Background
Concern for Women and Children Development Foundation (COWACDI) is a woman- led organization born out of passion for the wellbeing of Women and Children in Nigeria. It has a special interest in mitigating the suffering of the vulnerable persons (mostly Women & Children) in times of crisis. Currently the organization has focused its attention on the Northeast of Nigeria with special emphasis in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states (the BAY states) due to the decade old crises. COWACDI intervenes through community-based approach in addressing Gender-Based Violence prevention and response programmes, child protection, peace-building programmes and empowerment of youth and women. Since its establishment in 2005, humanitarian and developmental interventions have been implementing in Protection, Peace Building, Housing Land & Property (HLP), Non-food Items (NFI), Livelihood. COWACDI operates with full respect for humanitarian law and works with concrete policies and principles of international standard such as humanity, do no harm, impartiality, neutrality and independence and accountability to affected population and Zero Tolerance to Fraud and related activities.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Employment Type: Full-Time
Job Title: Finance Officer
Qualification: B.Sc. /HND
Experience: 3 Years
Location: Maiduguri, Borno State
Job Field: Operations
Reports to: Operations and Compliance Manager
Contractual Arrangement: Internal/External
Contract Duration: 24 Months
Planned Timelines: As soon as possible
Overall purpose of the role:
The role of a Finance Officer is crucial to ensure the effective and efficient management of the organization’s financial resources. Some of the key responsibilities of a finance officer include:
Core Functions / Responsibilities
- Developing and maintaining the organization’s financial plans and budgets and ensuring that they align with COWACDI’s strategic objectives.
- Preparing regular financial reports and analysis to provide insights into the organization’s financial performance and to support decision-making by the management team and the board of directors.
- Managing the financial aspects of grants and funding received by the NGO, including budgeting, reporting, and compliance with donor requirements.
- Monitoring and managing the organization’s cash flow to ensure that there are sufficient funds to meet operational needs and to support the implementation of programs and projects.
- Ensuring compliance with financial regulations, accounting standards, and donor requirements, and maintaining accurate and up-to-date financial records.
- Identifying and managing financial risks, such as currency exchange rate fluctuations, interest rate changes, and potential fraud or embezzlement.
- Establishing and maintaining internal controls to safeguard the organization’s assets and to prevent financial mismanagement or fraud.
- Providing training and support for staff and partners on financial management with the best practices and procedures.
- Ensure day-to-day accounting operations and financial management functions are performed in compliance with internal and donor policies and procedures.
- Ensure funds availability and verify that all procurement actions are compliant with internal and client financial management guidelines.
- Ensure that all accounting data is updated, reconciled, and fully backed up with supporting documents.
- Responsible for the timely processing of staff payroll, allowances, and other reimbursements.
- Monitor cash flow and regularly update budget projections to ensure the supply of adequate funds.
- Support the preparation of budgets, monitor, review, and revise as required.
- Meet financial reporting requirements, ensuring that all financial reports are submitted on or before the deadline.
- Provide financial status of project expenses and budget information as requested.
- Ensure compliance with local laws, laws on withholding taxes, and PAYE.
- Coordinate with the Program Manager to establish proper controls for grants management
- Ensure and routinely test for maintenance of audit-ready
- Review and analyze financial reports, including cost allocation of shared costs, to verify financial transactions.
- Prepare balance sheet reconciliations to ensure all transactions are accurately stated and appropriately classified.
- Work with relevant staff to address irregularities and resolve accounting issues and ensure correction of accounting entries and payroll.
- Ensure financial reports are generated accurately and disseminated timely as per established reporting schedules and assist staff with financial reports analysis.
- Oversee maintenance of a good filing system of required supporting documentation to ensure easy access and retrieval, and a reliable and easy-to-follow audit trail.
- Represent COWACDI and actively participate in coordination meetings at the office, field, sector level including submitting of relevant reports as required (5Ws).
- Ensure efficient management of cash flows and availability of sufficient and optimal cash in COWACDI’s operating account through monitoring cash balances (both cash-in-bank and cash-on-hand), preparing bank reconciliations, analyzing, and forecasting cash needs
Required Competencies and Skills
The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the following values and competencies:
All COWACDI staff members must abide by and demonstrate these values:
- Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respect and promote individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
- Integrity and transparency: Maintain high ethical standards and act in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
- Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
- Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
- Empathy: Shows compassion for others, and makes people feel safe, respected, and fairly treated.
Core Competencies
- Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration between and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
- Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
- Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
- Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
- Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.
- Minimum 4 years of relevant work experience
- Commitment to learning and implementing organizational policies and procedures
- Good skills in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Fluency in local language
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Must be able to read, write and speak fluent English.
Other:
- An appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, confirmation of all documents, and security clearances.
- The appointment is subject to funding confirmation.
Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.
Educational Qualification & Experience Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or a related field degrees in other relevant fields, such as international development or nonprofit management.
- Hold professional certifications such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), ICAN, ANAN, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), or Certified Management Accountant (CMA). These certifications demonstrate a high level of expertise and commitment to professional development in the field of finance.
- A master’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field preferred.
- A strong understanding of nonprofit finance, including grant management, fund accounting, and compliance with donor requirements, is often important for finance officers in NGOs.
- Proficiency in financial management software, spreadsheet applications, and other relevant tools are typically required for finance officers. Knowledge of financial reporting standards and regulations, as well as experience with financial analysis and budgeting, is also important.
- In addition to these educational qualifications, relevant work experience in finance or accounting, particularly in the nonprofit sector, is often highly valued. Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills, as well as a commitment to the mission and values of COWACDI.
Language required:
Fluency in oral and written English is required. Hausa and Native Language of the area would be an added advantage.
Application Closing Date
19th February, 2025 (2:00pm).
Method of Application:
Hardcopy Applications Kindly submit your CV and Cover Letter in a sealed envelope to be submitted at this location at Concern for Women and Children Development Foundation (COWACDI) No 26, Benue Avenue, Opposite Save the Children Office, Old GRA, Maiduguri, Borno State, stating the position on the envelope and ensure to sign an attendance for submission.
Additional Information
COWACDI is an equal –opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, gender, religion, etc. Kindly ensure that you can work in this location when applying. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply
No application after the closing date will be considered.
COWACDI regrets that, due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to reply to every applicant. If you are being considered for the role, a recruiter will contact you. If you are not contacted within 2 weeks, you should consider your application not successful on this occasion.
Note: Never pay for any training, certificate, assessment, or testing fee to the recruiter.
