Kenya: Country Finance Manager

Department:Finance

Position: Country Finance Manager

Contract duration:6 months

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Starting Date Immediately

ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. Our interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach, which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Our 4,000 staff is committed in to responding to emergencies worldwide, to supporting recovery and rehabilitation, towards sustainable development.

Our teams in the field implement some 380 projects in 34 countries covering the following sectors emergency relief, food security, access to health, education and training, economic development, microfinance, advocacy, institutional support, and regional dialogue, cultural promotion.

Based on considerable experience addressing the needs and situations of vulnerable communities, ACTED contributes to the international agenda towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals, through a wide range of partnerships, innovative initiatives, and campaigns.

II. Country Profile

Capital Office : Nairobi

National Staff : 76

Areas : 2 (Pokot, Middle Juba)

On-going programmes : 10

Budget : 10 M

Somalia

Since 2008, ACTED has been implementing projects in South Central Somalia focusing on emergency WASH support, food security, information management and humanitarian coordination to help the population transition into early recovery.

Large parts of Somalia remain in humanitarian crisis with most rural areas still under Al Shabaab control and with many people unable to meet their essential needs. ACTED’s current programming focuses on early recovery, in Bay, Lower Juba and Gedo regions, including resilience, social safety nets, livelihood and WASH activities. ACTED also carries out emergency programming when necessary, just recently it implemented water trucking to 5,000 households across two districts of Gedo region who were experiencing drought.

Lastly, ACTED partners with IMPACT Initiatives to implement the REACH programme in Somalia. REACH, which is an IDP assessment tool, aims to provide information management services to the WASH, Education and Shelter Clusters in Somalia and is used to improve humanitarian coordination in the country.

Kenya

Since 2008, ACTED has implemented programs related to WASH, food security, livelihood support, conflict mitigation and disaster risk reduction in arid and semi-arid lands of Kenya.

ACTED’s current programming in Kenya centres around WASH, Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction, and support to local authorities to enhance early warning systems.

In the future, ACTED intends to continue strengthening the resilience of communities in the arid and semi-arid lands of Northern Kenya through community driven approaches. Alongside Kenya’s Civil Society, ACTED plans to engage in advocacy initiatives to ensure that communities are put at the centre of development and disaster preparedness.

III. Position Profile

Under the authority of the Country Director and Finance Director in HQ, the Country Finance Manager (CFM) will be responsible for ACTED accounting and financial management in-country. The CFM ensures that national legislation is adhered to, and that the country specific standards are applied in ensuring efficient use of resources.

Responsibilities:

1. Accounting and Financial Management

Supervise accountancy procedures: filing of documents, allocation of expenses, vouchers registration, balance checking, etc.;

Verify and compile monthly accounts from each base;

Communicate accounts on a monthly basis to HQ, respecting SAGA procedures and deadlines;

Manage the presentation, circulation, filing and archiving of accounting and financial documents in conformity with FLAT procedures;

Open/close bank accounts on the authority of the General Delegate;

Oversee the management of bank accounts: follow transfers, check balances, check authorised visas;

Supervise the management of safes and cash: available amount, balance checks, security instructions;

Assess monthly cash-flow needs for projects and bases and communicate cash requests to the HQ;

Manage money transfers, bases cash-supply and amounts in circulation, whilst defining payment procedures (bank transfer, cheque, cash etc.);

Set up and formalise procedures for the commitment of expendiure, conform to ACTED procurement guidelines: collect visas of authorised staff members, set-up commitment ceiling in local currencies, define methods and timescales for payment according to local practices;

Ensure that procedures are adhered to in terms of contracts and payments;

Ensure that proofs of purchase are valid (contracts, orders, bills, inoices, delivery receipts etc);

2. Budget Management

Develop tables necessary for financial monitoring and for budget follow up within the mission;

Analyse gaps between planned budgets and actual expenses;

Anticipate financial risks;

Calculate and supervise the monthly cost of each vehicle (fuel consumption, repairs) in coordination with Country Logistician;

Calcultate monthly communication costs of each base (phone, e-mail, Internet), in coordination with Country Logistician;

Develop budgets for project proposals according to project needs and Donor constraints;

Draft financial reports (mid-term and final) respecting contractual deadlines;

Guarantee the respect of Donor procedures for each financial contract.

3. Department Follow-up

Update the organigramme and ToRs of the finance department according to the mission development;

Oversee the team and undertake appraisals of directly supervised colleagues;

Ensure training and capacity building for finance team members in order to increase the level of technical ability and skills within the department;

Internal Procedures and Information Flows;

Develop relevant management procedures within the team;

Improve information flows within the department and with other departments and projects

IV. Qualifications:

• Masters degree minimum in Finance or related area;

• 3+ years of solid experience in financial management and monitoring systems, preferably of large development programs, possibly complemented by academic expertise;

• Excellent financial and analytical skills;

• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting on programme financial performance;

• Ability to manage a financial/monitoring team and demonstrate leadership;

• Ability to monitor and evaluate financial and monitoring skills of communities through capacity-building efforts;

• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;

• Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;

• Prior knowledge of the region an asset;

• Fluency in English required - ability to communicate in local languages an asset;

• Ability to operate Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management software

V. Conditions:

Salary defined by the ACTED salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonusAdditional monthly living allowanceFree food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment)Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowanceProvision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package