Finance Assistant

TITLE: Finance Assitant

TEAM/PROGRAMME: Finance

LOCATION: RO Dakar

GRADE: NAT 5

CONTRACT LENGTH: 6 months

CHILD SAFEGUARDING : Level 3: the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE:

The West and Central Africa Region has a regional management office in Dakar. The primary role of the regional management unit is to support and build the capacity of nine country offices across the region. The regional management unit is also a small business unit in itself and as such receives funds from SCI and Donors to run both oversight related operations as well as regional programmes. The regional management office needs back office support to assure proper use and management of these funds. In the Finance team, the Finance Assistant contributes to the implementation of the accounting systems, policies and procedures. He/she supports the department through the collection, processing, recording and reconciliation of financial data, verifying the validity, completeness and accuracy of source documentation, performing daily accounting activities such as analysis, maintenance, completing, reconciliation and verification of specific financial data and documents.

SCOPE OF ROLE

Reports to: RO Finance Coordinator

Staff reporting to this post: None

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY :

Payments and Accounting:

• Prepare Regional Office payments and ensure they are approved accordingly
• Prepare staff expense claims, ensuring staff are continually made aware of the requirements when claims and payment requests are submitted
• Prepare staff travel advances and float reconciliations
• Register expenditure transactions in the business system ensuring completeness and accuracy in numeracy and financial coding.
• Support monthly closing of books within deadline and against checklist
• Respond to queries related to payments from internal staff, consultants, countries, vendors etc.
• Maintain a tracker for commitments and outstanding contract amounts.
• Maintain a tracker for rent, water, electricity, internet, landline and mobile phone bills.
• Maintain a tracker for staff commitments
• Ensure tax obligations are paid on time.
• Provide support for the production of all monthly, quarterly and annual reports on accounting including Monthly Financial Report (MFR), Monthly Control Checklist (MCC) and other reports required by the calendar of Finance.

Treasury Management:

• Deposit bank transfers letters at the bank and check withdrawals
• Update the bank log on a daily basis with payments and make sure the RO does not run out of cash
• Petty Cash management

Audit support

• Support in year-end and awards audit coordination and responding to audit issues
• Assist during the year end closure and audit preparation including partners audit
• Maintaining up-to-date, accurate and complete paper files of all financial documents. Including Electronic filing of houses contracts and consultant’s contracts.

Cover during finance staff absences. Other responsibilities required by the supervisor.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
• holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
• widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
• future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters

• values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength

• approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
• willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS

• Technical Degree in Finance or Business Administration

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• 2 years in Finance (especially accounting)
• A good level of written and verbal communication in English and French and interpersonal skills
• Proven knowledge and experience of computer use (MS-Excel, PowerPoint & MS-Word), preferably with accounting package Agresso
• Experience of working as part of a team, and delivering high quality work within a deadline

Additional job responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.