Action Africa Help International (AAH-I) seeks to employ a Regional Finance and Administration Coordinator, Nairobi

Action Africa Help International (AAH-I) is a regional African-led non-governmental organization that supports livelihood-challenged communities in East and Southern Africa to sustainably improve their well-being and standard of living. With Country Programmes in South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Zambia, and Ethiopia. AAH-I has over 30 years’ experience working with communities in conflict and post-conflict situations, including refugees, internally displaced people and host communities. More recently AAH-I has expanded its activities to work with other marginalized communities, including pastoralists and people living in informal urban settlements.

AAH-I is currently recruiting a Regional Finance and Administration Coordinator who will provide finance and administration leadership for AAH-I to ensure standards of excellence through financial management, accountability and integrity. S/he will guide and enable the HQ/Country Offices, with a focus on ensuring accountability, capacity building of finance staff, coordination of budget and planning processes and review of financial strategies for AAH-I that best serve strategic and program objectives. Promote an environment of integration, innovation, empowerment and responsible stewardship throughout AAH-I.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Financial Planning and Management

• Lead the long term and annual financial planning and budgeting process by providing contextualized budget guidelines for the HQ and Country Offices finance teams.
• Review, consolidate HQ and Country Offices’ budgets and recommend them for approval to the Executive Director.
• Oversee the work and delivery of finance; administration; procurement and IT.
• Maintain donor engagement and represent AAH-I at donor meetings as required.
• Implementing a robust contract, financial management and reporting system for AAH-I.
• Ensuring compliance with the organization, donor and government financial, tax reporting and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee maintenance of security and accountability of cash on hand at HQ and at Country Offices.
• Supervise processing of all payments including verifying accuracy of invoices and support documents at HQ Offices.
• Familiarize finance staff at HQ and County Offices on operation and maintenance of intercompany accounts, and oversee monthly reconciliation of the same.
• Verify posting of transactions to journals, ledgers and other records, and prepare supporting account reconciliations on monthly basis
• Review and approve monthly funding requests from HQ and Country Offices and ensure that they are in compliance with AAH-I cash management policies and within committed budgets.
• Ensure appropriate financial monitoring frameworks and internal controls are in place in the HQ and in each Country Office.
• Ensure HQ and Country Offices are monitoring their spending against budget commitments to minimize under- and overspending
• Ensure HQ and Country Offices comply with donor contract requirements and year-end closing processes (including accrual accounting, carry-forward examination, pre-funding mechanism, etc.)
• Oversee and evaluate HQ and Country Offices’ financial performance and efficiency through management of score cards and conducting periodic reviews of Country Offices.
• Conduct capacity assessment of HQ and Country Office finance departments to ensure the finance department are strategically positioned to effectively deliver and support delivery of AAH-I strategic mandate.
• Manage relationships with financial institutions that work with AAH-I and secure funds necessary for the operations of the organization.

Reporting

• Ensure timely monthly and quarterly financial reporting both at HQ and Country Office level.
• Prepare and present to the Executive Director and Board financial statements and reports as required.
• Coordinate and lead the annual external audit process including donor and project specific audits, ensuring that resulting queries are fully addressed.

Risk Management

• Ensure HQ and Country Offices comply with AAH-I Finance Manual and align with new initiatives related to systems and processes.
• Ensure clean and improved internal audit results and follow up implementation of audit recommendations by HQ/Country Offices.
• Enhance and oversee risk management processes by ensuring that audit and risk assessments are conducted periodically and any fraudulent activities are properly investigated and reported.
• Assess the internal control environment of HQ and Country Offices and support in designing and improving internal control systems and project accounting systems.
• Alert the Executive Director/Country Directors about risk in the HQ and Country Offices

Board Participation

• As appropriate, participate in Board meetings on specific finance sessions such as budget presentation, risk issues, sharing the quarterly financial management scorecard and presenting key issues to the Board.
• Present timely high quality finance reports to the Board as required.
• Provide orientation of the Board members on financial management as required.

Administration and IT

• Oversee administrative policies to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness in: procurement services, office facilities, property and asset management.
• Ensure that the admin, IT & communication systems and processes support the internal and external relationships and ways of working that are prioritized for AAH-I.
• Ensure that admin, IT & communication systems safeguard and promote appropriate levels of access to the organization’s information.
• Embed accountability mechanisms within the department to contribute to a culture of accountability and excellence.
• Provide oversight and management for all direct reports and lead the establishment and functioning of a strong, effective and coordinated team.

Expected Outcomes

• Financial systems of the organization are well developed, implemented and monitored to reduce risk exposure and compliance to both organizational and statutory regulations.
• Organizational cash flow statements, budget adherence and audit gap closure statements prepared and submitted to the Executive Director and the Board for review.
• Organizational annual budgets are prepared in time for review and approval by the Board and a suitable monitoring process developed and implemented.
• Relationships between the organization and the bankers, external auditors and other financial service providers developed and maintained.
• Procedures governing the engagement of external financial service providers are developed and periodically reviewed to ensure value for organizational resources
• Functional polices and strategies for finance; administration; procurement and IT developed and implemented.
• Donor contract requirements are adhered to and timely reporting is done as per agreements.
• Compliance to policies is monitored and controls put in place to mitigate risk.
• Directors and managers are provided with regular and appropriate financial reports that facilitate decision making.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in Finance, Business Admin, Accounting or equivalent
• CPA (K) or equivalent certification
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in similar position preferably in an INGO.
• Solid knowledge of accounting principles, financial systems, budget/cash-flow monitoring and internal accounting controls
• Knowledge of and experience with donor and government grant regulations and financial reporting requirements.
• Senior leadership experience in strategic financial and operational management.

Additional Skills & Competences

• Knowledge and exposure to the social and cultural values of the region.
• Skilled in influencing and obtaining cooperation of individuals not under supervisory control; able to manage long-distance relationships to achieve results
• Strong inter-personal skills, and proven team-player
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Able to solve complex problems and to exercise independent judgment
• Able to work in a cross-cultural environment with a multi-national staff
• Good familiarity with Microsoft Office packages and PASTEL accounting software.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good analytical skills with good attention to detail
• Commitment to and understanding of AAH-I’s vision, mission, and values.