Senior Finance Specialist at TechnoServe - 2 Openings

TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. We are a non-profit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital, and markets. Our work is rooted in the idea that given the opportunity, hardworking men and women in even the poorest places can generate income, jobs, and wealth for their families and communities. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Senior Finance Specialist

Requisition Number: SENIO004853
Locations: Abuja and Kano
Employment Type: Full Time (On-site)
Job category: Finance
Reports to: Finance Controller

Job Summary

• The Senior Finance Specialist reporting to the Finance Controller will support project activities, ensuring the effective use of donor financial resources to meet project goals.

Primary Functions & Responsibilities
The Senior Finance Specialist will be responsible for developing the following key functions:

• Finance and accounting.
• Budgeting, monitoring, and reporting for country platform budgets and supporting specific programs.
• Program support.
• Audit and Legal.
• Policies, procedures, and systems of internal controls, compliance with donor and other regulatory authority requirements.
• Supervisory Responsibilities.

Finance and Accounting:

• Ensure timely payments to suppliers, timely posting of financial transactions in the system, proper coding of expenses by program staff, proper supporting documents that can withstand an audit etc.
• Manage payroll and expense reimbursements to staff
• Monitor the liquidity position of Nigeria cash positions to ensure that business cash flow adequately supports projects activities.
• Review sub-awardees financial report and ensure they are adequately supported
• Review financial reports of sub-grantees, whenever applicable, and ensure that expenditures are in line with the budget and in compliance with donor regulations.
• Effectively communicate and present critical finance matters to the finance controller and the Country Director.
• Provide detailed financial analysis to support any critical decision-making for Techno Serve.
• Ensure that all statutory deductions are properly deducted and timely remitted.
• Perform any other task that may be assigned by the Finance Controller

Budgeting, Monitoring and Reporting:

• Support the Finance Controller in preparing annual country budgeting process as well as mid-year budget reviews.
• Prepare monthly budget tracking reports and ensure spending is within budget and corrective action taken in case of unfavorable variances.
• Participate in budget preparation and forward to the Finance Controller for final review

Program Support:

• Assist TNS Nigeria program managers on the financial oversight of their awards by providing internal financial analysis on a monthly basis, utilizing country reports updated in the shared drive.
• In collaboration with the Finance Controller, ensure country program invoicing is in line with approved donor budget and donor reporting requirements.
• Develop compliant, competitive and accurate cost proposals for new program proposals.
• Budget preparation, formulation, and execution according to the requirements of the specific donors working closely with the Finance Controller
• Develop detailed budget narratives/ notes that explain and support all budget assumptions, following the line items in the budget closely, identifying the costs and the basis for the costs.
• In collaboration with the grants & contracts department, ensure and evaluate full recovery of overheads as stipulated by internal TNS policy and/or TNS’s most current NICRA.
• The position will be required to prioritize developing cost proposals for large/complex projects and be available for the required duration; this requires flexibility, due to the often unpredictable and changing requirements of a proposal; this may include working overtime/long hours.

Audit and Legal:

• In liaison with the Finance Controller, take active part in audits and prepare responses to audit findings.
• Take active role in the implementation of audit findings and recommendations both internal and external audits.
• Ensure all taxation and legislative requirements of Nigeria are complied with at all times.

Policies, Procedures, Internal Controls and Compliance:

• Guide staff in interpretation of laid down policies and procedures and ensure compliance.
• Continually review systems of internal controls as and when the need arises.
• Implement financial operations of the program, ensuring compliance with local laws and donor policy and contract provisions.
• Ensure all taxation and legislative requirements of the host government are complied with at all times.
• Keep abreast of changes in regulations which may affect the accounting functions of the organization and communicate all changes and updates to the organization accordingly.
• Participate and contribute in proposal development.
• Support the implementation of new financial policies and procedure.
• Identifying and contributing to the improvement of internal systems and procedures within the finance department.
• Producing relevant, useful and timely information to senior management with respect to the current financial position and financial consequences of any proposed decisions or activities.
• Provide advice on financial options available in project planning and implementation.
• Support the Financial controller in ensuring that the information in the Fixed Asset register accurately reflects the information per the financial system.

Basic Qualifications
These are the requirements that any qualified candidate must meet:

• BSc / HND in Accounting, Economics or related field with minimum of 5 years’ experience.
• Alternatively a masters degree with at least 3 years' experience.
• Possession of ICAN/ANAN/ACCA professional qualification is a plus
• Good working knowledge of Excel, Access, and PowerPoint is required; familiarity with Dynamics 365 Business Central or similar finance and accounting software is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:
Additional Qualifications That Would Make a Candidate More Desirable.

• Experience in working with donor-funded INGO projects.
• Required Languages: Fluency in Written and spoken English
• Travel: Occasionally

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong sense of collegiality, integrity, resourcefulness, and accountability for results.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• An ability to think critically and elevate risks to management.
• A creative and entrepreneurial approach to resolving problems.
• Advanced-level knowledge of Microsoft Excel, and basic functional knowledge of field accounting software packages.
• Proficiency in the use of Accounting softwares. Mastery of Dynamics 365 will be an added advantage.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online