Finance and Operations Lead at Chemonics International

Chemonics International - We're one of the world’s leading partners in international development, because where Chemonics works, development works. From our founding in 1975, we have worked in more than 150 countries to help our clients, partners and beneficiaries take on the world’s toughest challenges. Today, we re-imagine global supply chains to deliver essential medicines to the right place at the right time. Our global network of more than 4,000 specialists share an unwavering resolve to work better, driven by a conviction that the world must be better.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Finance and Operations Lead

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time

Background
Now in its third of five years of implementation, the USAID Lagos Urban Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (LUWASH) Activity aims to rebuild the social contract around WASH services in Lagos through contributing to the following objectives:

• Improving the financial and technical capabilities as well as governance of the WASH sector in Lagos and  change management for institutional development across objectives to catalyze sector transformation, expanding and improving urban water and sanitation service delivery to the large number of unserved and underserved households residing in Lagos and building a foundation for continued progress beyond LUWASH.

The Activity will work to fulfill this purpose through four complementary objectives:

• Strengthen governance and institutional arrangements to deliver improved WASH services;
• Improve public and private service provider performance;
• Increase access to safe and sustainable water services; and
• Increase household access to safe and sustainable sanitation and improve the quality of source water.

Purpose:

• The Finance and Operations (F&O) Lead supports the Senior Management Team to develop and implement management systems that will support project planning, reporting, and performance management; financial management; property and technical procurement systems; and personnel management in compliance with USAID regulations and Chemonics policies.

Reporting:

• The Finance and Operations Lead reports to the Compliance Director.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
General:

• Manages overall work of operations and finance team as directed by the Compliance Director and provides guidance and performance feedback to supervisees
• Supervises the Human Resources and Operations Manager, the Procurement Specialist, and the Accountant.
• Fosters a workplace environment that values teamwork and fosters collaboration, acknowledges staff contributions, and promotes a spirit of transparency and inclusion.
• Supports technical implementation through timely reviews and effective management of subcontracts, purchase orders, and leases with landlords, service providers, and local vendors ensuring compliance with financial guidelines and policy.
• Monitors and supports the standardization of operational systems and policies.
• Coordinates closely with other Chemonics projects in Nigeria, namely GHSC-PSM, on employee management, security, local counsel compliance, and general approaches to implementation inside Nigeria.
• Liaises with the PMU on deliverables, approvals, compliance and other matters related to finance, operations, procurement and human resources.

Human Resources and Operations:

• Supervises the Human Resources and Operations Manager.
• Oversees project human resources needs including the delivery of staff trainings and needs assessments, personnel recruitment, hiring and onboarding, and personnel management.
• Anticipates future recruitment needs and oversees recruitment efforts for long-term staff, short-term staff, and consultants – including participating in interview panels as needed, conducting reference checks as needed, and reviewing all contracts.
• Confirms all new hire paperwork is submitted and personnel files are complete and compliant with Chemonics policy, local labor laws, and USAID regulations.
• Supports all onboarding processes. Ensures new hires are provided with adequate training and orientation regarding the project and relevant Chemonics policies in order to perform the job to the best of their ability.
• Works closely with the Chief of Party on staff communication, including policy updates, project initiatives for staff, and labor law compliance.
• Manages and administers benefits according to appropriate plans and labor law requirements, bringing any requirement changes to the Chief of Party.
• Oversees annual performance assessment process, ensuring procedures are communicated to staff and followed accordingly.
• Promotes and supports staff continuous development through providing trainings or identifying training opportunities.
• Ensures compliance with employee policy manual and collaborates with other projects to update the SAII policy manual, as required.
• Maintains the project-wide events calendar and oversees logistics aspects of project-sponsored conferences, trainings and events in compliance with USAID marking and branding and reporting requirements; oversees issuing of travel advances and reconciliation of expense reports in line with USG requirements.
• Ensures project vehicles and office facilities are maintained and used in accordance with program and U.S. Government guidelines.
• Oversee the management of leases.
• Ensures up to date oversight of all project property including the inventory tracker and maintains oversight of the vehicle logs.
• Provides support to field office expatriate staff, including but not limited to application and renewal of residency and work permits.

Procurement:

• Supervises the Procurement Specialist.
• Oversees project subcontracts, procurement and use of supplies, equipment and services, ensuring compliance with financial guidelines and policy.
• Reviews requests for quotations (RFQ) and requests for proposals (RFPs) for all commodity and service procurements; reviews purchase orders and subcontracts; and oversees the execution and overall management of subcontracts.
• Oversees the management and annual review of the project vendor database.
• Collaborates with the technical team to ensure that the proper procurement and logistical arrangements are made in a timely manner to facilitate the successful implementation of technical activities.
• Ensures procurement and subcontract documentation are full and complete and properly maintained in Sharepoint.

Compliance:

• Ensures compliance with USAID regulations, Chemonics’ corporate policies, and laws of Nigeria.
• Trains staff and ensures compliance on USAID regulations relevant to the project.
• Ensures compliance to organizational policies, procedures and internal controls (e.g. Guide to Field Accounting and Compliance, Procurement Handbook, Policy Manual, Global QMS, etc.), and makes recommendations on strengthening these policies and procedures.
• Initiates project procedures and suggests revisions to the policy manuals as necessary.
• Ensures proper filing of administrative and technical documentation.
• Liaises with the Home Office Finance and Compliance Review (FCR) team to ensure timely resolution of FCR recommendations as necessary.

Finance:

• Supervises the Accountant.
• Oversees finances and budget, including the management of all procurement and contract/subcontract administration assuring compliance with the prime contract, corporate policies, and procedures
• Plans and tracks financial and administrative activities with Home Office (HO) and Field Office (FO) staff in order to evaluate needs for implementation.
• Keeps Chemonics-Washington up to date on the financial status of the project and the execution of the budget; provides accurate forecasting of project expenses.
• Manages USD and local currency bank accounts for funding of project expenses; prepares and submits wire transfer requests to home office.
• Oversees accounting procedures according to the Chemonics’ accounting policies and ensures timely and accurate entering of project expenses into ABACUS on a monthly basis.
• Conducts regular reviews of petty cash register.
• Reviews payroll for local staff.
• Ensures accurate tracking of field office expenditures (both technical and operations) to create monthly forecasts.
• Supports reconciliation/confirmation of USAID funding amounts.
• Contributes to the production of annual budgets, in particular estimation of resources, level of effort (LOE), and in-country travel necessary to implement work plan activities.

Information Technology:

• Supervises the installation and maintenance of information technology policies and procedures in the office.
• Oversees the updating of information technology platforms, software, and equipment.
• Ensures there is a functioning system in place for staff to receive IT support and work effectively.

Miscellaneous:

• Performs additional tasks as required by the supervisor and/or the Project Management Unit.

Duration:

• This is a long-term assignment.

Preferred Skills / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics or other relevant field preferred. Master's degree preferred.
• At least ten years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or eight years with a Masters’s, managing, in increasing roles of responsibility, finance, procurement, contracts management, administration, logistics and/or human resource related matters for international development activities.
• Minimum three years of experience managing donor projects, including strong skills in financial management.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, management, planning, analytical and organizational skills demonstrated by ability to work both independently and within a team, assess priorities, and manage a variety of activities with attention to detail.
• Familiarity with USAID rules and regulations required, familiarity with Chemonics’ systems and processes preferred.
• Knowledge of Nigeria operating environment strongly preferred, including registration, taxes, and labor law.
• Proven leadership and capacity in negotiation and conflict management.
• Ability to supervise local staff effectively and maintain a positive and supportive work environment.
• Good information technology knowledge and skills with an ability to easily adapt and manipulate new applications and software.
• Ability to work with cooperating partners in implementing complex programs.
• Experience in maintaining excellent communication with headquarters.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communications skills.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Application Closing Date
11th February, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested candidates should send their CV and cover letter attached in PDF Format to: [email protected] using the job title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.
• Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.
• Chemonics values the protection of your personal data. If you are in the European Union, please read our EU Recruiting Data Privacy Notice to learn how we process personal data.
• You may access the notice via the following link:https://chemonics.com/eu-recruiting-data-privacy-notice/.