Senior Finance Manager

BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provides relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. The IRC is committed to bold leadership, innovation and creative partnerships. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.

The border between the U.S. and Mexico spans 1,969 miles and has more than 20 checkpoints along its route.The border fence between the two countries covers much of the area between Tijuana/San Diego in the east, and Juarez/El Paso in the center. The border fence has driven many people east towards the more porous border in Texas.All along the border, but particularly in the east, organized crime controls the majority of the border areas which are plagued by crime and violence including trafficking of drugs, weapons, money, and people. Recent changes in U.S. policy haveresulted in long waiting times to present at a port-of-entry along the border, which are most extreme in Tijuana. This, coupled with the insecurity in the east, is resulting in a ‘funneling’ of more migrants and asylum-seekers into the central areas of the country, such as Nogales and Ciudad Juarez.

While waiting to cross the border, migrants and asylum-seekers stay in shelters, in rented rooms, or on the street. The services that are available to them are almost entirely from the civil society, and they vary dramatically in both quality and availability, and between locations and service providers. The one constant is that service providers are overwhelmed. Changes in US policy, under the Migrant Protection Protocol has had a significant impact on migrant and asylum-seeker population in Ciudad Juarez and service providers.

Since May 2019, the IRC has been providing financial and technical support to local civil society organizations and NGOs in Ciudad Juarez to implement GBV prevention and response services – facilitating the provision of life-saving case management services, psychosocial support activities, and information sessions to migrant, asylum seeker, and returnee women and girls. Success in this position requires an individual with demonstrated finance management, compliance, reporting and analyses abilities, with in depth knowledge and understanding of financial systems and procedures, local laws and taxation in country.

Scope of Work: The Finance Manager has overall policy and management responsibility for the finance and accounting functions of the country program. The Finance Manager’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. He/She will be one of the key personnel during roll out and implementation of Integra (ERP system) The position is based in Cuidad Juarez with travel to field sites and NGO Partner’s in Mexico.

Responsibilities:

• Ensures that all policies and procedures are in compliance with IRC and donor policies, procedures, and requirements.
• Main Finance focal person during the roll out and implementation of Integra.
• 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.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

• Reports to the Country Director and supervises the finance team
• Works closely with the grants team and the technical team to ensure proper financial management of projects and donor relations.

External

• Communicates with the Regional Controller
• Represents the country office with Banking Managers, local government staff (taxation and regulation related) and External Auditors.