Finance Coordinator – Dynamics and Accounting at Danish Refugee Council

Finance Coordinator – Dynamics and Accounting

Employer: Danish Refugee Council

Employment: Full-Time | Contract

Place of Work: Addis Ababa - Ethiopia

Posted date: 5 years ago

Deadline: Submition date is over

Job Description Title: Finance Coordinator – Dynamics and Accounting Location: Addis Ababa Reports to: Finance Manager Employment Band- G Start of Contract & Duration: One year Posting date: January 30, 2020 INTRODUCTION The Danish Refugee Council (DRC), an international non-governmental organization (NGO), has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. DRC promotes and supports solutions to the problems faced by refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs), and migrants. The organization has offices across the region and has been operational in Ethiopia since 2009. With funding from bilateral and multilateral donors, DRC is currently implementing a range of activities across Ethiopia and Djibouti, including WASH and shelter provision, child and youth protection, gender-based violence response, awareness-raising of migration risks, protection monitoring of migration routes, and livelihoods support for returning migrants or those at-risk of migration. OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE: Provide overall advice, coordination, and technical support to the Country Finance team and field Finance teams with regards to DRC Dynamics Accounting related tasks. Ensure compliance with the finance chapters of DRC’s Operations Handbook and DRC Dynamics User Manuals/workflows. This role has a country focus and ensures compliance to DRC procedures and guidelines within the country. The role contributes to the development of country strategies, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to country operations while overseeing country and area related financial accounting activities. Under the supervision of the Finance Manager, the Country Finance Coordinator will ensure that all financial functions in the DRC/DDG Ethiopia and Djibouti Country programme including accounting, payments, and banking, payroll, Statutory & Donor Audit support and Preparation of Financial Statements in IPSAS are adhered effectively and in a timely manner. The Finance Coordinator ensures compliance with donor regulations as well as DRC/DDG’s internal policies and procedures and provides support to the program management teams as required. RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS Support Support the development and implementation of financial management capacity building of staff in DRC Dynamics and provide technical support and advice to the country finance teams. Support the development and implementation of financial management capacity building of staff throughout DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti area offices Provide technical support and advice to the Finance team across field sites Provide on-the-job training in field locations as required to support the overall functioning and capacity building of the DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti finance team At times and at the request of the Finance Manager, backstop Finance positions in field locations where dedicated support is required for short deployments of up to 2 weeks at a time. Accounting / Finance Oversee and manage daily accounting and finance functions including the timely recording of transactions, cash management, banking, receivables, payables, and timely submission of bank reconciliation and month-end accounting closure tasks (as per DRC guidelines and timelines). Coordinate with country Finance Manager to organize & submit Finance supporting documents (Scanned and hard copies) in relevant archives (One drive/Share point etc.) according to DRC/DDG Ethiopia & Djibouti/RO/HQ requirements. In close cooperation with Area, Managers reinforce existing procedures and systems for financial management and control in compliance with guidelines of DRC’s Operations Handbook, DRC Dynamics User Guides and workflows, and donor requirements Support timely delivery of quality financial reports to donors and internal reports to colleagues and HQ Ensure compliance with relevant country statutory and other financial obligations such as tax, levies, and statutory returns Monthly financial briefings to Finance Manager and Head of Support Services regarding the month-end closure processes and outstanding balance account items for action. Ensure thorough and effective budgetary control in the country programs Collecting cash forecasts from all Programme Managers and requesting funds in a timely manner Maintain a continuous overview of funding levels and pay particular attention to shared support costs, including staff salaries Ensure all required documentation for financial audits in cooperation with Finance Manager, Program Staff, Regional Office, and HQ Attend and participate in monthly BFU review meetings with Project Managers to discuss key variances, reasons for these, and any remedial action that is required Prepare Financial Statements in-country legislation, IPSAS, for local and statutory audits Ensure that all prepayment and accruals are amortized on a monthly basis based on the Country Master Budget allocation and report to Finance Manager for the gaps to be allocated Reporting Provide monthly tax payment reports, month-end closure reports, and any other report as requested by SMT or Finance Manager. Update the relevant portion of the DRC Ethiopia & Djibouti API’s on quarterly basis as assigned. Provide inputs for Results Contracts as requested by the Finance Manager and/or Head of Support Services. Budget, Financial Management and Control Support to Finance Manager to ensure that financial related information is accurate and is well maintained on DRC Dynamics and all transactions are recorded and allocated to projects on a monthly basis. This includes overall planning, budget, and control of expenditures for shared operational costs, but also coordination of budgeting and expenditure related to programme implementation. Support Finance Manager to implement relevant financial control tools in line with DRC Dynamics implementation within the country programme and across area offices. Others Support & supervises, audits (in-country, external), coordinate with area offices/RO/HQ to compile documents required by the auditors. If required coordinate with the auditors on the audit process. With support of Country Finance staff, assess needs and identify issues/gaps in Area Finance office/staff and prioritize timely practical actions to respond to particular financial accounting issues. Develop technical skills of finance staff through on-job technical advice/training on financial management, accounting, and other financial duties. With support of Country Finance Manager, perform regular internal Finance audits (As per DRC/DDG Operations Handbook) and reviews as required to ensure compliance with DRC-DDG and donor requirements. Audits to be conducted on quarterly basis for all area/field offices and reports submitted to Head of Finance. Monitor systems for financial operations in both the main programme offices and in field offices in accordance with the DRC/DDG Operations handbook and DRC Dynamics User Guides and workflows, including systems for consolidation of accounting information, internal controls & financial record­keeping. Report to the Finance Manager and Head of Support Services any irregularities that occur within the DRC/DDG office, staff compound and sites on DRC/DDG policy and procedures. Follow up on new procedures and guidelines designated in circulars. Support Finance Manager and Head of Support Services to identify the gaps in Finance policies to develop local office policies and procedures and provide training for all issues related to local financial matters to improve efficiency and minimize risk in financial management and accounting. Local Tax management Coordinate with Country/Area Finance, HR/Admin staff and/or with NGO Liaison bodies to obtain relevant local tax laws/requirements and ensure DRC Ethiopia and Djibouti is in compliance. Coordinate with the HR department to ensure all taxes related to national and international staff salaries are paid in a timely manner to the relevant authorities. Coordinate with the Supply Chain department to ensure the relevant taxes (if applicable) are indicated in all supplier documentation and paid to the relevant departments in a timely manner. Keep the Head of Support Service and HR/Admin Manager informed of the latest developments on tax issues should changes arise. DRC Dynamics Specific tasks Review the Projects set up to ensure coherence and alignment with management structure and budget holder policy. Work closely with HR to ensure complete Employee Set up, including reporting, open positions, and compensation and benefits are completed to avoid errors with financial processing in DRC Dynamics. Ensure Offline Local Payroll is imported to Dynamics Salary Expense Journal in collaboration with Finance team, and as per the month-end closure timeline/checklist. Ensure that all offline transactions for all field offices are replicated and completed in Dynamics and monthly cash and bank reconciliation is completed within the deadlines set forward for month-end closure. Backstop Timesheet Focal Point as required and ensure timely timesheets are generated and filed, including Result Sum Totals done for Payroll/ SC setup on all Projects sheets approved & posted 100%, as requested. Work with Finance Manager to ensure required data for Run Distribution is correctly mapped and posted as per Shared Cost Allocation policy. Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience) Essential: Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience in the field of finance/accounting/bookkeeping in an NGO, UN or the commercial sector. Familiar with IPSAS accounting requirements; certification on IPSAS is a plus but not required (DRC may provide IPSAS training for the selected position holder if able to demonstrate familiarity with the IPSAS principles) Excellent proficient user of MS Excel, able to perform complex formulas, PivotTables, and conduct financial analysis utilizing Excel tools Experience in preparation of Donor budget and reporting for DANIDA/SIDA/USAID/EU/UN donors. Desirable: Experience with on-the-job training of colleagues Ability to prepare basic training modules on accounting management and conduct training. EDUCATION: (include certificates, licenses etc.) University degree in Finance/Accounting/Commerce/Business Administration or Five years of DRC experience in Finance/Accounting work. LANGUAGE: (indicate fluency level) Fluency in written and spoken English. Fluency in local spoken languages. All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies: Striving for Excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes. Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback. Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly. Demonstrating integrity: Acting in line with DRC's vision and values