Programme Finance Accountant at Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)

Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) is an international development charity and the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales that stand beside people living in poverty. Through local Church partners, we help people directly in their own communities, and campaign for global justice, so that everyone can reach their full potential.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Programme Finance Accountant

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Contract: Fixed Term
Hours of Work: Not less than 35 hours per week

Job Profile

• The post-holder will be responsible for all aspects of financial management of the assigned projects/ programmes in compliance with the donor and CAFOD standards and procedures.
• He/She will also provide support to the partners’ finance teams on monitoring expenditure and reporting as well as strengthen the financial capacities of partners.
• To maintain organisational and institutional donor standards  financial planning and management.
• To develop and maintain appropriate project accounting systems and procedures
• To extract and present financial data on the institutional donor contracts for management and reporting purposes
• To undertake periodic reconciliation and adjustments of accounts for management and in the preparation of donor reports
• To support partners in the development of financial management and accounting standards and procedures including the provision of training and monitoring
• To support and advise partners programme/project staff to exercise their responsibilities in terms of budgeting and financial issues.
• The post-holder reports to the Programme Manager and will not be a budget holder.

Key Responsibilities
Support the effective management financial management of programmes (70%):

• Collaborate with the Finance Manager and maintain an overview of the programme finances providing accurate and timely updates to the programme team and Country Representative and CAFOD’s Finance department in London.
• Produce accurate and timely programme financial reports on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis as required. Reports should meet the standards required by the donor and those required by CAFOD.
• Provide support to the Finance/Accounts Departments of partner organisations to enable them to produce and submit accurate expenditure reports on expenditure, in line with CAFOD internal and institutional donor requirements. Support may include design of appropriate accounting and reporting systems, design of spreadsheets, training and on-going guidance of personnel. This may necessitate regular travel and support to partners and presentations at partner workshops.
• Advise the Programme Manager of variances arising in programme/project expenditure, and the need for transfers of grants to partners’ organizations to ensure that programmes and partner organisations have the necessary funds at their disposal with which to implement their work effectively.
• Prepare annual programme budgets with the necessary CAFOD partners. Monitor expenditure against these budgets and advise the budget-holders of expenditure-to-date and variances arising.
• Develop comprehensive accounting and related systems and procedures to ensure financial compliance with donor and audit standards and rules, and ensure auditable records are maintained in collaboration with the Finanace Manager
• Take all necessary measures to fulfil audit requirements as may be required by CAFOD or external donors, ensuring that accurate and well-documented records of all expenditure, income and transfers are maintained and readily accessible upon request to authorized personnel.
• Ensure that adequate funds are maintained for all areas of programme work, transfers are made as appropriate.
• Support partners to account for expenditure made on a monthly basis according to prescribed procedures and deadlines.
• Represent CAFOD’s programmes providing all necessary financial information and shared experiences as may be required by external donors and contributing effectively to all monitoring and evaluation requirements as may be established by CAFOD and external donors.
• Develop comprehensive tools to ensure financial compliance to donor standards.
• Prepare timely cash flow forecasts in collaboration with partners finance staff and make budget claims promptly to CAFOD, so that there are sufficient funds in the bank to meet contingencies, and to manage cash flow.
• Support the Programme Manager/Country Representative and partners programme/project staff to manage the project budget.
• In liaison with the Finance Manager, ensure adequate funds are maintained for all areas of project work, transfers are made as appropriate and  monthly bank reconciliations are undertaken.
• Account for expenditure made on a monthly basis according to prescribed procedures and deadlines.
• Provide necessary financial information and reports in relation to CAFOD’s programmes as maybe required by external donors and auditors.

Programme Administration(20%):

• Correspond with partners in relation to processing of grants and CAFOD’s Programme Cycle Management (PCM) system.
• Maintain up to date records on Web Promise database, including registering projects/programmes, generating approvals and payments and ensuring partner details and bank details are up to date.
• Maintain and develop programme/project cycle and financial tracking documents in order to have an easily accessible overview of the funding stage of each partnership.
• Maintain appropriate hard copy (paper) and electronic files in adherence with International Division procedures.
• When necessary, provide administrative support in emergency situations
• When necessary, cover for the Finance & Admin Officer
• Contribute to the development of Terms of Reference for project audits and ensure that CAFOD’s accountability requirements are incorporated in the terms of reference (TOR).
• Identify red-flag in partner’s transactions and processes, compile the red-flag reports and checklists, provide regular updates to the CR and PM.

Office Management (10%):

• Collaborate with the Finance and Administration Officer (FAO) to manage all office administration and ensure effective and efficient administrative function
• Any other tasks assigned by the Progarmme Manager/Country Representative and Fiannace and Administratin Officer

Safeguarding:

• All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.
• Your role is responsible for ensuring that the programming work you are accountable for is safe, accessible, dignified and inclusive, providing ongoing support and follow-up to our partners in this area.
• This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Job-specific competencies

• Accounting qualification and experience. Proficient in double entry bookkeeping and accounting software; experience with SUN Infor10 an advantage
• Strong analytical and deductive skills
• Ability to work with and build the capacity of partner finance staff
• Ability to manage programme finance, demonstrate innovation and creativity.
• Excellent Institutional funding budget drafting skills
• Knowledge on programme financial management.
• Excellent communication skills.

Person Specification
Essential Criteria:

Understanding our context:

• Understanding Catholic identity: I recognise the intrinsic dignity of every person and the importance of contributing to the common good
• Understanding CAFOD: I understand, demonstrate and actively support CAFOD’s vision, mission and values and what we aim to achieve
• Understanding international development: I understand the nature and causes of world poverty and how it affects different individuals, groups and communities.

Working together:

• Managing ourselves: I am aware of my own development needs and take steps to address them
• Working with others: I embrace the culture of those we are working with to better understand their needs and perspectives
• Communicating: I actively listen to others; I keep colleagues informed of developments that may affect them
• Looking outwards: I focus on how CAFOD can make a real difference to the lives of those in poor or marginalised communities.

Making change happen:

• Managing resources: I am clear about available resources and how they can be best used. I am careful in the use of resources, including other people’s time
• Achieving results: I have a clear sense of priorities. I keep focused on the work to be done.
• Managing our performance: I provide and seek regular constructive feedback on my performance
• Taking the lead: I take the lead in identifying solutions and making change happen.

Desirable Criteria:

• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Understanding of the local context and ability to speak local languages.
• Able and willing to travel for up to 4 months annually within Nigeria and overseas (usually 1-to-2-week trips). This may involve occasional travel at short notice and to potentially insecure and difficult environments.
• Holding Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) certification.

Salary
N11,836,902 Annually.

Application Closing Date
30th November, 2022.