Finance Controller- Burkina Faso

In response to growing needs, the IRC deployed the emergency response team, opened a country office and launched humanitarian assistance programming in April, 2019. The IRC currently has one field base in the Sahel region in addition to the administrative office in Ouagadougu, and is looking to expand in programme scale, scope and geographic support over the coming months. The DDP will play a key role in move forward on programmatic strategies, securing the necessary resources, and ensuring programme quality during these initial phases.

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Financial Controller has overall policy and management responsibility for the finance and accounting functions for the country program. The Finance Controller’s responsibilities include general controllership, staff training, management, treasury and budget functions.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.   Controllership

• Ensures that all policies and procedures are in compliance with IRC and funding source policies, procedures, and requirements.

• As required establishes finance and supporting function policies, systems and procedures, and directs or performs their development, documentation, and implementation. 

• Manages the finance department activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines specified by New York and donors.

• Identify requirements for and develop reporting formats to aid in the management of country operations and grant expenditures.

• Provides country management and program staff with monthly actual-to-budget expenditure reports and analysis for all grants and Unrestricted funds.

• Ensure that on a monthly basis balance sheet reconciliations are completed on a timely basis and those final reconciliations and trial balances are reviewed with the Country Director. 

• 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.

• 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

• 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 NY on all finance, accounting, grant budget management, and cash management matters

2.   Training & Staff Management

• 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.

• 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.

• Oversees training and technical support to country program, logistics and administrative staff for skills improvement in the areas of accounting, reporting and internal control.

3.   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 reconciliation’s. 

• 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.

     4. Budget

• Assists with the preparation and revision of program and grant proposals and budgets.

• Assists in the preparation and maintenance of the country’s Operating Budget; including preparation of budget guidelines to assist program managers in formulating budgets.

• In compliance with donor requirements and IRC policy develops the “Field Operations/Overhead” budget and recommends a methodology for allocation of overhead 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.

• Bachelors degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance with a recognized professional certificate in accounting such as CPA, or a Masters degree in Accounting.

Experience:

• Minimum three years experience of managerial experience in the financial area of a non-profit organization or five years of managerial experience in finance in an international commercial organization.

• Extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet and database programs.

Skills

• Experience working in new country office set up, strongly desired
• Proven capacity in staff management, multi-tasking, time management and diplomacy.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Must be an innovative and creative problem solver, and a team player, with experience working with multi-cultural teams.
• Fluent in French
• Functional English (written and spoken)
• Ability to work under pressure and with heavy workload.
• Ability to independently organize work and prioritize tasks.
• Ability to quickly understand the complexities of the operating context, IRC models / systems / processes / tools; organizational structures and decision-making processes
• Good understanding of security / emergency management to ensure staff safety, minimize risk and maintain business continuity;
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Willingness to travel in the field and work in sometimes remote corners and / or with relative safety and minimal living conditions.
• Prior experience with working in Burkina Faso/WA region and/or with IRC preferred

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• This position is based in Ouagadougou and will be unaccompanied during the initial start-up/stabilization phases, with the possibility of review within the first year based on security levels and funding availability.
• Housing will initially be in shared IRC accomodations during start-up phases
• Security level: Orange, but stable in Ouagadougou. All international staff of IRC Burkina Faso must comply with the rules and policies in place for security.

#LI-GR1