Directorate / Cluster: Finance & Operations
Grade: E
Location: Nairobi Hub / Johannesburg
Duration: Open Ended
This role has both line management for a pool of project accountants, and matrix management of other accountants employed directly by project teams.
Areas of Responsibility
Coordinating and leading finance support to donor-funded projects:
Manage project accountant resource availability and allocate to projects to ensure maximum efficiency.
Coordinate appropriate resources to develop proposals and, where this is not available, produce those proposals and budgets.
Sign-off all complex budgets to ensure that donor guidelines are met, and that cost-recovery has been built in at acceptable levels (including budget-relieving projects).
Undertake regular personal training on the correct use of financial systems and roil this out as required to all project accountants, producing and retaining documentation as appropriate to ensure sustainable processes.
Produce and utilise new starters guide specific to the technical aspects of the role of project accountants.
Document evidence of how practices amongst project accountants meets ActionAid’s internal assurance standards, and those of donors.
Financial Management:
Produce consolidated budgets, forecasts and quarterly management accounts with brief summaries of project progress (financial aspects) and financial risk register for review by the International Leadership Team.
Review proposed coding structures of each project in Sun 6.3 to ensure donor and internal reporting can be automated (including budget-relieving amounts and co-financing).
Roll forward all restricted projects in the finance system at year-end, working with the Global Secretariat Finance Manager to obtain approval.
Conclude and close all restricted projects in Sun 6.3 (Action Aids finance system), preparing final journals for approval by the Director, linked to final donor report.
Ensure project authorisation structure in Sun 6.3 adheres to internal and donor procurement guidelines.
Act as a subject matter expert on ActionAids cost-recovery practices.
Ensure financial aspects of the Contract Management System are correct and up to date for all restricted projects managed by the Global Secretariat.
Conduct monthly meeting with Global Secretariat Finance Manager to ensure consistent financial practices and use of the system, resolve discrepancies and document unresolved exceptions for review by Director.
Conduct monthly review of all payroll journals, other transactions and restricted fund balances and verify them with project managers, identifying and posting corrective transactions asappropriate.
Identify trends of incorrect transaction processing and control weaknesses, address them with project accountants and keep a running log of problems identified and overcome for training purposes.
People Management:
Directly line manage a pool of project accountants and allocate them to smaller projects as appropriate.
Matrix manage project accountants (those aligned directly to projects) and ensure consistency with other project accountants in all HR matters
Working with project managers, allocate all project accountants to projects to ensure fair distribution of work and 100% cost-recovery for those roles and self.
Education, Language & Qualifications
Qualified Accountant
Excellent oral and written communication in English
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Substantial post-qualification experience in the NGO sector.
Demonstrable and significant experience of the following:
Working as the most senior finance person on complex donor-funded projects;
Managing a team of more than three staff (over an extended period in the last three years) and resolving complex HROD matters;
Managing complex organisational change through to conclusion;
Hands-on correction of financial records in relation to historical and complex errors, and oversight of the same through others;
Creating management information to support decisions up to Director and Board level;
Documenting best-practice, applying it through self and others, and in creating sustainable finance practices that are not dependent on any one individual.
Knowledge (and practical application of) the international regulatory environment for INGOs.
Desired behaviours and competencies
Builds productive working relationships with co-workers and external parties, whilst valuing diversity (gender, race, culture),
Expresses ideas clearly and concisely; disseminates information about decisions and plans proactively
A strong commitment to ActionAid values and the feminist leadership principles.
