British Council Job Openings in Lagos, 10th May 2017
The British Council is the world's leading cultural relations
organization and creates opportunities for people in the UK and
worldwide to understand each other, to work together and learn from
one another. We see this as crucial to building secure, more prosperous
and sustainable futures for us all.
We build trust and
understanding between different countries and cultures and
develop strong international links that are of benefit to
people in Britain and the rest of the world.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Financial Controller - West Africa
Location: Nigeria
Pay Band: PB7 - F
Reports to: Regional Financial Controller
Duration of Job: Indefinite
Role Purpose
- This role supports the Regional Financial Controller with the
end to end accounting process across the operation; including month and
year end close, and ensures consistent, accurate and robust financial
accounting processes in line with accounting practices and corporate
policies. This is a key role in the new organisational structure
emerging from the Financial Transparency recommendations.
- The role will manage a team (size will vary by region) of accountants which may be based in multiple locations.
Main Accountabilities
The post-holder will:
- Manage the financial month end process, being accountable to the
Regional Financial Controller for the pre-closing and month end closing
steps, including maintenance of accounting records.
- As part of this the role will also be responsible for review and
monitoring all accounting transactions and adjustments (accruals,
deferrals and provisions), including Inter-company accounting, ensuring
appropriate use of these in line with accounting rules
- Review all manual journals and off-system payments to ensure accuracy and compliance with relevant policies
- Perform reconciliation of all relevant accounts and ensure that this is completed to corporate standards
- Ensure that local external accounting requirements are adhered
to. This may include managing local providers such as tax accountants or
auditors
- Submission of local Tax and other statutory returns to Regional Financial Controller for approval
- Provide an advisory function to cluster operations on technical
accounting issues, and liaise with other specialist finance functions
such as Tax and Treasury as needed
- Identify issues and resolution in relation to financial accounting matters
- Ensure that requests for new Master Data items (Profit Centre,
Cost Centre, WBS, etc.) are compliant and that the integrity of finances
is maintained
- Produce periodic reports relating to financial accounting for cluster as requested by Regional Financial Controller
- Monitor the cost allocation ratios for the cluster operations to ensure that they are based in accurate accounting rationale
- Ensure that the cluster operation fully complies with Travel
& Expenses policy and that claims are submitted promptly and
accurately with relevant documentation
- Manage the creation of billing documents once the process has been initiated by the cluster operation and monitors debt levels
- Manage the process of Income in kind submissions
- Manage with Regional Financial Controller the service level agreement(s) with SSC
- Co-ordinate at cluster level provision of information to internal / external auditors
- Implement audit recommendations at cluster level
- Supporting cluster country going through a Tax and Status change project
- Supporting subsidiaries in cluster on post-stabilisation phase
- Responsible for cluster management of:
- Banking relationship
- Capital assets additions, disposals and depreciation
- Compliance with treasury policy
- Capital markets and funding o Financial risk management/FX management
Team Leadership and Management:
- Demonstrate effective leadership of the cluster Financial
Controlling and Accounting team and ensure that line management of staff
is to British Council standards
- Coach and support individuals and teams
- Ensure that capability and capacity in the Financial Controlling
and Accounting team is fit-for purpose and able to respond flexibly to
changes in the portfolio and operating context
- Ensure financial training for members of the team
- Ensure Performance Management process in undertaken to meet corporate requirements
- Actively support equality and diversity and work to the British Council’s EDI policy at all times.
Key Relationships:
Internal
- Country Directors & Cluster Leads
- Regional Finance Director
- FP&A Leads
- Risk and Compliance Lead
- Shared Services Centre
- Corporate Finance External
- Bank relationship manager
Person Specification
Qualification:
- Qualified Accountant - ACCA or CFA - with at least 3 years of experience post-qualification.
Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:
- Excellent leadership and communication skills
- Able to relay complex financial information in an easy-to-understand way
- Highly organised and deadline oriented.
- Minimum of 3 years of qualified experience in a relevant managerial post.
- Experience of managing a diverse team or group of stakeholders in multiple locations.
- Experience of an ERP system.
Language Requirement:
- Fluency in written and spoken English:
- Shortlisted candidates will either demonstrate they have met
the required standard through presentation of an agreed English
language certificate, or will be required to take the APTIS test and
demonstrate a B2 level of English proficiency.
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply for this position
Job Title: Financial Planning and Analysis Lead - West Africa Cluster
Location: Nigeria
Pay Band: 7/F
Reports To: Regional Head of Financial Planning and Analysis
Duration of Job: Indefinite
Role Purpose
- To support the Regional Head Financial Planning and Analysis in
providing professional guidance in Financial Planning and Analysis,
supporting regional Business Development Managers and providing
assurance on the underlying business financial performance.
- The post holder will be in charge of analysing and interpreting
long - and short - term financial and operational plans through
management reporting, analysis and interpretation of financial trends,
impact assessment in conjunction with the Regional Head in order to
enable informed decisions.
- This post will be part of the SSA regional FP&A team that is
dispersed across the region. The role will support all countries and
SBUs within the cluster.
Main Opportunities/Challenges for this Role
- The Finance function is structured along functional lines with
the aim of embedding the ‘three lines of defense’ model at its heart,
clearly separating the financial control (first line) and risk and
assurance (second line) functions, ensuring the integrity of our results
and the strength of our controls.
- This will allow the organization to focus more easily on
business decision making, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting
on the basis of accurate monthly results. This is a critical advisory
role where effectiveness is dependent on ability to influence.
- Personal confidence and credibility is required to ensure advice is seriously considered by senior members of the Regional team.
Main Accountabilities
- Accountable for the analysis and interpretation of long-term
financial and operational plans for Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and
Senegal, being countries within the West Africa cluster, including all
SBUs through management reporting, analysis and interpretation of
financial trends
Planning, Forecasting and Budgeting:
- Lead the planning process for Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and
Senegal, being countries within the West Africa cluster, including all
SBUs, challenging submissions and identifying synergies and ensuring
delivery to deadlines.
- Provide clear summaries of Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and
Senegal, being countries within the West Africa cluster, including all
SBUs planning / forecasting
- Support planning and rolling re-forecasting processes as
requested by Regional Head FP&A to ensure that information obtained
from these processes is reliable
- Support the Regional Head FP&A in developing reporting procedures and templates for regional and local use
- Reconciliation and review of SAP plans before system closure.
Financial Analysis:
- Analyses growth trends, product trends and KPIs and support the
Regional Head FP&A in making recommendations to maximise
opportunities and manage risks to ensure targets are met.
Management Reporting:
- Manage Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Senegal, being
countries within the West Africa cluster, including all SBUs management
reporting for consolidation at Regional level for SBU leads and
Executive Board
- Liaise with business leads and Regional Head FP&A for any
variances between business planning and operational planning figures and
provide explanations / commentary.
Business Performance Management:
- Review financial performance with the business leads and make
recommendations for action to address issues identified at Country or
Regional levels
- Monitor cost allocation accuracy
- Deliver outputs within corporate and regional timelines as requested by Regional Head FP&A.
- Support the business in relation to Master Data set up (WBS, PC, CC).
Team Leadership:
- Coach and support individuals and teams within the cluster countries and SBUs
- Actively support equality and diversity and work to the British Council’s EDI policy at all times.
Key Relationships:
- Internal & External
- Regional Director
- Country Directors
- Cluster Leads
- SBU Leads
- Regional Finance
- Corporate Planning Team
- Corporate Finance
Person Specification
Qualifications:
- Degree level education. Part qualified with a recognized Accounting body.
- Fully qualified with a recognized Accounting body ACCA, CPA, ACA, CIMA or equivalent professional accountancy qualification.
Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:
- Minimum 2 years of experience in Operational financial management and or management accounting
- Delivery of results within a complex international structure and reporting to tight deadlines
- Working in virtual teams.
- Working in Sub Saharan Africa
- Experience in finance planning and management reporting. ï‚· Experience working with SAP.
- Role Specific Skills (if any) Assessment Stage
- Reporting, planning & forecasting within a complex multi-site environment
- Ability to explain complex financial data to non-finance people, using non-technical language
- Advanced excel skills including pivot tables
- ERP systems experience (transaction level and reporting).
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Shortlisted candidates will either demonstrate they have met
the required standard through presentation of an agreed English
language certificate, or will be required to take the APTIS test and
demonstrate a B2 level of English proficiency.
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply for this position
Job Title: Risk and Compliance Lead - West Africa
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Role Type Advisory, Policy and Expertise
Pay Band: 7/F
Duration: Indefinite
Reports to: Regional Head Risk and Compliance
Role Purpose
- This role exists to monitor the effectiveness of financial
controls, using corporate frameworks as specified; to monitor risk
levels and take corrective action where this is required. It also acts
as the first point of contact within the region for counter-fraud
activity, and will participate in and lead regional investigations as
needed drawing on the expertise of the Central Fraud team and acting on
their advice. The role holder is accountable for recommending
appropriate action to the Regional Finance Director.
Context and Environment:
- The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for
cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly
knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other
countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and
the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities,
building connections and engendering trust.
- We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields
of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each
year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500
million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934,
we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.
Internal Operating Context-Regional:
- The SSA Business Plan sets out ambitious growth targets for both
the number of people we will work with and the income that we will
generate. Turnover by 2020 is expected to be over to £90 million in SSA,
driven predominately by growth in Contract income as well as Exams and
Teaching centres, despite a declining grant funding from centre. We also
expect to be more profitable, reinforcing financial sustainability. At
the same time we aim to achieve a step-change in the quality and
performance of the
- British Council’s Finance function by April 2018. This will be
achieved through more consistent standard of financial reporting
enabling more informed decision making and satisfy the standards
demanded by external stakeholders.
- The organisation will achieve this by becoming increasingly
efficient and commercial in its approach whilst maintaining its public
service ethos and charitable purpose. This will be done through the
implementation of a number of change programmes, which will result in
more efficient and simpler processes.
- This inevitably will expose the region to increased risks, which
must be carefully mitigating in a manner that allows business to
continue seamlessly.
- The successful candidate must be collaborative and proactive in approach to successfully manage this large portfolio.
Main Accountabilities
- The post-holder is accountable for Financial Risk Responses,
supporting the implementation of and monitoring the adherence to,
Finance policy and process in the cluster, providing a critical part of
the feedback loop to Regional Head Risk and Compliance.
- They will proactively analyse the control environment, identify hot spots and ‘trouble shoot’ as needed.
- They will make recommendations to Regional Head Risk and
Compliance for remediation and drive through change to meet required
standards.
- They will also lead on counter-fraud planning and initiatives
within their cluster, working closely with the central counter fraud
team
The role will:
- Ensure adherence with the global minimum controls standards
(MCS) as defined by Financial Governance and monitor performance on a
quarterly / annual basis as requested by Regional Head Risk and
Compliance.
- Spot checking of evidence for key control and assurance tasks and escalate key issues to Regional Head Risk and Compliance.
- Agreement and follow up of remediation actions where countries
are not achieving the required standards and escalate key issues to
Regional Head Risk and Compliance.
- Implement processes and policies to assess and/or monitor the
effectiveness of risk governance frameworks / adherence to standards as
appropriate.
- Assess risk/fraud profiles within Region/Country in relation to
political/economic changes and understand how this impacts on the Global
Risk Framework.
- Foster a culture of Risk Management supported by policies and guidance.
- Proactively investigate potential problem areas and provide
coaching and training to relevant individuals/teams across the region to
raise awareness and build capability in risk management
- Work with Global teams in the identification of compliance program initiatives.
- Develop the organizations capability around risk governance,
counter fraud management and decision processes aligned with British
Council’s operating model and risk strategy.
- Ensure the highest level of compliance and accuracy of all
balance sheet reconciliations, bank reconciliations and income
reconciliations.
- Define the reporting requirements to meet the needs of key stakeholders and address key areas of risk.
- Implement a culture and process of pro-active debt collection.
Identify and manage recurrent debtors including partners and suppliers.
- Ensure all vendors are appropriately screened/credit checked as per British Council policies.
- Implement business partner credit risk assessment tools.
- Maintain strong and effective working relationships with all areas of Risk Management.
- Schedule regular meetings with leadership team in order to
ensure a planned and systematic approach to identify, prioritize and
assess appropriate compliance related activities.
- Implement, and ensure compliance with, Counter Fraud management strategy:
- Advice, support and conduct investigations and management of fraud cases.
- Identify enablers for fraud, to inform and improve prevention efforts.
- Use data analysis to support and inform proactive counter fraud
Key Relationships:
- Cluster Leads
- Risk & Compliance Managers
- Policy and Process Analysts
- Shared Services Centre
- Counter Fraud Team
- Financial Governance Team
Other important features or requirements of the job:
- Requirement to travel across the region and to the UK but should be no more than 25%.
Role Requirements
Threshold requirements:
Passport requirements/Right to work in country:
Assessment stage:
Threshold requirements:
Direct contact or managing staff working with children?:
Assessment stage:
Person Specification
Qualifications:
Minimum / essential:
- University Degree in a relevant area, preferably Accounting, Auditing or Finance.
Desirable:
- Formal Training in Counter Fraud Management.
- Risk Management qualification / diploma.
Assessment Stage:
Role Specific Knowledge & Experience
Minimum / essential:
- Minimum of 3 years of qualified experience in a relevant managerial post.
- Strong multi-tasking skills and the ability to work in what is
often a confidential, responsive, deadlineoriented and dynamic
environment.
Desirable:
- Counter Fraud Management experience, including counter fraud planning and counter fraud investigations.
Assessment Stage:
- Shortlisting:
- Fluency in written and spoken English Shortlisted candidates
will either demonstrate they have met the required standard through
presentation of an agreed English language certificate, or will be
required to take the APTIS test and demonstrate a B2 level of English
proficiency.
British Council Core Skills Assessment Stage:
- Analysing Data and Problems Level 3: Analyses patterns - Seeks
out and examines a range of information to identify patterns, trends and
options, to solve multifaceted and complex problems.
- Communicating and Influencing Level 3: IsIs creative and
adaptable in communications - Able to use a range of non-standard and
creative approaches to inform, and persuade others, extending beyond
logical argument to influence decisions and actions in a way which is
inclusive and engaging.
Managing risks:
- Level 2: Supports a risk management culture - Has track record
of identifying and highlighting risks and suggesting mitigating actions.
Managing People:
- Level 2: Supervises a small team - Supervises a small team of
people doing similar jobs to deliver short term tasks to agreed quality
and time standards.
Counter Fraud Management:
- Level 2: Deliver training and build networks to raise awareness of fraud and its prevention.
Financial Policy:
- Level 2: Identify and address the need for local variations to global policies, in consultation with stakeholders.
Finance Processes and Systems:
- Level 2: Inform and advise on the implementation of process performance measures and controls.
Financial Risk Mitigation:
- Level 2: Operate the process effectively to ensure significant financial risks are identified, mitigated and reported.
Internal Control Implementation and Assurance:
- Level 2: Contribute to the development and implementation of governance frameworks and financial controls.
- Proven risk management skills.
- Strong problem-solving skills; comfortable tackling complex problems and breaking these down into manageable pieces.
British Council Behaviours Assessment Stage
Working Together (More Demanding):
- Creating the environment in which others who have different aims can work together
Shaping the Future (More Demanding):
- Changing the nature of what we do and the benefits we gain by thinking and planning with creativity
Creating Shared Purpose (More Demanding):
- Creating energy and clarity so that people want to work purposefully together.
Connecting with Others (More Demanding):
- Actively appreciating the needs and concerns of myself and others.
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply for this position
Note: Short-listing will be carried out against the essential knowledge, skills, qualifications and experience as specified in the Role Profile which accompanies this.
Click here to download BC Behaviour (pdf)
Click here to download BC Core skills (pdf)
Application Deadline 22nd May, 2017.