Since 1979, we have helped people grappling with the toughest hardships survive – and then thrive. That’s the heart of our approach: We help communities turn crisis into opportunity. Throughout our history, Mercy Corps has demonstrated innovation, timeliness and the ability to adapt quickly to changing realities.
- Experience 5 years
- Location Borno
General Position Summary
Working under the Finance & Compliance Director, the Finance and Compliance Manager is a member of the senior management team for the operations of the Northeast Nigeria – Nigeria with base in Maiduguri, and as such is responsible for all aspects of financial management of the North Borno programs, working collaboratively to ensure compliance with Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations and local laws. S/he is responsible for all financial functions in the North Borno, including accounting, payments and banking, budgeting, financial reporting and grant financial management and compliance, while ensuring the technical capacity building of field finance staff. The Finance and Compliance Manager, in support of the Program Department, provides timely reports and assistance to the Program Managers and Senior Management Teams in order to ensure that financial resources are used efficiently and effectively.
Essential Job Responsibilities
Team Management
- Create a sustainable work environment of mutual respect that attracts motivated, skilled and effective team members and enables them individually and collectively to strive to achieve excellence.
- Supervise and lead a diverse team of direct and indirect reports in field offices and conduct timely performance reviews and establish development plans.
- Contribute to field office team-building efforts; build constructive internal relationships; help team members identify problem solving options and ensure integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes.
- Support the finance team to develop their technical finance skills through routine coaching, training and guidance.
- Assess capacity gaps within the finance team, ensure timely hiring, training and onboarding of the new team members
- Provide team members (new and old) with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives
- As necessary, provide coverage and backstopping for FMs/FDs when on leave or under recruitment.
Operations – Financial
- Ensure effective, transparent use of financial resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
- Maintain banking relations and plan and monitor field cash flow requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of Mercy Corps programs.
- Ensure monthly standard accounting submissions from the respective field offices, including account reconciliations, financial analysis of month end transactions by award for accurate coding, as well as other financial analysis and information in a timely and accurate manner.
- Provide monthly management reports to the Finance & Compliance Director, Program Managers and the senior management teams including expenditures by fund/project, cost analysis reports, and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
- Monitor and analyze grant budgets and spending, and in coordination with program managers initiate and prepare required budget realignments
- Lead the proposal budget development and play key role on the proposal development team; ensure that budgets are in line with Mercy Corps’ requirements and donors’ regulations.
- Develop and regularly update grant budgeting and forecasting systems with Program Managers.
- Set-up and maintain the grant files, maintain, and distribute current copies of the approved coded budgets to all relevant parties.
- Lead in the roll out of finance systems and procedure documentation in the field offices, ensure that all finance transactions follow Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
- Manage grant closeout process ensuring that all final expenditures are captured in time, expenses and program commitments fully reconciled against the budget balance and process documented. Ensure all finance files are archived and secured as per the Mercy Corps procedures
Compliance
- Support with financial procedures review, update and implementation across the country offices
- Perform the financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with MC policies and procedures and donors grants and contracts requirements.
- Ensure that any required donor exemptions and/or pre-approvals are secured prior to incurring the expenditure
- Perform compliance reviews of field office processes including procurement, logistics, stock management, HR, Admin, and coordinate with the relevant departments to correct and improve as needed
- Provide advice, training, and consultation on compliance with MC policies and procedures as well as donor compliance requirements.
- Ensure timely review of sub-grantee financial related documents in coordination with the Sub-Awards Unit.
- Support the creation and maintenance of systems that ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donors’ and Mercy Corps policies and procedures
- Help identify efficient and effective solutions to issues while ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps’ policies and donor regulations,
- Perform follow-up and resolutions for internal and external audit recommendations to improve or enhance the internal control environment.
Reporting
- Ensure timely submission of the monthly field cash flow projections
- Assist in preparation, maintenance and consolidation of office operational budgets.
- Prepare, analyze and report to the country senior management and program managers on the monthly end grant spending reports (Budget vs. Actuals, BVAs); review in details grant transactions, identify any errors and ensure corrections are reflected with the next monthly BvA report
- Coordinate closely with the Program Leads on the update of grant forecasts/projections
- Ensure grant end reporting requirements are all met, commitments accrued, pending payments liquidates, and grant closeout process concluded in a timely manner
- Coordinate with the sub-award unit timely submission and system upload of all due sub-grantee reports prior to month end close
- As required, lead and coordinate grant specific audits, and support country-wide and HQ led audit efforts
Accounting
- Assist and support the Accounting Manager in the account review and month end process for MC Northeast offices, including but not limited to:
- Review of field journals to ensure proper coding of all transactions.
- Oversee and/or posting of transactions by the field teams
- Assist with monthly reconciliation of balance sheet accounts as required.
- Ensure that accounting and other financial records are maintained and safeguarded in accordance with MC records retention policy
- Review and regularly reconcile uploaded subgrant financial reports to the BvA reports, ensuring that all subaward reports are timely and accurately reflected in the BvA Reports
Security
- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
- Ensure that safety and security protocols are adhered to at all times while moving the cash to the field locations, or organizing cash distributions.
- Ensure that the security aspect of the operations is considered while developing cash management and related financial policies.
Organizational Learning
- As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
Supervisory Responsibility
Field finance staff in Maiduguri and its deep field offices Bama, Damboa, Dikwa, Gwoza and Ngala
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Finance & Compliance Director
Works Directly With: Country Finance Team members, Operations, Program Managers and others
Knowledge and Experience
- A university degree in finance, accounting or a related business management field is required.
- Three to five years of progressive financial management experience, including supervisory experience required.
- Three to five years of experience in grants management as well as an understanding of USG/EU/DFID regulations required.
- At least 3 years’ international experience required; international NGO/PVO field office experience is preferred.  Â
- Demonstrated experience and skill with budget preparation and analysis, financial reporting preparation and presentation and the proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.Â
- Strong accounting skills and experience, including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and balance sheet.
- Prior management experience and strong organizational skills.
- Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
- Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills and experience in team coaching and training is required
- Excellent oral and written English skills required.
- Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
Success Factors
The successful candidate will have an ability to interact effectively across international and national program and finance teams successfully, both in a managerial as well as training capacity. S/he will be able to support programmatic objectives with timely and meaningful financial information, have a demonstrated ability to multi-task, and meet deadlines and process information in support of changing program activities. An impeccable professional standard of finance and procurement ethics and the willingness and ability to enforce compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures is essential. The Finance and Compliance Manager must be willing to travel regularly to Mercy Corps field offices and project sites. The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and changing environments and make effective written and verbal communication a priority in all situations.
Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
The position will be based in Maiduguri, Nigeria and requires substantial amount of travel between field locations in Bama, Damboa, DIkwa, Gwoza and Ngala. Considering the frequent travel from/to different field locations, this position will require flexibility in terms of accommodation and logistics. While travelling, housing will be provided in hotels or guesthouse where available. Security in the field locations require additional vigilance and accessibility will be reassessed continuously. Access to good medical services in Northeast Nigeria is limited. Phone communication, internet, electricity, and water in main urban centers are available but might be erratic.
The location is eligible for hardship and R&R benefits. Working hours require flexibility and working through weekends/evenings might be necessary.
Mercy Corps team members represent the agency both during and outside work hours when deployed in a field posting or on a visit/TDY to a field posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.
Method of Application
Interested and qualified? Go to Mercy Corps on jobs.jobvite.com to apply
