Finance and Awards Officer

FINANCE AND AWARDS OFFICER

Country Dimensions:   Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since the 1950s, providing support to children through developmental and humanitarian relief programmes delivered both directly and through local partners. Current programming focuses on child protection, child rights governance, education, health, HIV/AIDS, livelihoods, nutrition and WASH. In 2012, as part of a global reorganization process, Save the Children combined the programmes of SC UK, SC Canada and SC Finland to create a single operation in Kenya. In Feb 2014, we completed a second transition, which saw us join forces with the British INGO, Merlin, and merge their health and nutrition programmes with our own.  Save the Children now has an operational presence in Bungoma, Dadaab Refugee Camp, Garissa, Mandera, Turkana and Wajir and we work through partners in many other parts of the country. In 2016, Save the Children established a new project office in Madagascar whose operations are managed by the Kenya CO. In total, we employ around 250 staff in both countries and had an operating annual budget in 2016 of approximately US$17.5million

ROLE PURPOSE:  

The Finance and Awards Officer will support the Finance Coordinator in managing the finance activities, financial controls, computerised accounting systems and staff in Nairobi, Turkana and Samburu in line with Save the Children’s financial procedures. S/he will also support Awards management, by advising on compliance, participate monthly awards review meetings in consultation with the Award Manager, coordinating BVA feedback, and working with budget holders to ensure implementation is on track. 

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.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to:   Finance and Awards Coordinator (Nawiri)

Staff reporting to this post:  None

Budget Responsibilities: None

Contract duration: 1 year

Location: Nairobi

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITIES

General Management

• As a member of the Nawiri and finance team, demonstrate the behaviours that are consistent with Save the Children’s Mission, Vision and Values and ensure their broader application by staff across the programme;
• As a member of the Nawiri team, ensure a conducive and productive work environment;
• Implement the Respectful Workplace & Diversity agenda for staff in the Nawiri Programme;
• Contribute to the wider country programme agenda.
• Carry out the responsibilities of the role in a way that reflects Save the Children’s commitment to safeguarding children, in accordance with our Code of Conduct and Child Safeguarding Policy.

Finance

• Ensuring that documentation is accurate, authorised and complete for all financial transactions.
• Reviewing Nawiri expenditure and income to ensure that they are correctly coded and recoded on a timely basis.
• Ensuring that all income and expenditure is adequately authorized prior to uploading in the system.
• Ensuring that the SCI financial procedures for Bank and Cash are always followed.
• Passing of correction journals in the system
• Checking all the transactions are entered correctly
• Support the finance coordinator in Inducting Nawiri new staff into SCI financial policies and procedures applicable in the field offices and ensure that changes in policies are communicated to staff at all levels.
• Adhere to the CO finance diary including Month end closure, ensuring that all deadlines are met and submissions made to Nairobi Office. This involves liaising with the PSO in FOs to ensure that documents are send to Nairobi on time.
• Support the Nawiri Finance Coordinator in addressing audit recommendations in good time and ensure field staff fully understand and comply with the standard financial procedures.
• Processing the payments for Nawiri including M-PESA and online payments.
• Ensure that all Nawiri documents are archived and scanned properly.

Reporting and Financial Analysis

• Prepare weekly VAT, customes and levies schedule and fill DA-1 forms for reimbursement in compliance with USAID guidelines
• Prepare and keep track of the annual VAT reports to the donor in compliance with USAID guidelines and contractual agreements with the prime.
• Prepare the BvA for the Nawiri programme on a weekly basis, document the deviation from the donor approved budget and communicate to the budget holders.
• Advice the budget holders on coding of transactions with emphasis to project codes, this will also involve training of budget holders on coding of transactions.
• Take part in preparation of financial reports to donors in compliance with USAID guidelines and contractual agreements with the prime.
• Take part in budget realignment/revision and ensure that this is done on time and accurately.
• Support the Finance Coordinator in development of monthly cash forecast for Nawiri programme.

Awards Management

• Support the Nawiri Finance Coordinator in the upload the phased budgets as per the phased budget submitted by the budget holder.
• Work with the Finance Coordinator to manage and update the master budget for Turkana and Samburu offices, and pro-actively highlight gaps;
• Support the Finance Coordinator in award opening and closing meetings for Nawiri with the Budget holder
• Work with the Finance Coordinator in coordinating the monthly Awards Review Process in Samburu and Turkana.
• Support capacity building of coordinators and managers in Awards management;

Policy & Donor Regulations Compliance

• Assist Turkana and Samburu office in day to day compliance and award financial management issues. Gather information from Kenya Office Awards Team and/or other units within Finance in resolving an issue related to compliance.
• Work closely with the Finance Coordinator and Awards team in ensuring donor regulations are being adhered to, and report any divergence to the Awards Manager.
• Support the audit/expenditures verifications from the prime and ensure that the recommendation are addressed on a timely basis.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength.

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A first degree in Commerce Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, or related field. Post-graduate diploma preferred.
• Part II qualified in a recognized professional qualification in Accounting (CPA, ACCA).

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Minimum 5 years similar work experience within a fast-paced work environment with 2 years’ experience managing a USAID funded project.
• Excellent communication skills (Verbal and Written)
• Fluency (Verbal and Written) in English is required.
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
• Strong team player, collaborative and capable of building effective relationships across all levels
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mind-sets
• Problem solving and risk mitigating skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Officer Products (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and financial software such as Agresso.
• Comply with the requirements of Save the Children’s Safeguarding Policy and other Global Policies.
• A commitment to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity in employment and empathy with SC values and objectives.

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Equal Opportunities

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from any form of abuse.

Health and Safety

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.

Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process and does not act through recruitment agent.

Qualified female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply.