills – the ability to analyse complex financial data and design and produce effective management information.
• Excellent understanding of financial systems and procedures.
• Excellent experience of computerized accounts packages, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Fluent English speaking and writing skills.
• Willingness to travel, at times in difficult conditions.
• Proven commitment to children's rights and equality of opportunity.

The role

We are currently looking for Finance & Awards Manager based in Vientiane Capital.

Role Purpose

In collaboration with and under the supervision of the Finance Director and Chief of Party – Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System, to ensure that the financial policies and procedures, control, and system are followed/implemented properly in accordance with Save the Children, GCF regulations, and government laws. Support management to assure that effective financial control and mechanisms are in place and work well to safeguard the financial assets as well as the reputation/ profile of SC in Laos. In consultation with COP and the Manager-AWARDS to ensure all sub-grants are well managed, as well as the donor compliance is well followed and conduct financial reviews, coordinate audits as needed as well as build capacity for SCI staff and partners on all matters related to financial management particularly in control and compliance.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Ensure they fully understand the provisions of the Child Safeguarding Policy, the Code of Conduct and Local/Country Procedures.
• Conduct themselves in accordance with the rules of the Child Safeguarding Policy, in their personal and professional lives – which includes reporting suspicions of child abuse.

Key responsibilities:

Financial Accounting

• Ensure the verification of all project advance/Payment expenses as per the Scheme of Delegation (SoD) being processed on time and in line with SCI and GCF financial requirements.
• Ensure the partner and consultant payment requests are processed on time.
• Strictly follow the SCI financial calendar, ensuring that all needed expenses in the period are posted to the Financial Management System (FMS) before soft close, leaving the time between soft and hard close only for reviewing, checking, and making necessary reallocations.
• Notify Awards’ ending date (including the match funding SOF’s) to relevant staff members beforehand to ensure payment/expenses of those awards are submitted to the finance team in due time.
• Ensure expenses of awards closed in the period are posted in due time.
• Ensure the cash book is updated and bank reconciliations are performed in due time before the month-end date, and petty cash is counted and reconciled.
• Ensure advances, receivables, and payables for GCF are clear in due time in line with SCI procedures.
• Follow up with the finance visit planning to make the planning feasible and efficient.
• Ensure periodical finance visits to partners are conducted in due time and ensure compliance is well followed by partners.
• Verify partners’ financial reports and partners’ advances as per Scheme of Delegation.
• Maintain a comprehensive filing system of finance records for easy access when necessary.
• Map all the donor compliances to mitigate disallowance risks.

Budgeting, Reporting, and BvA Preparation

• Ensure the budget is loaded to the Agresso in due time for all SoFs.
• Ensure GCF Award is mapped with CAM DEA in the Agresso.
• Ensure SOF loader budgets are phased in due time for the purpose of monitoring budget against actual and for forecast and Country Annual Plan (CAP);
• Ensure inputs are provided in due time to the Master Budget (1st forecast, 2nd forecast, CAP);
• Ensure BvA is sent to BHs, and the donor financial report is sent Award team on a timely basis with a due alert on the likely under/overspending.
• Lead the BvA review meeting and keep minutes as appropriate.
• Prepare donor budget in coordination with AWARDS and share timely.
• Ensure partner budgets and expenditures are in line with PAA, and reports are submitted on time.
• Ensure that the government co-financing report is tracked and submitted on time.
• Review and ensure with all budget holders, all expenses account-based on SOF and Activity code are reconciled and well-mapped regularly.

Financial Portfolio Analysis

• Support Finance Director and COP in maintaining and updating the database for financial portfolio management.
• Support COP in analysing the financial portfolio to be able to provide relevant financial information for higher-level decision-making.
• Area of focus includes, but not limited to:
  • Premises cost, per cost centre, per number of staff.
  • staff cost and numbers of staff, for both national and international, international staff as % of staff number, number of staff by cost centre
  • NTC staff, cost and number of staff, as % of total staff cost too.
  • NTC, XTC cost and NTC, XTC rates.

Cash Forecast/Banking and Cash Management

• Ensure that cash request is prepared and submitted in due time monthly.
• Regular surprise cash count for field offices.
• Review and reconcile the petty cash book for Area offices of GCF based on Finance guideline.

External and Internal Audit and RCD Involvement

• Develop audit ToR and be involved in audit selection process in case of external audit.
• Responsible for coordinate with member, SCI support sector and program to provide clarification and supporting documents as audit require, participate in pre-meeting and exit meetings with Auditors.
• Facilitate the audit conducted at the SCI Office and partner’s office (if required).
• Draft responses to auditors’ findings and submit to Finance Director for review.
• Implement and follow up the implementation of auditors’ recommendations.
• Engage with RCD for maintaining internal compliances and re-align approach to mitigate disallowances.

Award management and subgrant agreement management.

• Ensure award kick off meeting with relevant stakeholders such SCI support function leads, members (SCUS, and others) and subgrant partners is conducted as require.
• Conduct regular follow up meeting between program and member to update project implementation progress.
• Ensure the award risk are identify and mitigate plan during project implementation and update the award risk tool regularly then share with the head of award and SRC to review.
• Support the Awards manager to facilitate the partner visit as required.
• Ensure that a partner capacity-building plan is implemented as required.

Donor and SCI Compliance

• Ensure that key program staff (including partners) have a clear understanding of donor requirements and expectations at, kick off, implementation, amendment, reporting, close out, and audit stage of awards.
• Ensure that reports, M&E, and quality assurance systems are compliant with donor requirements.
• Conduct follow-up activities to ensure adequacy and compliance of corrective actions.
• Ensure that potential issues and amendment requests are flagged promptly to the member. This may include developing business cases where donor waiver/derogation requests need to be more thoroughly articulated.

Capacity Building and Staff Management

• Ensure an annual training plan is designed, reviewed, and delivered for all finance team members and field staff for their direct reports.
• Manage finance team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly.
• Develop and implement training courses in financial skills for non-accounting staff, government officials, and stakeholders.
• Provide finance induction training to new SCI staff, government staff, and stakeholders.
• Visit provincial offices and provide training to the provincial office finance staff, government staff, and stakeholders.
• Coordinate and develop the plan for Finance training to partners, enabling them to follow well SCI and GCF rules and regulations.
• Approve timesheets for supervisees on a monthly basis in a timely.

Reporting

• Support the Finance Director, COP, and DCOP in preparing and reviewing the Monthly Fund Request for GCF
• Ensure donor financial reports (including co-fin and in-kind from GoL, WHO and SCI) are in line with the donor template and with the accuracy of data.
• Ensure the reporting schedule is well monitored according to the report due date, submit to member, and share with AMS champion to record on AMS.
• Ensure partner (including Ministry of Health) is clearly understands of report template, both the narrative and financial report, and submit on time as due date, and share with AMS champion to record on AMS

Other Tasks:

• Assist Finance Director in developing the CO level finance manual, budgeting and reporting, policies, and procedures.
• Assist Finance Director to manage the financial planning and analysis section for CO.
• Other tasks as requested to support effective operation of the Finance Departments.
• Immediately inform the COP if any irregularities are detected in financial operations.
• Coordinate and ensure partner assessment are conducted and before signing the sub-grant with partners.
• Take part in the process of updating partner’s guidelines when needed.
• Working closely with the Manager –Awards of Laos CO and AWARDS lead of SCUS on Award management and donor compliance including regular updates on the award progress and other issues that relate to the award as required.

Child Sensitive Approach

• Ensure they and their team fully understand the provisions of the Child Safeguarding Policy, the Code of Conduct and Local/Country Procedures.
• Conduct themselves and ensure their team conduct themselves in accordance with the rules of the Child Safeguarding Policy, in their personal and professional lives – which includes reporting suspicions of child abuse.
• That child safeguarding is integrated and given a “voice” in all management processes including recruitment, induction, performance management, team meetings, annual planning processes, field level monitoring, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Educational qualification, e.g. M. COM, B. COM, MBA, BBA, CPA, CIMA, ACCA.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• At least 5-7 years’ experience in financial management, preferably in international organizations, INGOs and/or bilateral organization;
• Solid understanding of Laos government system and international development area;
• Excellent understanding of business and financial planning including strategic modelling;
• Excellent analytical skills – the ability to analyse complex financial data and design and produce effective management information;
• Excellent understanding of financial systems and procedures;
• Excellent experience of computerized accounts packages, Excel, PowerPoint and Word;
• Be flexible and adaptable approach;
• Proven knowledge and skills in staff management;
• Good problem solving and negotiation skills;
• Strong interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills;
• Excellent prioritization skill and ability to coordinate a variety of work activities;
• Fluent English speaking and writing skills;
• Proven commitment to children rights and equality of opportunity;
• Strong communication, interpersonal and teamwork skills;
• Ability to manage a complex and diverse workload and to work to tight deadlines;
• Ability to build a small, proactive team, motivating staff and working collaboratively with colleagues and providing support and advice as necessary;
• Willingness and ability to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies;
• A full appreciation of the value of co-operation, both internationally and within a team environment;
• Understanding of Save the Children’s vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values;
• Demonstrated experience of line management, with good facilitation and capacity building skills;
• Willingness to travel, at times in difficult conditions;
• Ability to work independently.
• Knowledge of Laos development issues and NGO networks

Contract length: Fixed term (1 year with the possibility of extension)

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:

Interested candidates please submit a full application using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document including contact details of three professional referees (current and last line managers and HR department). Please also include details of your salary expectations and a copy of your ID card. Please note that we will require a copy of your Criminal Records (ໃບແຈ້ງໂທດ) later.

Save the Children International is a child-rights based organization. Safe recruitment is central to the safeguarding of children and young people that we come into contact with, and support through our programmes.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Save the children is an equal opportunities employer, qualified females, persons with disability and candidates from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 3 hours ago - Updated 3 hours ago - Source: savethechildren.net