Finance Director

Vacancy Announcement

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. CARE has been operational in Nepal since 1978 and works in partnerships with government and non-government stakeholders across the spectrum of humanitarian action and long-term development programs.

CARE Nepal hereby invites applications, for the below mentioned position, from interested Nepali candidates.

Finance Director 

JOB SUMMARY

The primary function of the Country Office (CO) Finance Director is to develop, manage and administer the CO plans for proper recording, documentation, control, monitoring and reporting of financial operations in compliance with CARE and donor rules & regulations. S/he provides oversight of the day-to-day financial operations at the CO level and is accountable for organizing and providing high level quality financial services to CO programs, projects and units staff. S/he works closely with the Shared Services Center (SSC) and Regional Management Unit (RMU) and CO senior management to ensure appropriate financial support and resources are available. S/he ensures a partnership is developed and nurtured between Finance, Program and other program support units in the CO.

The CO Finance Director profile includes: very strong accounting and financial management knowledge, analytical skills, attention to details, ability to work effectively under time pressure, very strong business partnering skills with ability to influence CO senior staff, team player, proactive individual with ability to offer structured guidance, ability to ensure that the right priorities are set for the CO finance team, proven experience in training finance and non-finance staff, proficiency in English.

The CO Finance Director position has direct reporting line to the Country Director with dotted lines to SSC (i.e. Finance and Accounting Director or designee) and RMU (i.e. Deputy Regional Director for Program Support). The employee shall fully comply with CARE policies and procedures and should be accountable for it.

Please click this link for detailed job description. 

https://carenepal.org/job/finance-director/

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

1.  Strategic Leadership and Planning                               % of Time: 25

• As a member of the CO Nepal Senior Management Team, participate in strategic & operational planning, and contribute in financial management leading to regional level discussions; 
• Lead the financial planning for CARE Nepal ensuring a good match between plans and the availability of resources;
• Monitor the performance of existing policies, systems and procedures in order to identify improvement/s and taking corrective action as appropriate; 
• Ensure financial viability, perform critical financial analysis and decision making for the mission; 
• Ensure CO compliance with CARE’s accounting policy and procedures and generally accepted accounting principles;
• Reviewing all donor contracts in from a Finance point of view before execution;
• Ensure all reports are made on time and accurately (Donor reports, Budget Utilization reports, Portfolio, grants & Contracts receivables & Payables)  
• Develop and implement the CO accounting systems and procedures; supervise the protection of the organization’s assets through strengthening internal controls and providing inputs into the auditing procedures; 
• In coordination with other Program Support Team Managers, form a part of the leadership in supervision and development of inventory control procedures;
• Facilitate any internal and external audits conducted by Headquarters or the donors and follow up the implementations of the audit recommendation;
• Supervise the CO payroll system to include taxes and other deductions;
• Review all leases and other contracts that require current and future use of CO assets and make any relevant recommendations;
• Supervise and control the quality of the CO financial processes and systems, file maintenance such as vendor payments and donor files, accounting segments (project, fund, account, location, activity code), etc.;
• Work with program teams on sub grant management through supervision of the financial related assessments, indication of financial management risks, and implementation of preventive/corrective actions; 
• Liaison with local administration and networking on financial matters; 
• Update information on local laws and tax regulations to ensure CARE is compliant with local regulations.

2.  Treasury and Cash functions         % of Time: 20

• Provide oversight to day-to-day operations to include efficient process flows and controls over Accounts Payable, Cash Management, Accounts Receivables, general ledger, project costing modules in PeopleSoft;
• Ensure expenditures are justified and substantiated adequately; 
• Coordinate banking operations and maintain liaison with bankers;
• Supervise the collection of contractual and miscellaneous receivables; 
• Supervise the preparation of the CO quarterly and annual cash budgets; 
• Develop CO plans to minimize exposure to currency gains and losses;
• Develop and implement CO account payable and cash disbursement policies; 
• Ensure bank and cash accounts are reconciled in a timely manner.

3.  Budgeting and Forecasting         % of Time: 20

• Develop budget guidelines and supervise the preparation of the CO budgets to include project proposal budgets and monthly, quarterly and annual operating budgets; 
• Coordinate and supervise the preparation of the CO quarterly forecast (pipeline) budgets and future years’ budgets; 
• Implement CARE guidelines and processes related to fair sharing of administrative and finance support costs (SPC);
• Supervise the monitoring of actual expenses against budgets, initiate and discuss budget revisions and interact with the Country Director, Assistant Country Directors, Program Coordinators, Project Managers, and other Managers who make budget decisions in the CO; 
• Initiate trainings for non-finance staff to enforce accountabilities of budget holders and their staff for effective budget management.

4.  Financial Reports and Quality Reviews           % of Time: 15

• Accountable for the preparation and submission of complete, accurate, reliable and timely financial reports to CO Managers, donors, local entities as relevant, CARE International Members, regional office and Headquarters;
• Supervise and control the quality of the monthly preparation of finance reports to include: bank reconciliation reports, intra-company reconciliation, payroll reconciliation, sub-office reports, sub ledger and non-sub ledger accounts reconciliation;
• Ensure quality review of balance sheet, income statement, grants and contracts receivable/payable accounts, etc. at least monthly. 

5.  Staff and Talent Management             % of Time: 15

• Provide supervision and development to staff in the CO finance department; Provide accounting and financial training to main and sub office finance staff and project finance staff;
• Organize training in financial management to non-finance staff as necessary; Implement CARE’s Annual Performance Assessment policy; 
• Develop succession plan to ensure that Finance level of service will not suffer due to the loss of personnel;
• Provide guidance to subordinate staff in implementing the staff development plan;
• Work with the DRD-PS at ARMU and Accounting Director at SSC to develop and manage talent in the CO finance unit. 

6.  General and other duties                % of Time: 05

• Assist the Heads of Programs and other CO program staff in the development of project proposals, personal and development plans;
• Develop financial and accounting training program to meet the organizational goals for sustainable improved performance in financial management in CO;
• Assist the CD and other senior CO staff in the review and implementation of donor contracts and other financial commitments;
• Identify and communicate potential issues regarding financial statement accounts to the CD, ACDs, CO staff and management in the main and sub offices;
• Assist the CD in preparing responses to audit findings, planning and implementing audit recommendations. 
• Help to promote rights and good governance;
• Responsible for gender responsive behaviour in all actions and decisions;
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

AUTHORITY:

Spending Authority: Finance Department

IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS: 

• Internal: S/he works closely with Country Director, ACD-PS  & ACD-PQ, CO Senior Management Team; Deputy Regional Director-Program Support (DRD-PS); Shared Services Center (SSC) Accounting / Finance Director; Project Managers; Accountants; Financial Analysts; Global Controller and Asia Regional Management Unit (ARMU)
• External: External auditors, Donors, local government agencies as appropriate, Banks

Working conditions:

Based in Country Office, CARE Nepal, Kathmandu.

PERSON SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: 

Qualification: 

• Chartered Accountant (ACCA, CPA, CA) or Bachelors with an Accounting degree from a recognised university 

Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience as a Head of Finance/Finance Manager or equivalent position
• 5 to 10 years’ experience in Not for Profit financial, budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, grants/contracts management and business management
• Demonstrate experience with financial troubleshooting and audit. 

Competencies:

• Forecasting and Budgeting: Able to project future financial and operational resources and requirements (e.g., cash, revenue, viability, people, and more); Able to prepare the financial plan (control, authorization, resource commitment, and needs) for a specific period of time or project
• Financial Analysis: Able to analyze the financial statements and data to provide insights about the financial performance and position of the organization over time and in comparison with others
• Internal and External Reporting: Able to define, develop, generate or prepare internal and external financial reports for both individual entities or groups using appropriate accounting and/or regulatory requirements, and internal management reports that compare actual results to planned results; able to deliver, discuss, and report on the organization’s operations and financial conditions, and recommend interventions where necessary
• Awards and Sub awards Management: Understands the award and sub-award life cycle; able to design and implement processes and internal controls in compliance with organizational policies and procedures and donor regulations
• Information Systems and Software Literacy: Able to use technology to solve problems, analyze data, and enhance business performance
• Strategic leadership & execution: Applies vision to think beyond the immediate situation. Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection. Ensures business goals are met by executing, monitoring, & adjusting.
• People Leadership: Inspires, motivates, & empowers people to achieve organizational goals. Coaches, mentors, and manages employee experience, and employee performance. Creates space for others to lead.
• Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans
• Inclusion: Contributes to an environment where all employees feel a sense of belonging, valued for their differences, and empowered to participate and contribute freely.

CARE places human dignity at the center of its relief and development work. At the heart of CARE’s efforts to impact poverty and social justice is its engagement with marginalized communities, and vulnerable adults and children. Vulnerable adults and children are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. CARE commits to the protection from sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse (PSHEA) of vulnerable adults, involving CARE Employees and Related Personnel. CARE has a zero tolerance toward sexual exploitation and abuse and child abuse. CARE takes seriously all concerns and complaints about sexual exploitation and abuse and child abuse involving CARE Employees and Related Personnel. CARE initiates rigorous investigation of complaints that indicate a possible violation of this policy and takes appropriate disciplinary action, as warranted.

CARE Nepal participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All CARE Nepal’s offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We seek candidates who will bring diverse cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives to our team. Women, people representing marginalized groups in Nepal, people with disabilities, and LGBTIQ++ people are strongly encouraged to apply. 

We offer fully flexible work norms to staff in good standing. This means our staff and teams work from anywhere, at any time, in the manner required to maximize efficiency and effectiveness while reducing stress. Staff and line managers are fully empowered and accountable for results; hard work alone is insufficient.

Interested candidates are encouraged to visit our website at www.carenepal.org and complete the application process. The last date for submitting the application is 17:00hrs, October 19, 2022.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Telephone enquiries will not be entertained.

“CARE Nepal is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates of diverse background, women and differently abled, to apply”