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Job Purpose: To lead and to develop NGO forum and Oxfam's campaigning and advocacy work in South Sudan, working with colleagues across NGO forum membership, Oxfam globally and affiliates using research, policy development, media, popular mobilisation, and alliance building to achieve sustainable changes in the country.
Position: Head of Finance
Location: Juba
Grade & Level: C Zone 1 Global
Contract Type: Fixed Term
Number of post:
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES
Planning & learning
- Work closely with the Deputy Director Business Support and Managers to review and complete the annual country budget planning and implementation plan for the South Sudan Programme.
- Work closely with the Deputy Director Business Support and with the funding team to ensure that the global budget is in place and is mapped to the donor budgets.
- Work with the Deputy Director Business Support and managers / coordinators to identify finance needs, financial management issues and develop strategies to meet them.
- Compile the projects financial information and budgets in a comprehensive country finance budget/plan for SDX management team.
- Prepare country – level finance summary and analysis reports for management use in decision making.
- Undertake short periods of research or project work to document experience and build up institutional learning on financial aspects of Oxfam's work.
- Assist and facilitate in any new programme set-up by providing support to the relevant field base.
Budget Management and Donor compliance
- Provide support to country level and field programmes in the budgeting process.
- Working with the Deputy Director Business Support and the respective managers, support the formulation of Global budgets for each programme area and proactively manage the funding gap. Maintain and proactively manage the annual unrestricted funding gap
- Ensure that donor requirements, policies and procedures are met across the programme.
- Compile budget monitoring reports monthly for presentation to SMT;
- Ensure field finance officers give accurate monthly budget monitoring information to Programme Managers
- Close monitoring of the donor reporting schedule and the South Sudan business cycle to ensure timely and accurate financial donor reports are prepared and are linked to the narrative reports.
- Maintain the country funding report, ensuring no unfunded spend; ensure contract balances are reconciled periodically as per Oxfam guidelines and by Year End.
- Ensure the programme has no unauthorized suspense account balances, unauthorized expenditure and control expenditure in line with donor requirement
- In close collaboration with the programme, logistics and other departments, assist in the monitoring of programme expenditure, the transparency of systems and procedures in place and the compliance with order processing requirements of donor contracts.
- Support programme managers in their budget responsibility. Liaise with them on variance explanations and solutions of covering gaps
Compliance & Risk Management
- Maintain a risk register for the country programme, proactively review existing risks, identify new/potential risks and mitigate against these. Bring significant risks, real & potential to the attention of CD and DCDs and ensure timely action
- Advise Oxfam of any changes/development in government policies, statutory requirements regarding the finance function and registration of the programme that can affect the implementation of Oxfam’s programmes in the in South Sudan.
- Support the Deputy Director Business Support to ensure that the programme adhered to all relevant statutory / legal requirements in South Sudan.
- Ensure that the overall programme meets system requirements for the programme in people soft – GL, OPAL and CRIMSON. Provide support in systems compliance to finance teams in remote locations as necessary.
- Take responsibility for the achievement of minimum finance standards in the programme. This will include ensuring appropriate practice in cash, bank management and asset management, partner management, financial accounting, internal controls/checks, authorization limits
- Internal /external audit – take a lead in preparing for audits. Support programme staff in preparing for external and internal audits, identifying external auditors, and in the audit process itself. To ensure that audit recommendations are implemented and maintained.
- Flag any foreseeable exposures related to the Programme in terms of budgets shortfall to the Country SMT and ensure it is communicated to the RFSM.
Capacity building
- To continuously assess and recommend training and skills upgrades for all finance staff in all locations. This will also be achieved through mentoring and supervision and also through other appropriate learning forums and methods designated by the finance manager. This will include the process/ training of Sudanese finance assistants taking up greater responsibilities in the finance function.
Management, leadership and representation
- Representation of Oxfam to external actors, as tasked by the Deputy Director Business Support
- Manage the country finance team according to Oxfam standards.
- Supervise all filing and document management within the finance department and ensure it is done in a systematic, coherent, and transparent way to meet Oxfam’s needs and obligations and donor requirements.
- Provide sufficient and adequate financial management information and effectively manage the SDX and HECA business cycle regarding financial issues (timely submission of annual budgets, monthly financial returns and reports).
- Input/support the recruitment of finance staff as well as recruit, instruct and supervise those under direct management.
- Visit the teams and programmes areas regularly to monitor the systems, procedures and assess performance of finance personnel (and make recommendations and plan of action).
- Complete performance management of all finance personnel based on Oxfam HR systems and, give advice to the Programme Managers concerning the job performance of finance staff.
- Generate all financial reporting for donors and Oxfam GB internal requirements, including Quarterly Management Reports
- Oversee the Year End process within set Oxfam guidelines and timelines
- Work closely with logistics manager on logistics issues, procurement and relations with suppliers.
- Oversee the payment of staff benefits and salaries and ensure these are done as per Oxfam policies and systems as well as per the host country laws.
- Ensure that the Bank mandates and authorization matrices are continuously updated and observed.
- Ensure new staff receive appropriate inductions on finance issues, procedures and compliance.
- Establish and maintain good contacts with suppliers, banks, government offices, UN agencies and other NGOs with regards to financial matters.
- Establish and maintain good contacts with the Regional Centre finance team, and the funding unit.
- Ensure the implementation of actions in support of Oxfam values and policy, including gender and diversity mainstreaming**.**
- Any other duties in the nature and scope of the position.
Required Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge
TECHNICAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE
Essential
- Relevant University Degree or equivalent accountancy professional Qualifications ACCA, or CPA (K)
- 10 years’ senior finance management experience and donor contract management (financial management and accounting, setting up internal control systems / carrying out audits/reviews, and well exposed to the relevant statutory /legal issues that affect Oxfam as a programme and the region as a whole). Proven experience in finance management and/or coordination in an international organisation.
- Well-developed interpersonal and team skills and proven ability to be flexible in demanding situations.
- 5 years with good training and coaching skills and a willingness to support development of others.
- Previous experience with non-governmental organizations.
- Proven computer literacy and analytical skills with advance knowledge of Microsoft applications
- Good negotiation and diplomacy skills
- Good written and spoken English is essential.
- Commitment to the aims and objectives of Oxfam.
- Commitment to humanitarian principles and action.
- Commitment to Oxfam’s equal opportunity and gender policies. Demonstratedexperience of integrating gender and diversity issues into finance
Desirable
- Basic knowledge of Arabic language
Previous working experience in a hard-to-work location
