Career Opportunities: Country Finance Manager (42703)
Requisition ID 42703 – Posted 07/02/2022 – Country (1) – Finance
The Organisation
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.
We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
ROLE PROFILE
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Title
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Country Finance Manager (CFM)
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Functional Area (Job Family/ Role Type)
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Finance
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Discipline/Field
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Finance
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Specialism
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Finance and/or Accounting- ACCA or CPA
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Reports to
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Head of Operations
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Location
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Kigali, Rwanda
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Travel Required
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Extensive
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Effective Date
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April 2022
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Grade
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E
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ROLE PURPOSE
Plan International is a rights-based development and humanitarian organisation working for better lives for all children. We are independent of government and have no political or religious affiliation. Our purpose is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years and are now active in more than 70 countries
Plan International Rwanda Strategy Statement
Our global strategy has a specific focus on girls, as they are often the most marginalized and most often left behind. We have committed ourselves to the ambitious target of reaching 100 million girls over five (5) years to ensure they can learn, lead, decide and thrive. This is our contribution to achieving the sustainable development goals and, in particular, the goals of gender equality.
Our organization is transforming itself to meet this enormous challenge everywhere we work. We need a bold, forward-thinking and innovative Country Finance Manager ( CFM) to lead the effective delivery, support, oversight, and development of the Finance Department. The CFM is responsible for leading, managing and developing a team of functional experts in Finance to support the delivery of quality and integrated programming in line with the organizational standards, frameworks, and procedures.
Supporting the HoO, the CFM has a vital responsibility to undertake internal and external representation on all operations with critical stakeholders, including RH, GH, and the NOs. The CFM will be a member of the Country Leadership Team (CLT) and provide high-level strategic leadership to the CO, working collaboratively with other CLT members.
The Country Finance Manager will provide overall leadership and strategic oversight of the accounting and financial management services function in Plan International Rwanda in compliance with Plan’s global policies, accepted accounting practices, and develop and maintain an appropriate financial reporting system. The position will also participate and take responsibility in the management of country business risks.
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.
management scope, reporting lines, key relationships
- The CFM is a member of the Country Leadership Team (CLT) and is expected to contribute to Plan International Rwanda’s strategic direction in the country.
- The CFM manages the Finance Department.
- Upon delegation of the Country Director, the CFM may approve financial obligations, disbursements, and transfers to third parties up to a specified amount.
Direct Reports – Senior Grants Accountant and Senior Accountant
Key Relationships
Internal
- Country Leadership/Management Team members
- Country Director, Head of Operations,
- Business Development Unit,
- HR Department and
- CO Admin & Logistics Team
- CO Finance Team: Analysis of monthly financial reports
- Global, Regional, and Sub-Regional HoO networks as relevant.
- Global and Regional functional leads in Finance.
- Plan Inc. National Organisations and Liaison Offices
External
- National and Local authorities, especially relevant ministers in the country, e.g. Gender & Family Promotion, Finance, and Economic Planning, Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), RSSB.
- Civil Society/Partner organisations- Preparing budget, identifying capacity building needs on financial capacity and donor compliances; facilitating training
- Other INGO operations Finance Director/ CFM and functional managers forums in-country;
- Loca Donor Offices.
- Donors National Office: Budgeting, compliances requirements and negotiations where applicable, reporting
- Auditors
- Bankers
- Vendors
Accountabilities and MAIN WORK ACTIVITIES
Strategic Oversight and Compliance – (20%)
- Provide strategic leadership, organization, and coordination of country finance team in ensuring provision of required financial services in line with required standards of the Plan global strategy.
- Responsible for ensuring adherence to finance policies and procedures that are consistent with Plan global policies and compliant with local statutory and legislative requirements.
- Advances the departmental interests to ensure adequate resourcing and professionalization of the workforce as well as allocating resources for the completion of staff outputs and their timely delivery.
- Oversee and support the maintenance of the financial systems (SAP/Business Planning and consolidation/ ERP).
Business planning and management – (15%)
- Communicate instructions and milestones for business planning, including long-term planning, budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and cash flow forecasting
- Facilitate and coordinate business planning processes in the country.
- Co-ordinate the budgeting processes in the country, manage the consolidation and support the Country Director to communicate the budgets to the Regional and Global Hubs.
- Consolidate and review planning inputs
- Support the Country Director (CD) to communicate business plans to the Regional Hub
- Support the CD to disseminate approved annual business plans.
- Provides technical support during proposal writing process (budgeting).
- Manage the Country office Operations budget for effective and efficient use of allocated funds.
Grants financial reporting and overall Grants Accounting (10%)
- Establishing complete grants budgets which include cost recovery of staff costs and support services
- Accurate maintenance of grants expenditure records including supporting documentation which is approved by the appropriate authority
- Review of financial reporting prepared for submission to donors to ensure it is accurate and on time
- Maintaining close monitoring of advances to partners, expenditure reporting by partners, and complete supporting documentation
Financial Accounting and Treasury management-(20%)
- Review all transactions processed in SAP and ensure accuracy and compliance with Plan procedures and donor requirements.
- Oversee the short term and long term cash forecasts in the country and communicating the same to the Country Leadership Team.
- Authorize financial commitments and payments that are in compliance with Plan policies and procedures.
- Ensure compliance with local regulatory and tax legislation
- Oversee the management of payroll and review and approval of staff separation benefits and ensure that Statutory Deductions are in line with laws and regulations.
- Monitor community/partners advances and balance sheet items.
- Liaise with the bank in updating accounts signatories, negotiate exchange rates and resolve any issues concerning bank accounts.
Financial reporting and analysis-(10%)
- Provide leadership during preparation and submission of country financial reports
- Monitor the overall country budgets implementation and communicate variances to the Country Leadership Team.
- Oversee the implementation of the operations budgets in the country.
- Provide leadership and coordinate the quarterly and year-end processes and the preparation of schedules.
- Provide timely and reliable financial information for decision making and reporting.
Risk Management – (10%)
- Provide advice to management to ensure compliance to legal requirements in-country and liaise with legal counsel as required.
- Manage the financial risks in the country by ensuring appropriate financial internal controls processes, procedures, and systems are in place, adhered to, and are in compliance with global policies.
- Support audits by ensuring required documentation and information is provided in a timely manner to auditors and follow-up on the implementation of audit recommendations
Staff Management and Representation– (10%)
- Manage the performance of the Senior Accountant and Senior Grants Accountants.
- Development, coaching, and training of direct reports for high performance.
- Provide support in recruitment process of finance staff.
- Capacity building and training staff on financial management, Plan policies, and donor requirements.
- Leading regular meetings of finance team members.
- Ensuring performance management of all finance staff occurs in line with the global standard
Other Responsibilities-(5%)
- Participate and represent the department in internal and external meetings
- Perform other duties to be assigned to support the attainment of organizational goals.
- Provide leadership during preparation of Plan International audited financial statements and ensure timely filing of the audited accounts with the relevant statutory bodies.
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
Dealing with Problems
- The role manages in a matrix management relationship and is he/she managed in this way. This places a requirement for the development of excellent working relationships and communication that is greater than in more regular management relationships
- The role requires the ability to analyse data, qualitative indicators, and reported issues to determine key risks, adverse trends, and the appropriate corrective measures
- An ability to arbitrate between parties and to find solutions to difficult financial issues in an evolving development/emergency context is necessary
- Sudden emergency situations are not unusual in Rwanda the post holder must be ready to support the financial management of response programs
- The post holder approves financial transactions and contracts up to USD 50,000 or as varied by the prevailing financial authorization matrix
Others
- Liaison With Stakeholders: liaise and communicate with government bodies, donors, other Plan offices, local and international agencies, and other key stakeholders as required and directed by the Country Director.
- A key member of the CO emergency preparedness mechanism and ensures effective activation of Logistics in Emergencies and Procurement in Emergencies as required.
Child Protection and Gender Equality & Inclusion
- Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded under the policy’s principles and requirements, including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility.
- Includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed following the appropriate procedures.
Leadership COMPETENCIES
- Maximises our progress by aligning work priorities and resource deployment in our own area with Plan International’s wider goals and longer-term direction.
- Leads through influence rather than position, and role model our values, accelerating gender equality inside and outside Plan International and addressing resistance. Self-aware and keen to learn, seeking feedback, and creating a safe environment for others to challenge self or raise concerns.
- Achieves desired outcomes and finds innovative solutions by using the expertise and creativity of others and adopting a coaching approach with the people they manage or advise.
- Willing and able to take complex decisions, weighing up the available information, and assessing opportunities and risks.
- Delegates tasks and decisions, trusting and stretching others but ensuring they have the resources and support they need.
- Creates space for reflection and uses external evidence and internal evaluation to identify what and how we need to improve and then to support others through change.
- Builds positive relationships outside their own work area, being willing to compromise own preferences to achieve our broader purpose and longer-term impact.
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES and skills
Technical expertise, skills, and knowledge
Education and Professional Qualifications:
- Degree in Finance/Accounting related courses
- CPA, ACCA, CFA, or other professional qualification in accounting
Essential
- Minimum (7) years of progressive experience in finance with at least 3 years in leadership.
- Proven experience in the implementation and use of any major ERP system.
- Proven experience in Financial Analysis.
- Ability to demonstrate and foster in team members a strong commitment to meeting the needs of other employees and managers for financial services
- Knowledge of the sector and the financial management issues specific to it an advantage
- Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards, Control standards, and the reporting requirements of major international grant donors
- Excellent proven financial analytical skills
- Proven effective management skills leading teams across several sites and operating in a multi-cultural and matrix management structure
- Strong negotiations, influencing, and networking skills.
- Presentation and problem-solving skills in a complex work environment.
- Attention to detail and analytical skills.
- Excellent planning, management, and coordination skills, with the ability to organize a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities.
- Strong communication in English (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills.
Desirable
- Kwo ERP System
- Advanced level of Excel
- Experience in Grants management and knowledge of major donors’ (USAID, DFID, EU, etc.) compliance requirements
Plan International’s Values in Practice
We are open and accountable
We create a climate of trust inside and outside the organisation by being open, honest and transparent. We hold ourselves and others accountable for our decisions and our impact on others while doing what we say we will do.
We strive for lasting impact
We strive to achieve a significant and lasting impact on the lives of children and young people and to secure equality for girls. We challenge ourselves to be bold, courageous, responsive, focused, and innovative.
We work well together
We succeed by working effectively with others, inside and outside the organisation, including our sponsors and donors. We actively support our colleagues, helping them to achieve their goals. We come together to create and implement solutions in our teams, across Plan International, with children, girls, young people, communities, and our partners.
We are inclusive and empowering
We respect all people, appreciate differences, and challenge inequality in our programmes and our workplace. We support children, girls, and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives. We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.
Physical Environment
[In this section, state “typical office environment”, or conditions such as “must work outside in an extremely hot and humid climate”. Also note if any protective equipment is required.]
Typical Office Environment
Level of contact with children
Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children
Location: Country Office
Reports to: Head Of Oparation
Grade: E
Closing Date: 17/02/2020
Equality, diversity, and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage, and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.
We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights, and inclusion.
Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
How to apply
The candidates should send applications by the link
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