Director of Finance & IT

Due to the urgency to fill this role, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged.

About the role

As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in oPt, the Director of Finance and IT shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office (CO). The Director of Finance will be accountable to the Country Director (CD) for overseeing the Finance and IT Function, responsible for finance administration, fiscal management, financial and grant reporting, IT, and co-accountable with other senior leaders for risk management in both emergencies and development programming contexts. In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and vary working hours accordingly.

Reports to: Country Director. Dotted line: MENAEE Finance Director. Staff reporting to this post: CO Senior Finance Reporting Manager, CO Finance Budgeting Manager, CO Financial Control & Compliance Manager, Gaza Finance Manager, and CO IT Lead.

Responsibilities

• As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
  • Leadership of the oPt Country Office.
  • Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects broad-spectrum programming values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity, and innovation, and frees up staff to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for members and donors.
  • Support the design and implementation of a coherent organizational structure consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs.
  • Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with host government authorities, partner agencies (including major institutional donors), and local and international NGOs as requested, delegated, and authorized by the CD.
  • Ensure oPt Country Office complies with all Save the Children’s Quality Framework Essential Standards and Standard Operating Procedures.
  • Ensure required support is provided promptly, at scale, and in line with rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the CD and the Regional Office.
• Planning and Budgeting:
  • Assist the CD in managing/administration of Country Office resources, including:
    • Formulation of country work program and resource allocation.
    • Providing effective support and guidance to the Senior Management Team and other key program staff during planning and allocation exercises.
    • Monitoring implementation of donor agreements and resource utilization, highlighting variances, providing analyses, and recommending resolution or reallocation of resources.
  • Perform periodic financial analysis on OPT CO cost base, including staffing and NTC costs, and provide strategic financial recommendations for CD and SMT members on fit-for-purpose and CO financial sustainability in consultation with business development, CD, SMT/counterparts, and RO team.
  • Work with the SMT in developing plans to meet funding and programming needs, including diversification of funding resources.
  • Identify and effectively manage financial risks related to delivering the Country Office program; develop mitigation plans at the proposal stage.
  • Manage the financial aspects of quality budget development for new proposals and budget revisions, reviewing them before submission to Members/Donors.
  • Manage the financial aspects of the annual planning process, ensuring preparation of a quality and timely master budget and reforecasts. Review documents and share them with SMT before final submission to the RO, addressing comments received.
  • Ensure appropriate and adequate emergency finance procedures are detailed in the Country Office Emergency Preparedness Plan to enable rapid scale-up.
  • Ensure budget holders understand their responsibilities (e.g., through training).
  • Ensure Field Offices receive adequate support to operate efficient accounting systems, including timely receipt of monthly budget variance analysis by budget holders, timely answers to queries, and scheduling tasks and deadlines.
• Financial Accounting, Reporting, and Control:
  • Oversee the finance function in the oPt Country Office, ensuring compliance with SCI policies and procedures, donors’ rules and regulations, and international accounting principles.
  • Oversee correct level of budget authority within the Country Office. Own the application of SCI-approved scheme of delegation, together with the CD.
  • Ensure finance dashboard and MFRs are presented in SMT meetings with clear recommendations for improvement plans where applicable. Ensure Country Office treasury operations are adequately managed.
  • Responsible for ensuring effective systems are in place and regularly reviewed to allow adequate financial management and control over assets, funds, equipment, property, and facilities.
  • Lead and participate in the development of finance policies and procedures to ensure adequate finance controls according to international accounting principles.
  • Complete and submit the FCC report, respond to findings, and recommend resolutions or action plans.
  • Ensure Monthly Financial Reviews (MFRs) are prepared, reviewed with CD, and submitted to the Regional Office regularly.
  • Ensure finance in the main office provides technical support to finance departments in field offices and continuously tests their internal controls, financial procedures, and systems.
  • Ensure the CO finance team works with budget holders and field finance to estimate funds requests on a timely basis to ensure resources are in place for carrying out project activities.
  • Ensure statutory audit and project-specific audits are conducted, findings are addressed, and assist CD and CQSM during any internal audits. Review and approve the proper accounting and closing of books upon receipt of completed reports and documents from various sub-offices.
  • Develop sub-grantees' and CO budget holders' financial management through training and capacity building.
  • Perform any other responsibilities related to financial management as required.
• Financial Reporting:
  • Monitor accurate and timely submission of financial reports and attachments to internal and external stakeholders (SMT, RO/Centre, Members/Donors, government regulatory agencies, etc.).
  • Provide guidance to finance and non-finance staff and coordinate efforts to ensure compliance with donor agreement requirements and conditions.
  • Work with budget holders to estimate funds requests on a timely basis to ensure resources are in place for carrying out project activities and that reporting requirements and deliverables are met.
  • Ensure donor financial reports are aligned with donor requirements.
  • Prepare monthly financial and analytical reports and ensure submission of all required reports with RO.
  • Prepare audited financial statements after year-end and organize all statutory and donor audits as per set time frames.
• Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development – Support Services:
  • Ensure appropriate staffing and competencies within the department. Ensure all staff understand and are able to perform their roles in emergency/non-emergency contexts.
  • Lead the team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly.
  • Responsible for the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of professional development opportunities.
  • Manage staff performance through:
    • Effective use of the Performance Management System, including establishment of clear, measurable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews, and fair and unbiased evaluations.
    • Establishment of a result-based system and regular follow-up.
    • Coaching, mentoring, and other developmental opportunities.
    • Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance.
    • Documentation of performance that is at standard and above, and less satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/work plans.
  • Ensure succession and staffing development plans are prioritized and communicated with the CD and HR department.
• Risk Management:
  • Support the Country Director (CD), Risk & Compliance Manager (RCM), and Senior Management Team (SMT) in applying a risk management lens to evaluation of growth strategies and opportunities to ensure a manageable balance of risk and growth.
  • Support the CD, RCM, and SMT in developing a risk management policy to maximize financial resource effectiveness.
  • Identify and effectively manage financial risks related to delivering the Country Office program; develop mitigation plans at the proposal stage.
  • Participate in the preparation of the monthly Risk Management Register in consultation with SMT and RCM in accordance with the SCI Quality Framework Essential Standards.
  • Undertake financial risk assessments of all new partners and monitor ongoing risk in coordination with SMT.
  • Support CD and SMT in keeping analysis of internal and external risks and threats and appropriate mitigation measures up to date.
• Information Technology:
  • Supervise IT function to ensure the provision of effective IT support across the country office. Ensure legal compliance with respective Government regulations and laws.
  • Ensure sophisticated, efficient, cost-effective Information Technology Systems are in place, compliant with SCI Quality Framework, with a specific focus on sufficient primary and backup connectivity and bandwidth in CO and all Field Offices.
  • Strive to support programs with innovative IT solutions.
  • Responsible for ensuring CO internal and external communications systems function effectively and efficiently, and that sufficient backup communications and redundancies exist.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in finance or accounting or any related field or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years demonstrated professional experience in financial management, of which 5+ years in a managerial position in an International NGO environment, including experience in the development of strategic and operational Finance plans and their implementation.
• Experience in reviewing and drafting Finance policies, procedures, and guidelines and developing and implementing systems.
• Experience in managing IT systems.
• Ability to plan and organize a substantial workload that includes complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities in both development and complex emergency contexts.
• Willingness and ability to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies.
• Exceptional customer service focus.
• Demonstrated credibility with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead a multi-disciplined team through a period of change.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Leadership skills, including the ability to supervise and motivate qualified professional staff with strong personal value systems.
• Analytical, decision-making, and strategic planning skills.