Finance Officer 37 views

Terms of Employment : Definite period of Time

Reports to : Finance and Administration Head

ESD in Brief: Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an Ethiopian Residents Charity committed to work with children, youth and women in three regional states: Amhara, Oromiya and SNNPR states. ESD believes in a country without poverty, marginalization and exclusion. We strive for creating a brighter future for children, youth and women through education, skill training and women livelihood promotion in partnership with communities and their institutions and other stakeholders.

Job Purpose:

The primary responsibility of the person should be handling finance matters related to the organization and  donors. The main duties of the persons would include:

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate Fund transfer: Review project financial activities against financial plan, prepare Transfer Request Form, Collect fund transfer request from Program Department, Ensure timely transfer letter authorization and delivery to the Bank.
• Budget Preparation: Collect budget information from different units of the Organization, Review and correct the draft budget, Prepare and compile draft budget for Country Office (Core Admin), Collect draft budgets of the projects, Advice Program Dept in preparing the Budget, Review the draft project budgets, Communicate findings and agree on final version.
• Payroll preparation:
• Check Employment Contract file for new recruits and termination of contract for staff leaving the organization, Check temporary employees’ files for new recruit and renewal of contract, Check status of staff Provident Fund – PF entitlement, Present Payroll for checking and approval, Prepare letter for salary payment/ transfer to savings accounts/letter to banks for CPO, Income tax & withholding taxes and send to the Bank after payment authorization, Submit copy of letter initialed by the Bank to field Office, Retain copy of letter and collect bank advice for JV preparation, Distribute payroll slip to staff members, Prepare payroll summary for JV and File payroll copy for future reference.
• Follow-up: Check whether budget originally allocated/approved for purchase request/services required, Present cheque and payment vouchers checking and initial on payments,
• Ensure cheques/authorization letters are signed, Ensure cheques are timely collected/CPOs purchased from the Bank are sent to payee, Verify and ensure expense are within budget, Check and verify against previous payments, and report to Finance Manager,
• Controlling: Ensure all payments are carried out in accordance with the Financial Manual of the organization & Tax regulations. Return any incomplete documents by specifying missing documents, Present for checking and initial
• Bank Reconciliation: Collect monthly Bank Statement, Collect Bank Account General Leger for the respective month, Reconcile and identify outstanding cheques, payments and deductions, Prepare Bank Reconciliation, Present for checking and approval, Follow up clearance of outstanding items of bank reconciliation
• Record/Report: Ensure/participate in the daily Recording/posting all vouchers, Conduct quarterly budget variance analysis, Prepare quarterly financial budget performance evaluation report
• Documentation: Ensure payrolls/JVs., PVs. are signed and filed, Ascertain payment vouchers supporting documents are complete, Ensure timely printing/availability of financial documents, Ensure copies of contracts (employment/purchases/services) are available in the department, Ensure Revenue Stamps are affixed to contracts, where applicable, Ensure all documents are filled on daily basis
• Policy & Procedure: To ensure that that IRE is compliant with the donor Financial regulations. This requires that the person fully internalizes the requirements, orient other employees and follow up compliance, implement financial regulations and tax laws to jobs.
• Advice: To provide professional financial management advice to the budget holders and programme officers to ensure compliance with donor requirements. This requires that he/she does close monitoring of the budget utilization. The financial management advice should be provided in a structured way after the production and distribution of reports. This should be done at least on monthly basis involving the primary budget holders.
• Monitoring: To put in place a system of grant monitoring system which includes robust fund transfer trucking system; follow up budget amendments with the donors; Monitor each and every income and expense of the organization, check whether there is formal, reliable and convenient accounting system and procedures, if not so propose better way of accounting procedures for country office as well as project offices.
• Report: To prepare monthly bank reconciliations on QuickBooks system, prepare monthly financial and budget statements and submit to respective departments, prepare donor financial reports-monthly, quarterly and final- according to donors’ guidelines & within the time frame, prepare budget versus actual statement for budget authorization purpose.
• Recording: Check the accuracy of recording of source documents; journalize code and post accounting data/financial transactions, integrating new donors’ budget code to QuickBooks system
• Audit: Assist external/Internal auditors to facilitate their work on auditing, take the necessary audit recommendation/adjustments to be incorporated in the following accounting period.
• Follow-up: Follow up timely submission of financial documents from field offices, give professional assistance to field staff, review & examine take corrective action, orient & train field staff.

Person Specification

• Bachelor’s degree/Diploma in Accounting; minimum of  three and Five years respectively relevant experience of which at least 2 years in NGO/INGO
• Ability to work with financial software system is an advantage.
• Proven experience in grant monitoring
• Excellent interpersonal skills – builds good relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent oral and written communications in English
• Good organizing and planning skills
• Ability to manage a complex and demanding workload with flexible behavior
• Willing to travel to provide support to different field team in their compliance with donor regulations