Deputy Finance and Compliance Manager at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

Working in the Finance Department under the direction of the Finance and Compliance Manager, the Deputy Finance Manager will guide the MCN Northeast Programs in adhering to the compliance procedures, assist in managing finance functions in the deep field offices, support budget preparation, monitoring and forecasting, support accounting function, and ensure banking and cash management. He/she will support management to ensure adequate internal controls are in place to mitigate risks and ensure compliance with laws, regulations, donor requirements and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

• Recognize opportunities for innovative action and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are welcomed.
• Set direction by prioritizing and organizing actions & resources to achieve objectives and contribute to countrywide strategy development.
• Develop and organize activities to secure resources for programs and convince stakeholders to provide support.

• Create and maintain systems ensuring effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donor and Mercy Corps policies and procedures.

Team Management

• Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
• Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
• Supervise, train, hire and orient new team members as necessary.
• Provide team members with information, tools and other resources to improve performance and reach objectives.

Grants and Compliance Management

• Assist Finance and Compliance Manager of Northeast program to review monthly financial report and follow up with other departments for any corrective actions required.
• Work closely with the Field Finance Manager and other department to ensure the Standard Operating Procedures for voucher redemption followed properly.
• Assist the Finance Manager in responding to audit inquiries at the field level.
• Support the budget development and budget planning processes, including development of internal budgeting guidelines, templates and tools, grant proposal development and budget modifications;
• Assist/Support the monitoring of grants’ performance, and work with budget holders to ensure that key processes and systems are in place to manage grant risk assessments, donor financial compliance and reporting process. Ensure grant budgets align with MC budgets and forecasts.
• Support the grant close out process, including the coordination with different stakeholders (Finance, Ops, Programs, Grants, etc) on various deliverables in line with donor rules and regulations;
• Review, analyze and discuss with program manager the budget vs actual reporting process for all grants.
• Support regular update/analysis of the BVAs and pipelines. Ensure monthly review of transactions for compliance and eligibility under grants;
• Provide training and orientation to staff and vouchers venders in compliance, Finance, payments processes, systems and best practices.
• Assist the Field Finance Manager to enhance the efficient of existing control system and ensure any identified compliance gap is corrected.

Finance:

• Work closely with Roving Finance Officer to support Finance in the deep fields, make sure the weekly and monthly financial reports submitted on time to Maiduguri.
• Make sure the standard operating procedures for cash transfers to deep fields are followed.
• Review payment and other documents for accuracy, complete and compliance with Mercy Corps’ policies, donor regulations and local laws.
• Assist in the month end accounting close process for Northeast program, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the ledger, navigator and all supporting documentation.
• Guide finance team in field offices on document retention requirements and provide regular verification to ensure that all finance documents are properly labeled, filed and stored in a clear and easily accessible manner following FFM.

Influence & Representation

• Identify, build and manage collaborative partnerships with consortium partners, sub-grantees, donors, local governments and other stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

Safeguarding Responsibilities:

• Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
• Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
• Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.

Security

• Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country.

Organizational Learning 

• As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

Directly supervise Senior Finance Officer, Finance officers in the Maiduguri and indirectly deep fields Finance Officers.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Finance and Compliance Manager

Works Directly With: Finance and Compliance department in Abuja and IF, program and operational teams in Northeast Nigeria.

Knowledge and Experience

• Five or more years of compliance and finance experience is required.
• A university degree in finance, accounting or equivalent is required.
• Three years’ experience in the finance and compliance department of an international NGO is preferred.
• Demonstrated competency with computerized general ledger software.
• Strong computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel
• Prior management experience and strong organizational skills
• Excellent oral and written English skills.
• Strong account and budgeting skills
• In-depth understanding of major donor rules, regulations, and implications on budgeting and budget monitoring.
• Demonstrated experience and skill in budget preparation and presentation and proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.
• Knowledge of Hausa is preferred.
• Working experience in Northeast Nigeria a plus.