Finance Officer at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Finance Officer

Location: Maiduguri - Borno State

Role Purpose

The purpose of this role is to provide timely, accurate financial information and ensure that Grants expenditures are in line with specific FAD/donor requirements.
The role’s support is to the Humanitarian Programs (GAC EiC) Project.

Dimensions of the Role

Communicates within Plan International Nigeria and with partners and related government institutions.
The post holder will contribute towards financial management of the office and programmes, interfacing with both operational and programme team members.
The post holder will also contribute towards the organisational development of Plan Internationals implementing partners
Budgets - Monitor the budget of the Project.
Reporting - Support financial reporting of the Project.
Area of Responsibility - GAC IHA EiC Project in the Borno state.

Accountabilities
SAP Administration:

Assist with the finance component set-up of the project in SAP.
Support the Finance Manager – Humanitarian and Project Managers to prepare the annual finance budgets for all projects.
Support the KP06 budget preparation and periodic upload in SAP.

Capacity Building and Support:

Provide technical assistance in terms of accounting (use of SAP), financial management, financial policy formulation, and systems of internal control to all partners/grantees to ensure compliance in terms with donor rules and regulations.
Support the assessments of partner/grantee organizations as directed by the Finance Manager GAC and the Finance Manager-Humanitarian.
Ensure receipt of timely and accurate accounting and financial reports from partners.
Monitor the partner burn rate and offer timely advice to the partner and programs team for prompt action and decision-making.
Support the preparation of financial reports based on donor requirements.
Ensure proper filing (electronic and hard copy) of grants financial reports.
Ensure that partners used the standard reporting templates and formats for their reports.
Prepare the Projects expenditure tracker.
Support the CO in recharging costs to the relevant Projects.
Review partner budget and provide assistance and guidance where necessary including the monitoring and interpretation of project budgets versus actual expenditures.
Support train staff and partners on donor policies, rules and regulations.
Facilitate timely partner advance request and liquidation in SAP.
Review Partners/grantee liquidation and recommend for approval.
Conduct and document regular partner visits to ensure compliance with grant agreement.
Fulfill Plan’s Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy at all times.
Monitor and track finance related performance measurement indicators and liaise with Finance Manager to implement strategies to improve performance.
Explain donor requirements and organizational financial policy & procedures to staff and ensure compliance.
Prepare and review on a monthly basis, donor-specific bank reconciliation statements and receipts/deposits reconciliations.

Internal Financial Controls and Payments:

Ensure that the documentation for payment is acceptable and accurate with arithmetic calculations being correct
Approved payment request should be processed within one week of receipt
Prepare the withholding tax and vat schedule where relevant before payment is done.

Travel Advances:

Ensure that filing of travel advances, per diem calculations and travel reconciliation forms are reviewed;
Ensure that all travel and purchase advances are liquidated on time.

Others:

Perform any other project related duties as specified by the Finance Coordinator and/or the Finance Manager-Humanitarian.

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Essential:

Degree in Accounting or equivalent.
Preferred qualifications: knowledge of and experience with the key donors in the industry is strongly preferred.
Knowledge of SAP system
Experience providing capacity development assistance to sub-grantees strongly preferred.
Minimum of 3 years’ experience in donor funds grants administration.
Experience working with sub-grantees required.
Fluency in local language and English required.

Desirable:
Skills & Knowledge

Excellent and demonstrable experience in grant and financial management.
Knowledge and understanding of Nigeria’s policy environment
Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including good listening skills, influencing, negotiation and coaching.
Actively seeks for support in addressing difficulties in execution of duties.
Strategic thinking and effective contribution to own work and Organizational development.
Sound judgement and decision-making in complex situations.
Strong emotional intelligence including self-awareness.
Leads by example to motivate high performance of others.
Very strong commitment to continuous learning.
Creates strong sense of purpose and commitment within own part of operations and with stakeholders.
Holds self and others to account to deliver on agreed goals and standards of behaviour
Demonstrates a high degree of professionalism/integrity.
Provides good and adequate support to enable programmes to meet its agreed financial and program outcomes.