Senior Finance Officer

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC restores safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted by conflict or disaster. IRC leads the way from harm to home.

The IRC started operations in Cameroon in 2016 to respond to the increasing concerns for people affected by violence linked to Boko Haram, in the Far North of the country.  Assistance to displaced populations extends across the Far North, notably Mayo Sava, Mayo Tsanaga and Logone & Chari, delivering lifesaving programming to increase access to water and improving hygiene practices in vulnerable displaced and host communities, cash programming to enable poor families to meet basic needs and improve food security, and protection programming, including meeting specific needs of women and girls.

Following the deterioration of the crisis in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, the IRC expanded its operations into the South West region in August 2018. The IRC is delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance to internally displaced populations, with a field base in Buea.

IRC Cameroon is committed in its 2020 Strategic Action Plan, to continue to provide essential humanitarian services, with a focus on safety in communities and ensuring affected populations can meet their basic needs, whilst also building the resilience of beneficiaries, especially women and girls. In compliance with our strategic plan, IRC Cameroon has recently decided to extend operations to the North West.

• Managing all aspects of day to day operations of accounting department in field office.
• Assist in the implementation of Finance policies, procedures and systems.
• Ensure compliance with IRC procedures and guidelines.
• Submit expenditure worksheets to the Finance Head Office on or before 3rd of every subsequent month
• Review all payment documents for proper and adequate back up.
• Review expenditure worksheets for accuracy and completeness.
• Liaison with Logistics, Administration and Medical, prepare commitment lists every month for financial obligations already entered into but not captured in financial reports.
• Preparer a bank reconciliation for field office and send it to main office by 3rd of every month.
• Liaison with field office bank on all banking issues.
• Ensure that statutory deductions  are paid on time to avoid any penalty
• Forward to the payroll Administrator every month, an outstanding personnel advances and charges related to T7 for recovery. Ensure that advances taken in a given month are liquidated appropriately.
• Conduct a time sheet audit for field office from time to time.
• Personnel Management

• Serve as technical resource person for the accounting department.

Administrative duties

• Supervise all activities done daily in the Accounts department.

Logistics duties

• Review all Pos and PRs for proper coding and budget adequacy before approval.
• In liaison with Logistics department, prepare commitment lists every month for financial obligations already entered into but not captured in financial reports.

Finance/Budgeting

• Act at all times in accordance with local law and standards of accounting practice.
• Review with the objective of gaining a clear understanding budget guidelines and instructions
• Review funding allocations to enable proper guidance to programs and proper coding.
• Provide training to program staff on finance issues.
• Receptive to training provided and to develop his or her technical and professional competence.
• Produce monthly and quarterly reports to be reviewed by Finance Manager/Assistant Finance Controller.
• Assist in budget preparation at the field level.

Security/Communication

• Communicate with Finance main office on security issues within the office and outside the office
• Report to the Finance Manager any irregularities that occur within the IRC office, staff compound and sites on policy and procedures.