Risk and Compliance Officer

Overall purpose of the role 
Responsible for providing an independent organizational risk assessment that generates recommendations geared towards improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the work of DRC; to ensure that senior management is informed of audit findings and recommendations and key risks within DRC operations to support them in decision making; and to provide information to various internal and external stakeholders on the DRC risk assessment. Support the regional compliance specialist on DRC East Africa & Great Lakes Region (EAGL) compliance matters.

Responsibilities: 

Audit management
Lead and coordinate external audits across the EAGL Region specifically high-risk audits as per the audit workflow policy while following up on medium and low-risk audits and ensuring that there are no qualified audits. Follow-up on implementation of recommendations while ensuring sharing and learning across countries/ other platforms.

• Procurement of auditors - Organize contracting of auditors in coordination with project or grant managers and supply chain department as per available budget and donor terms of reference.
• Planning - Anticipate project audit requirements and plan appropriately. Coordinate shipping, pre-audit document inspection and avail all documentation before commencement of audit fieldwork.
• Execution - Review and respond to audit queries and discuss with the auditor before going back to field offices. Escalate high-risk issues and potential financial liabilities to management.
• Finalization and Reporting - Follow-up on issuance of draft reports and drafting of management comments with quality-assurance to ensure reports are accurate and feedback to donors. Ensure proper archiving of final reports.
• Follow-up on implementation of recommendations while ensuring sharing and learning across countries/ other platforms.

    
Compliance management
Support DRC Regional and Country management teams in ensuring all operations are implemented within acceptable DRC and donor guidelines. This includes giving assurance that financial and other organization’s policies are interpreted and practiced in a manner consistent with the organization’s values, mission and objectives and ensuring that internal control systems including program delivery, monitoring & evaluation, procurement, etc. are adequate in order to achieve the organization’s objectives in an efficient and effective manner.

• Periodic reviews - Carry out quarterly internal reviews to ensure that DRC and donor guidelines are implemented and followed and provide feedback to line managers for action in accordance with the annual compliance plan.
• Testing systems - Implement and maintain testing systems to ensure that all offices are following DRC financial, procurement and administration policies and accepted accounting principles.
• Technical support for Adhoc compliance requests - Perform review of derogations.  Support on compliance issues at grants opening (kick-off meeting) and close-out meetings.
• Support in documentation and sharing of action points/ minutes from audit and compliance discussions and grant portfolio reviews during ESMT and other Regional meetings. Follow-up on action points those from meetings.
• Tracking of compliance trends including emerging,  recurring risks, lessons learned and responses
• Ensure that an updated file and overview of authorizations/ delegation of authority and bank mandate for the region is up-to-date and maintained.

Risk management
Identification, escalation, sharing and management of risks ensuring that RO and CO management is aware and responds appropriately.

• Maintain the audit-tracking tool for individual areas of audit and compliance assessments and consolidate with team for dissemination to management. Ensure timely reminders and follow with management for implementation of the recommended actions.
• Support to Risk management meetings - Provide input to Country/ Regional areas of compliance risk while feeding into risk registers and issues logs and follow-up on closure of issues. Escalation of emerging risks to management on a timely basis.

Other

• Support the region by conducting of investigations where necessary
• Prepared to travel across the EAGL to support as required

Reporting:  The position reports to Regional Safety Coordinator

About you  
In this position, you are expected to demonstrate each of DRC’ five core competencies:  

• Striving for excellence: you focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process 
• Collaborating: you involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 
• Taking the lead: you take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 
• Demonstrating integrity: you act in line with our vision and values 

Requirements

• Graduate Degree in related field 
• Additional professional qualification such as CPA or ACCA is desired.
• At least 3 to 5 years relevant experience with an international NGO in grants management & accounting, finance, internal audit, risk management and compliance.
• At least 3 to 5 years relevant working experience in a similar position in an INGO.
• Audit background from external audit firm (Desired)
• Familiarity with requirements of key humanitarian donors and capacity to work in a multi-donor environment, including UNHCR, UNICEF, EU/ ECHO, CHF/OCHA, SIDA, DFID, OFDA, FFP, DANIDA, WFP among others.
• Possess strong analytical and conceptual skills.
• Strong self-starter, able to take initiative.
• Proven ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines and work with limited supervision.
• Proven ability to manage large, varied workloads and deal constructively with stress and periods with long hours.
• Excellent interpersonal skills & demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations between various stakeholders.
• Knowledge of working in remote and challenging environments.

Languages

• Excellent communication skills in English is required.
• French language is desireable.

Conditions 
Contract:    One-year Contract. Salary and other conditions are offered in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment for national staff conditions in the respective Country. 

Availability:    January 2022
  
Duty station:    Position to be based in either of the following locations: Djibouti Ville, Goma, Kampala, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Dar-es Salaam, Bujumbura or Addis Ababa, with frequent travel within East Africa and Great Lakes Region.
  
Commitments
DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework. 

Application 
Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered. 

DRC only accepts applications sent via our online-application form on www.drc.ngo under Vacancies. 

Please submit your application and CV in English no later than 10 December 2021.

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In light of this, women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.

Equal Opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunity employer.  We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employees.  We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status or other protected characteristics.