Finance Controller

Cúcuta is where IRC started its emergency programming in Colombia.  This is the capital of Northern Santander department (Norte de Santander), one of 3 major access point for Venezuelans’ coming into Colombia. It is also located in one of the regions of the country most affected by a number of pre-existing stressors including: armed groups; drug cultivation, processing, and trafficking; trafficking of goods/people across the border; high unemployment and natural disasters. This complicated dynamic in Cúcuta goes back decades and has nearly exhausted the capacity of the Colombian government to respond to the needs of its citizens in the region.

In response, the IRC’s Emergency Unit has launched emergency programming in Colombia, starting in Cucuta, and expanding in 2019 to Medellin, Bogota and Barranquilla.  IRC is focusing on an integrated response involving child protection, women’s protection and empowerment activities, primary and reproductive healthcare, and humanitarian cash transfer programming. The IRC is in the process of delivering these and future activities directly and in partnership with local civil society organizations in Colombia and Venezuela.

Scope of Work: The Finance Controller has overall policy and management responsibility for the finance and accounting functions of the country program. The Finance Controller’s responsibilities include general controllership, treasury and budget functions as well as staff management and training and is a member of the Senior Management Team. The position is based in Bogota with regular travel to field sites in Colombia and Venezuela. 

Responsibilities:

• Ensures that all policies and procedures are in compliance with IRC and donor policies, procedures, and requirements.
• Establishes in-country finance policies, systems and procedures, and directs their implementation. 
• Closely monitors all financial activities, and keeps the Country Director advised of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance.
• Ensures monthly balance sheet reconciliations are completed on a timely basis and that those final reconciliations and trial balances are reviewed with the Country Director.
• Provides country management and program staff with monthly financial reports and analysis for all grants and unrestricted funds.
• Manages the finance department activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by headquarters and donors.
• Identifies requirements for and develops reporting formats to aid in the management of country operations and grant expenditures.
• Directs the preparation of, and approves all donor financial reports in respect to accounting, legal and contractual requirements and ensures the review of such reports by the Country Director and Regional Controller prior to submission.
• Develops, schedules and performs or supervises the completion of country internal control audits, and initiates actions necessary to correct internal control weaknesses.
• Facilitates and co-ordinates external, internal, donor or government audits and financial reporting.
• Oversees the protection of the country’s assets (cash, inventory, NEP) through the enforcement of internal control policies and procedures.
• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.
• Is the principal liaison with IRC HQ on all finance, accounting, grant budget management, and cash management matters

Treasury

• Supervises all country office bank relations and bank account activities including negotiation of fees, interest and currency exchange rates.
• In compliance with IRC policy establishes country policies regarding cash holding limits, cash movements and foreign currency holdings.
• Oversees the timely preparation, review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations. 
• Establishes country policies on advance payments, credit terms, and use of bank payment instruments.
• Designs, implements, and monitors systems, procedures and reporting necessary to maintain on current basis accurate forecasts of cash requirements for meeting future spending, including commitments entered into and which obligate IRC to future spending.
• Supervises the preparation of Cash Transfer Requests to New York and ensures that appropriate balances are maintained to facilitate grant implementation.
• Ensures the development and implementation of a plan to minimize the country’s foreign exchange exposure to currency gains and losses.
• Supervises the collection of contractual and other receivables.

Budget

• Oversees the preparation and revision of grant proposal budgets.
• Prepares and maintains the country’s Operating Budget; including preparation of budget guidelines to assist program/field managers in formulating budgets.
• In compliance with donor requirements and IRC policy develops the “Shared Program Costs” and “Overhead Costs” budget and recommends a methodology for allocation to grant budgets.
• Prepares the annual and monthly cash budgets based on approved funding.
• Presents and facilitates the review of actual to budget expenditures with the Country Director and program managers.

Training & Staff Management

• Establishes a finance department roles and responsibilities matrix; outlines relevant job descriptions; recruits and maintains adequate numbers of qualified staff to perform finance functions.
• Ensures comprehensive and constructive performance reviews are completed on a timely basis and facilitates discussion of performance and career options with all country finance staff.
• Develops and implements a training program for the country’s international and national finance staff to ensure staff development and minimize IRC’s exposure when staff are absent or depart.
• Maintains current job descriptions for all positions within the finance group.
• Oversees training and technical support to country program, logistics and administrative staff for skills improvement in the areas of accounting, reporting and internal control.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance with a recognized professional certificate in accounting such as CPA, and/or a Master’s degree in Accounting.

Experience

• Minimum six years of managerial experience in the financial area of an international non-profit organization. with demonstrated track record of meeting donor requirements
• Extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet and database programs.
• Experience managing a multiple grant portfolio and addressing competing priorities in a high-pressure environment.
• Requires extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet and database programs (SUN System and Vision are preferable).

Skills and Abilities

• Good written and verbal skills in Spanish and English languages.
• Comfortable in being a proactive member of the top-management team. Must seek to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the appropriate level of management.
• Able to function effectively in a complex work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements
• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support.
• Good communication skills that function across a diversity of cultures.
• Good at role of facilitator and team player in solving problems.
• Committed to staff training and development.

The position will be based in Bogota, Colombia with regular travel to Field Offices in Colombia and Venezuela. This is national post and preference will be given to Colombian and Venezuelan nationals.

Professional Standards

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

#LI-GR1