Finance Director

With over 70 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 34,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Employee Contract Type:

International Assignment - Fixed Term (Fixed Term)Job Description:

The WV CAR Finance Director (FD) provides overall leadership, oversight, and management support for all aspects of financial management in the National Office. This position is seen as a strategic partner; member of the Senior Management/Leadership Team of the Response Office (RO), with a focus on ensuring accountability, stewardship, coordinating planning and budgeting processes, providing accurate financial data, analysis, and advice; as well as developing financial strategy that best serves the RO strategic and programme objectives. Responsible for the finance staff capacity strengthening, the development and implementation of good internal controls, risk management, and utilization and safeguarding of assets according to WV approved policies and procedures.

The WV CAR FD also provides overall leadership to the ICT team and ensures that the office has reliable, sufficient connectivity and the organization’s information systems and resources are adequately protected.

The position reports to the Response Director (RD) of the office.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

25%

Leadership, Capacity Development, and Strategic Partnering

• Provide strong and positive leadership to the finance department ensuring competent and motivated staff are hired and retained, providing efficient delivery of services.
• Coordinate professional and personal development of finance staff through adequate orientation, on-the-job coaching, identification of learning, training needs and opportunities (e.g. in accounting, SunSystem, grant management, risk management, leadership, etc.), and succession planning.
• Model Christ-centered servant leadership and support spiritual development of his/her team.
• Actively participate in the RO Senior Management/ Leadership team meetings. Attend and actively participate in strategic regional meetings. Facilitate RD, Operations, and other non-finance staff in understanding and interpretation of financial statements.
• Ensure partnership finance policies and procedures are understood by Senior Management, Operations/Technical staff, Communities and Local Partners as appropriate.
• Develop strong networks internally (other National Offices (NOs), other Response offices (ROs), Support Offices (SOs) and partnership entities) and externally (other NGOs, banking entities, communities, etc.) through effective communication, relationships and twin citizenship.
• Promote shared resource networks within the region, and the partnership. Adhere to WVI key policy documents – mission, core values, and covenant of partnership.
• Finance team is robust and resilient, working together well, resulting in financial management that adds value to the ministry and wellbeing of children
• Effective performance management per WVI guidelines and standards
• Improved retention rate of top performers and key contributors
• Low turnover rate for key finance staff
• Documentation and sharing of best practices among finance staff, within and across regions
• Relevant reports/analysis for decision making produced and discussed with leadership
• Non-finance staff understand their role and responsibilities in financial management, as appropriate
• Strategic financial leadership provided
• Finance team viewed as valued business partners, both internally and externally
• Good image of the office in country and in the partnership

10%

Stewardship

• Ensure adequate cost efficiency and effectiveness measures are in place and are being followed through.
• Providing cost analysis, promoting benchmarks and making recommendations for determining effective resource utilization at all levels.
• Contributing to the development of appropriate policies and procedures for procurement of goods and services, in collaboration with the Supply Chain team.
• RO expenditures are within approved RO budget limits and benchmarks
• Project grants spending is within total approved donor budget, budget line flexibility rule and no underspending below 5% and NIL overspending
• Program/Project expenditures are within acceptable efficiency ratio for Programming vs. Program Management costs

20%

Financial Planning and Budgeting

• In collaboration with other RO Directors, advise the RD on strategic resource acquisition and allocation in line with Partnership Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC) recommendations approved by the Regional Leader.
• Coordinate the planning and budgeting process and provide technical support, to ensure global and regional guidelines are met, as well as to chart and execute a strategy in the midst of changing constraints and circumstances.
• Review alignment of budgets between National Office, projects, grants, Budget System (MyPBAS), and Support Offices and ensure effective and efficient cost recovery practices are followed.
• Control of RO budget, cash flow and project funding, by providing timely and relevant information to budget managers, in collaboration with the Operations Director.
• Contribute to the development of WV RO strategic direction and priorities.
• Efficient and effective financial planning and budgeting processes, in line with WVI & donor requirements
• Value added analysis provided for the Strategic Investment discussion at PRAC.
• Inter-departmental collaboration from the planning and budgeting phase, resulting in improved organizational efficiency and program/projects’ burn rate levels
• Level of cash within approved target low
• Funding accounts reconciled monthly
• RO budget completed within standards & deadline

20%

Fiscal Accounting, Compliance, Monitoring, and Reporting

• Design and manage systems, policies and procedures that provide appropriate levels of security and control of WV assets, resources and operations. Coordinate the submission of timely, accurate and complete relevant reporting to the Partnership and to internal users.
• Define and implement efficient and effective internal control systems.
• Adhere to partnership policies, procedures and guidelines as stipulated in the WVI Financial Manual and other documents, including – but not limited to grant compliance, planning & budgeting, year-end closing, carry forward, accounting and reporting.
• Coordinate the timely and accurate submission of financial reports in Notes FFR (Field Financial Reporting) database.
• Review the reconciliation of MyPBAS to FFR monthly with action plan for addressing outstanding items.
• Provide regular analysis of Grant financial reports and timely feedback to Grant managers for decision making. Ensure RO Finance staff visit Programs/Projects to monitor accountability issues, follow up on implementation of audit findings and provide support as needed.
• Strong accountability and compliance in accounting and reporting
• Timely, complete and accurate financial reports (RO and Projects) analyzed and submitted to budget owners and internal stakeholders for better decision making
• Assets are appropriately managed as per WV and donor rules and regulations in collaboration with other relevant units.
• MyPBAS reconciled monthly and any issue followed up with relevant Support Office
• Compliance with grant regulations and Grant Approval Protocol
• Carryforward process completed within Partnership deadlines
• Finance staff visiting projects and communities, adding value at the grass-root level

15%

Financial Risk Management and Controls

• Manage appropriate financial systems and controls and ensure they are in place to avoid significant finance audit risk ratings, both at the RO and project levels. Coordinate management responses to finance audits performed to the RO and projects; ensure they are sent on time to the Audit Department; and that finance related audit recommendations are implemented timely at all levels.
• Coordinate adequate preparation for Global Centre (GC) and external/donor-initiated audits.
• Manage Financial Risk and integrity.
• Implement anti-corruption and fraud strategies to reduce risks associated with fraud.
• Follow-up on relevant Ethics Point cases to ensure action is taken, followed-up on and any key effectively recommendations addressed.
• Minimized risk exposure within WV and external partners’ operations
• Anti-corruption strategy rolled out and understood by all staff
• Awareness and understanding of key financial policies and procedures by all relevant staff
• Minimum acceptable audit risk ratings and timely implementation on internal and external audit recommendations

10%

Talent Management and Capacity Building

• Contribute to capacity assessment, development and implementation, as part of the overall Talent Management plan, to ensure an integrated WV CAR capacity building plan informed on finance priorities and strategy.
• Identify the development needs of the finance staff including Grant financial management capacity building and enroll staff in relevant training programs and grow diverse leadership. With the People & Culture Director, co-lead recruitment and any exit of RO Finance Staff in the office.
• Advise and support in induction of new functional directors, grants managers or project team leads.
• Coach, advise and mentor Finance staff in identifying their strength, gaps and addressing them.
• Improved retention rate of top performers and key contributors
• Low turnover rate for key finance staff
• Increased local capacities
• Effective performance management

Minimum education, training and experience requirements to qualify for the position:

• Master’s degree in accounting, Finance, or Business Administration, or a related field
• Solid knowledge of accounting principles, financial systems, budget/cash flow monitoring and internal accounting controls
• Highly flexible and agile in style with the ability to produce creative and pragmatic solutions to complex problems
• Demonstrates systems thinking
• Champions and manages Innovation
• Must be able to lead and manage a team
• Good working knowledge of computerized accounting systems, preferably Sun Systems & ProVision, etc.
• Must be computer literate in Microsoft Office programs.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in finance position with medium business/medium NGO/government agency
• Minimum 5 years of experience in finance management position
• Experience with planning and forecasting
• HEAT training is mandatory
• Able to work in a cross-cultural environment with a multi-national staff
• Ability to travel within country, regional and internationally

License, registration, or certification required to perform this position:

• Proficiency in written and spoken English and French
• Good oral / written and interpersonal skills

Applicant Types Accepted:

Local and International Applicants (IA's) Accepted