Finance & Administration Associate Manager job at ZOA Uganda

Job Title: Finance & Administration Associate Manager

Reporting to: Program Manager- West Nile

Purpose of the position

The Finance & Administration Associate Manager West Nile is responsible for financial control and general financial and administrative support to the West Nile field office. The job holder oversees risks and compliance checks within the West Nile programme. He/she also oversees all the Finance tasks and operations within the West Nile programme.

Responsibilities

Financial Management

• Provide leadership, and financial insights to the finance and accounting areas of the ZOA West Nile programme, proposing and implementing improvements in operational management processes to increase efficiency and timeliness in operations.
• Ensure internal controls at field level are maintained, the field staffs understand them, and they are fully complied to.
• Collaborate with Country Office finance support team ensuring regular reporting and updates as and when required.
• Periodic meetings with the field finance team for relevant accounting needs and deliverables.

Financial Reporting

• Ensure accurate and timely financial reports are submitted to the Programme Manager and Country Office Finance Manager for decision making.
• Confirm expense codes on all requests as they are received, correct where necessary through the budget manager and the responsible staff.
• Assist project management by explaining variances in line with finance policies.
• Accountable for ensuring that all financial aspects of the project adhere to local laws and regulations and to donor specific requirements.
• Support in sub-award grantee reporting, ensuring that partners use the budgeting and reporting templates provided at the time of signing the Partnership Agreements
• Prepare, analyse, and submit accurate monthly financial and management reports, including; income statement, balance sheet, budget and variance, projections and forecast, and cash flow.
• Coordinate the preparation of the audited financial statements and all tax returns

Financial Control & Accounting

• Observe and implement accounting systems, payments, bookkeeping, statutory filing, revenue management, and improvement of payment systems.
• Ensure that all financial transactions are processed accurately, in a timely manner, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles through the ERP system, identifying and correcting any variances.
• Develop, implement, and maintain processes and controls that are current best practices related to transaction processing.
• Perform month-end closing procedures, including account reconciliations, and updating schedules.
• Review all payments in the Beyonic payment system and any other payment platforms to ensure all payments are compliant to the set-out procedures.

Budget Management

• Support budget holders to prepare periodic budgets and forecasts while providing clarity where needed.
• Offer periodic training or refresher training to the teams aimed at improving financial management, discipline and accountability as stipulated in ZOA policies and procedures.

Risk and compliance oversight

• Oversee application of ZOA financial policies and guidelines ensuring compliance
• Support preparation of audits for smooth running of project audits
• Identify internal constraints which undermine compliance within program and operations, and propose corrective measures, review the current approaches available on assessing, measuring and mitigating risks.
• propose risk mitigation and compliance measures in key operational areas.
• Work with project teams to ensure awareness of and compliance with donor grant requirements and internal policies and procedures.
• Review field-based contracts before final approval to detect risk exposures arising from the contacting process and clauses whose interpretation brings ambiguity.
• As and when needed, work hand in hand with the MEAL officers to ensure quality supporting documentation thus curbing potential risks arising from implementation.

Finance Team Management

• Communicate to the Finance team members under his/her jurisdiction a clear and exciting vision for the work of ZOA and for the role of department in supporting the organisation;
• Responsible for induction, performance monitoring, and staff well-being of field finance staff team.
• Support team members to enable them give of their best e.g., by encouraging and praising good performance, coaching, assisting staff to prevent or resolve problems, providing resources, tools and equipment.
• Evaluate compliance with existing policies and procedures, identifying and proposing modifications for adoption by management.
• Ensure gender and conflict sensitive approach to team management.
• Monitor the quality of financial and administrative operations of the field offices.
• In consultation, support country office and field offices in the acquisition, purchase, contract management and tender procedures in accordance with ZOA internal systems and donor specific demands.
• Leave record keeping and other staff entitlements in line with the Condition of Service for the finance team.

HR Support

• Coordinate recruitment for support staff and ensure proper documentation of the entire recruitment process. Support orientation of new staff in the West Nile program.
• Manage the West Nile leave register and provide guidance on the different types of leave.
• Support payroll preparation by ensuring timely submission of mutation lists for staff, community volunteers & village agents.
• Ensure staff records are properly filled and managed in line with the Condition of Service.
• Act as a key source of support, guidance and expertise on HR functions for establishing a safe working environment for the staff in West Nile.

Requirements

Knowledge & Experience:

• University degree in Finance, Business Administration or any related field, CPA is an added advantage;
• Proven work experience of at least 4 years in a financial management or senior finance position
• Ability to work independently with a high sense of initiative taking and flexibility.
• Proven work experience with an INGO in the humanitarian/development sector.
• Proven experience with Excel, ERP systems or any other financial related MIS at the level of intermediate user;
• Experience in general team management

Managerial Competencies

• People management
• Delegation
• Planning and organising

Technical/Functional Competencies

• Accuracy
• Information analysis
• Innovation
• Cost efficiency
• Problem analysis

Attitude/behaviour:

• High level of personal integrity.
• Flexibility and adaptability.
• Interpersonal and cross-cultural sensitivity.
• Able to work under pressures and meet deadlines.
• Able to work in a sometimes fluid and innovative environment.
• Commitment to ZOA’s mission, vision and values (see https://www.zoa-international.com/corporate-identity

Salary and other terms of employment

The Finance & Admin Associate Manager will be based at the ZOA office in Arua, with up to 30% of time required for travel in field locations within the programme area, and to other programme locations/Kampala.

The role is 1.0 FTE (40 hrs/ week). Working hours are outlined in the ZOA Uganda Employee handbook. Some flexibility on working hours may be required, e.g. for travel at weekends, or during reporting times.

The role is recruited at Grade 5 in the ZOA Uganda 2023 salary scale.