Regional Finance Director

Position: Regional Finance Director-Africa

Location: Nairobi, Kenya 

Reports To: WC Seattle Senior Accountant 

Supervises: 1- Regional Finance Manager 

Country Accountants have a dotted line report to RFDA

Contract Length: 2 – 5 years, depending on availability

Purpose: Guided by World Concern’s global strategic plan, provide leadership and support to World Concern countries in Africa in the areas of accounting, finance, forecasting, budgeting, reporting and analysis. Provide oversight for all financial transactions and financial planning for the region ensuring adequate controls are in place. Keep Country Directors, the Area Director and HQ apprised of all situations which have the potential for significant impact on internal controls or financial management performance. The Finance Director will report to the HQ Senior Accountant and will work closely with the Africa Area Director and Country Directors.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Leadership

1. Serve on the Africa leadership team and participate in discussion concerning projects and administrative decisions.

2. Identify and propose improvements and modifications to the management and reporting systems. Make recommendations for remediation of any identified problems and follow up to assess results. Assist in implementation of any agreed upon systems and/or improvements.

3. Provide recommendations to the Area Director and/or Country Directors regarding best practices and other changes based on financial evaluations and industry standards.

Finance & Accounting

1. Responsible for reviewing and submitting all financial reports to the Africa Area Director/Country Directors and WC headquarters office, meeting the required monthly deadlines. 

2. Oversee forecasting and budgeting operations for World Concern Africa Region by organizing and controlling the budgeting process for the World Concern Africa office. Assist the Country Directors, Country Accountants and HQ staff in the preparation of the budgets for new project submission to institutional donors.

3. Oversee submission of all financial reports required by donors ensuring they are accurate and timely.

4. Ensure adequate controls and monitoring of cash, bank accounts, procurement & accounts payable to achieve program objectives and minimize the risk of fraud or misappropriation and mitigate the risks from corruption or insecurity.

5. Monitor exchange rate trends identifying potential risk and recommending strategies to mitigate the risk. 

6. Review the reconciliations of all balance sheet accounts on a monthly basis and ensure timely completion. Review is to include, but not limited to, ensuring proper revaluation was completed, following up on any items outstanding over 3 months, any negative amounts, and verifying reasonableness of listed transactions.

7. Manage the following revenue projection in an accurate, complete and timely manner for World Concern countries in Africa:

• Long Term Pro-forma: design a tool that will project revenue and expenses for the various country programs. Analyze date and present recommendations to leadership

• Short Term Pro-forma: use the analysis from the projected revenue and expenses to recommend future budget planning.

8. Review and analyze monthly financial statements for all programs in the Africa Region and report the financial status of each country program to the Africa Director and the relevant Country Director on a monthly basis.

9. Review journal entries and complete any adjusting entries as necessary, including but not limited to, time and effort allocation entries. 

10. Oversee the monthly statement of field income and recognition of revenue.

11. Ensure the field based accounting system(s) is being properly updated and maintained, including closed out at month end/year end.

12. Manage and supervise the performance of the Africa Regional Finance Manager. Provide technical oversight to the Country Accountants. 

13. Ensure systems related to logistics/procurement are well integrated into the accounting systems to capture all expense details on a monthly basis.

14. Review asset listing to ensure that assets are adequately recorded, uniquely identified, inventoried on a periodic basis, depreciated, insured and disposed of as per WC policy.

15. Design and direct training initiatives, building capacity, to ensure finance staff are equipped to perform their roles and responsibilities with accuracy & professionalism. Make recommendations to the country leadership regarding the depth of the finance team to provide strong cover for leave or R & R. 

16. Provide financial training to budget-managers, to assist them in enforcing financial controls & making decisions based on financial reports.

17. Provide support in trouble-shooting situations, regarding day to day financial operations and training as needed.

Compliance

1. Make sure all financial transactions are in compliance with the requirements for supporting documentation, following World Concern procedures as well as any applicable donor requirements. Ensure all additional documents are obtained and procedures required by U.S. government grants are followed as applicable.

2. Supervise and coordinate all auditing requirements for the Kenya/Africa Office, Country and donor audits as required. Provide requested documentation to the WC headquarters office for the organization’s annual audit, meeting deadlines as stipulated.

3. Identify and mitigate financial, legal and compliance risk by periodically conducting program/country risk assessments with relevant team members.

4. Review existing World Concern finance and accounting policies, procedures and systems in each area of operation to ensure compliance and smooth operations. Identify, develop, implement and administer policies and procedures necessary for the effective financial operations throughout World Concern Africa.

5. Understand individual country regulations by keeping abreast of tax law, labor law, registration & visa requirements, etc; advise the Country Director on needed actions to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and laws.

6. Develop an internal audit program and schedule to include regular field visits in order to assess the compliance of financial/procurement/asset management systems, procedures and guidelines. Submit audit reports to WC Senior Accountant and Africa Area Director for review. Report should include recommendations for improvement. Assist in implementing agreed upon improvements and monitor follow up actions. 

REQUIRED EDUCATION, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

1. Spiritually mature follower of Jesus Christ. 

2. Commitment to World Concern’s values and mission.

3. Bachelor’s degree in Accounting 

4. Ten years accounting experience in a business and/or non-profit organization, with at least five in a leadership role

5. Administration and management experience in a cross-cultural setting.

6. Excellent communications skills; demonstrated ability to read, write and speak English fluently.

7. Working knowledge of accounting software packages and Microsoft Office. 

8. Must have problem solving capabilities; be able to work independently while staying aligned with the culture and strategic direction of the organization.

9. Work efficiently and professionally with a variety of personality types.

10. Available for at least a two year commitment.

Preferred Education, Skills & Experience:

1. Grant Compliance and Governance, including U.S. Government grants.

2. Licensed as a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Management Accountant.

3. Demonstrated ability to teach and train others in small group settings.

4. Ability to read, write and speak French

Working Conditions:

1. Requires periodic travel to WC operational areas in Africa; currently S. Sudan, Somalia/Somaliland, Kenya and Chad with likely travel to the US headquarters in Seattle, WA. 

2. Urban living conditions. Field locations are often in remote areas without basic infrastructure (roads, power, water, hospitals). Must be able to endure hardships of heat, basic shelter and rough roads for periods of up to two weeks.

Apply copy and paste the link in your browser

https://ch.tbe.taleo.net/CH03/ats/careers/apply.jsp?org=CRISTA&cws=3