Summary

Save the Children is seeking a Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) for an anticipated five-year USAID-funded Strengthening Integrated Health Services Activity (SIHSA) program in Sierra Leone. The program will focus on improving the quality of family planning and maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and malaria services; promote adoption of crucial health behaviors; and strengthen the stewardship and governance of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, both at central and district levels.

The DFA oversees all financial management, internal controls, and financial compliance aspects of the program in accordance with USAID guidance and regulations. S/he provides financial and operational management to ensure the best use of resources by preparing sound budgets, monitoring project expenses, and providing accurate and timely financial reports for donors.

This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Review and consolidate monthly financial reports to ensure accuracy and to provide regular feedback to senior management.
• Ensure all financial plans, invoices, reports, and other financial documents and transactions are accurate, timely, and consistent with Save the Children and USAID guidelines and regulations.
• Prepare and monitor budgets to ascertain that spending occurs as planned and that variances are anticipated, noted, and corrected; ensure that key program personnel are aware of budgetary resources and are able to monitor their respective budgets.
• Prepare quarterly reports, consolidated annual fiscal reports, cumulative life of project report, and any other required donor submissions.
• Verify that appropriate segregation of duties exists to ensure effective support of field operations and to protect the integrity of the country office finance and administrative operations.
• Perform financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with Save the Children’s policies and procedures and USAID grants and contracts requirements.
• Oversee subgrant monitoring and compliance including organizational assessments, review of financial reports/advance requests, and financial tracking; develop subgrant monitoring plans; and perform and document compliance visits.
• Supervise the finance and operations staff, conducting performance evaluations and revising job descriptions as necessary. Develop the capacity of the team and facilitate their professional growth.
• Provide capacity building in financial and operations management to local partners and government stakeholders.
• Prepare and revise finance and operation guidelines to ensure adherence to SC and USAID requirements;
• Encourage a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business administration, or other relevant field; professional qualification/certification in Accounting and graduate work desired.
• Minimum of seven years of experience managing finance for USAID-funded projects; in-depth knowledge of USAID financial management rules and regulations.
• Proven ability to prepare budgets and donor financial reports.
• Strong analytical, leadership and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations.
• Experience as a coach/mentor to train staff and develop financial skills of colleagues.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English. Knowledge of local language preferred.
• Familiarity with the political, social, and cultural context of Sierra Leone is preferred.

Why you should join the Save the Children Team… 

Save the Children US offers outstanding benefits that include health, dental, vision and life insurances, pet insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage, an Employee Assistance Program, 403(b), generous vacation, personal sick leave, family leave, parental/adoption leave, commuter benefits, dress for your day, and much more.

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in YOU!

About Save the Children  

No matter your role when you join Save the Children, each and every day you will challenge yourself to devote your skills, talent and expertise to changing the world for kids. It’s an ambitious goal, and a meaningful one no matter how you see yourself professionally: an accountant, a writer, a data analyst, a teacher, a driver, a designer, or any one of the hundreds of dozens of roles we’re looking to fill every day.

You see, Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

We provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ancestry, sexual orientation, national origin, age, handicap, disability, marital status, or status as a veteran. Save the Children complies with all applicable laws.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse. In addition, it is Save the Children’s policy to create and proactively maintain an environment that aims to prevent and deter any actions and omissions, whether deliberate or inadvertent, that place children at the risk of any kind of child abuse. All our representatives are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.