Country Finance Director (CFD)

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national, and global levels using our reach, experience, and knowledge.

For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries.

We won’t stop until we are all equal.

Plan International’s mission is to strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Our vision is an organisation where all people, in all their diversity, including racial and ethnic identity, sexual orientation, feel safe, respected, included and valued.

We strongly encourage applications from women and marginalized people in all our recruitment

processes.

Role PURPOSE

In Finance, our vision is ‘to be a globally trusted partner in the organisation’s delivery of life-changing programmes for girls and young women’.

We aim to do this by ‘providing the robust financial systems, reports, tools and data, and the skilled people to enable successful project delivery. We equip our customers with the insights, capabilities, and expert advice that they need to change lives’.

Plan International embarked on an ambitious and exciting strategic change initiative to make the organization more transparent, legitimate, and agile. Strengthening our financial planning, decision making, and analytics is a key enabler in attaining our strategic goals.

Under the leadership of the Country Director, the Country Finance Director (CFD) oversees the strategic oversight and leads business planning process:

• Budgeting for the Country Office and Grants
• Providing timely and reliable financial information and analysis that leads to effective decision making in-country.
• Managing accounting and treasury functions.
• Producing financial reporting and analysis.
• Implementing internal financial controls.
• Risk Management
• Developing people

Dimensions of the Role

• The position of Country Finance Manager is an integral part of the team responsible for the overall management of all areas related to finance, budgetary management and oversight, and contracts;
• The position manages 3 Line reports: 1 Country Accountant, 1 Business Analyst, and 1 Finance Coordinator; and matrix management with four Finance Coordinators in the zones.
• The Country Finance Manager leads the financial services which have an average annual budget of approximately 20 Million Euros
• This role is also part of Finance network and as such participate actively in the regional function strategy development and continuous improvement.
• The position is primarily responsible for creating the Finance strategy in alignment with the CSP as well as for guiding, reviewing, and monitoring the development and implementation of systems and processes for Finance, Accounts, and legal compliance for the organization.

Accountabilities

Budgeting and planning:

• Communicate instructions and milestones for business planning, including long-term planning, budgeting, quarterly forecasting and cash flow forecasting
• Facilitate and coordinate business planning processes
• Consolidate and review planning inputs
• Support the Deputy Country Director (Deputy CD)/CD to communicate business plans to the Regional Office (RO).
• Support the Deputy CD/CD to disseminate approved business plans
• Organize and control the annual budget and quarterly reforecasting processes including communicating instructions, meeting deadlines
• Consolidate and review country operational budget
• Ensure financial due diligence of partners is completed as part of partner assessment processes
• Analyze new proposal budgets and conduct a Full Cost Recovery Assessment to ascertain if Plan would recover full cost and advise the Country Director appropriately
• Submit Annual budgets on time, well-phased, and in accordance with budget guidelines and procedures

Financial reporting and cash management:

• Updating of the financial authorization matrix and obtaining the approval of the Country Director at least annually and more frequently if required
• Manage general ledger and cash management processes
• Ensure Finance fulfils the agreed roles for payroll management
• Monitor transactions to partners
• Ensure compliance with local regulatory and tax legislation
• Report program unit and country office results against budget, other key financial measures to the Country Leadership Team including advising on issues highlighted by the financials and recommendations to address these
• Support the CD’s submission of timely and reliable financial management information for both grants and individual giving funds including key aspects of compliance and financial accountability as required by Donors, internal rules and regulations
• In liaison with the Head of Program Operations, ensure all Plan International BENIN implementing partner organizations receive adequate financial management training and guidance so as to operate in accordance with Plan International BENIN standards.

Grants Finance Management

• Provide Financial review and opinion during the proposal and donor contract approval process (FAD) that require CD, DSRs or RD approval.
• Work with relevant NOs Projects Finance Controllers
  • To ensure that COs Finance teams receive adequate information and training on donors’ financial compliance requirements.
  • When donors’ financial compliance requirements are not compatible with local regulations or Plan International policies and standards to seek waivers from donors, local authorities and/or GH Finance.
  • Follow up finance related grants audits reports and actions
• Monitor prompt and appropriate use of the finance system financial management of the project throughout the project life cycle.
• Monitor that the COs is providing NOs and donors with timely financial reporting consistent with Plan International accounting standards and records and compliant with donors’ requirements.
• Improve cost recovery within Country Office and Program Areas to ensure that they are recovering the correct amount of overheads from grants.

Risk management:

• Ensure appropriate financial standards, controls processes, procedures and systems are in place and adhered to
• Ensure finance related audit actions are implemented and alternative actions taken as required to address weaknesses in financial controls and procedures identified in finance and other forms of audit reports

Team leadership:

• Recruit, develop and motivate a high performing finance team
• Leading regular meetings of finance team members including those at the PIIA (Program Influencing and Implementation Area).
• Ensuring performance management of all finance staff occurs in line with the global standard

Role in the Core CLT/CLT:

• Ensures that the Country Director (CD) and Core CLT/CLT are provided with timely data and analysis to support effective financial management and the optimal use of resources.
• Participates in Core CLT/CLT decision-making related to all areas of business.
• Supports CLT in the management of relationships and processes relating to partners (including government entities, donors, NGOs, communities), including partner assessment.
• Takes responsibility as part of the CLT for the effective implementation of finance strategy, controls and approaches to risk management.

Child & Youth Safeguarding, and Gender Equality & Inclusion Policy Implementation

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships

Internal

• All CO staff including Managers/supervisors.
• Country Leadership Team – CLT.
• WACAH Regional Finance Manager
• GH Finance and treasury team
• Plan International National offices.
• WACAH Finance Network

External

• Local NGO partners in the area of finance
• External auditors
• Bank officials and other financial institutions.
• National INGO finance networks
• Tax office.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential

Knowledge

• Professional Financial/Accounting qualification (ICAN, CPA, or equivalent)
• 8 – 10 years’ experience with at least 5 of those years in a senior management position
• Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or any related field.
• Knowledge of the sector and the financial management issues specific to it is an advantage
• Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards, Control standards, and the reporting requirements of major international grant donors
• A thorough knowledge MS Office, especially Excel and Word;
• Good management skills
• Problem solving skills.
• Good negotiating, facilitating, and influencing skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft applications especially excel and pivot tables.
• Good communication skills both oral and written.
• Good accounting, analytical and judgement skills
• Good supervisory and coordination skills
• Ability to deliver to tight deadlines.
• English and French languages are important assets.

Desirable

• Fair Knowledge of project management is an asset.

Leadership behaviours

• Good team player
• Communicates clearly and effectively.
• Ability to facilitate participative processes.
• Independence, objectivity, and integrity.
• Organized, methodical and meticulous.
• Develops, motivates, and coaches direct reports.
• Promotes innovation and learning.
• Gain develop and retain credibility about his/her Performance.

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable.

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organization for all children, girls & young people.

We strive for lasting impact.

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together.

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering.

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

Physical EnvironmentThis post is based in the Country Office, which at present is a normal operational environment. However, the post-holder must be required to travel inside the country as part of his/her work.

Level of contact with children

Low level: low frequency of interaction with children.