Finance Manager

The IRC Asia Regional team oversees all IRC activities across Asia and supports country offices in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan and Thailand, and partner-led implementation in a number of other countries across Asia, including Philippines and Malaysia. The Strengthening Inclusive Disaster Risk Governance for Climate Resilience in Asia project is a SIDA-funded 4.5 year consortium program with IRC as the project lead in collaboration with two regional networks of CSO partners and one local implementing partner. The project will focus on increasing the adaptability and resilience of communities at risk of climate change and disasters across Asia by working towards three mutually-reinforcing outcomes over the life of project:

1. Strengthen two regional networks of local CSOs to become powerful advocates and to influence duty bearers at the regional and national levels to fulfil commitments on inclusive climate change and DRR actions;

2. Address the power imbalances that exacerbate climate and disaster risks facing particulary vulnerable populations with intersecting needs – particularly women and girls and excluded populations;

3. Strengthen sustainable local-level adaptative actions to mitigate the effects of climate change and to strengthen risk governance.

Job Overview:

The Finance Manager is a key member of a 4-person Project Management Unit responsible for guiding the effective delivery of the Strengthening Inclusive Disaster Risk Governance for Climate Resilience in Asia project. The Finance Manager reports directly to the Project Director and to the Regional Finance Director in a management in partnership arrangement, and is responsible for all finance and administrative aspects of the project delivery. This will include providing financial management support across the multi-country project, inclusive of partners financial management and review/consolidation of donor budgets, monthly BVAs and donor financial reports, coordination of annual audit processes, and supporting the organizational finance capacity development of partner organizations and staff. The role will be working with partner organizations supporting the IRC’s partnership agreement start-up and close-out processes, and ensuring that partners meet the compliance requirements of donors as well as IRC policies and procedures for the selection of partner, financial management and grant closeout procedures. Additionally, the finance manager will support partners to have in place effective policies and procedures for financial management and controls, and to collaborate closely with partner finance staff to support high-performing finance and operations functions across the partners. This position is expected to cultivate and maintain strong, collaborative and trusting relationships with fellow Project Management Unit team members and with partner counterparts, to support the high quality delivery of shared outcomes. This may at times involve taking on responsibilities outside of the area of expertise, with the support and collaboration of team members, in order to support the overall objectives of the project. This position involves travel to the countries where projects are being implemented.

Major Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities within each functional area are as follows:

Partnership/Sub-grantee management:

• Participate in capacity review of sub grantee/partners and assess the associated risks. Propose mitigation measures for the risk or suggest modifications to the sub grant agreement and/or monitoring plan to lessen financial and compliance risks.

• Assist in the preparation and review of sub grant agreements.

• Provide guidance, training and continuous mentoring to sub-grantees and implementing partners in interpreting IRC and donor policies, sub grant financial procedures, and support training and development of partners’ formal sub grantee management systems.

• In coordination with the Project Director and the Grants and Partnerships Manager, collaboratively develop with the partner organizations capacity strengthening and developing plans to address identified financial capacity needs, and to proactively mentor and train partner staff and support development of partners’ finance-related procedures and policies.

• Review sub grantee financial reports for correctness and completeness and ensure that reports are submitted to finance team before the monthly closings.

• Maintain sub grant tracking as well as financial review files in accordance with IRC policies.

• Participate in periodic financial monitoring of sub-grantees and implementing partners

• Follow up on all sub grant compliance issues, audits and document resolutions.

• Review sub grantee payments and reconcile sub grant financial tracking to general ledger reports.

• Assist in sub grantee site audits and prepare site visit reports noting trends and issues concerning grant sub-recipients.

• Coordinate annual audit efforts, including close coordination with partners to assure audits take place, are adequately supported, and management actions taken to address any audit-related concerns

• Assist in sub grant close-outs ensuring that all requirements of the sub grant agreement have been complied with and that sub grant funds have been properly settled.

• Coordinate annual audit efforts, assuring in completion of partners’ external and donor audits, including assisting with the preparation of files for audits and assuring management actions are taken to address audit-related concerns.

Reports and Budgets

• Review partners and IRC country offices budgets ensuring consistency, cost effectiveness and compliance with IRC and donor guidelines.

• Prepare budget for PMU, consolidate the budgets received from partners and countries, and prepare donor budget.

• Support the Project Director in assuring regular budget monitoring by preparing monthly BVA analysis of the project, assisting in developing spending forecasts, and supporting regular project review budget review meetings.

• In collaboration with the Project Director and the Grants and Partnerships Manager, prepare annual donor budgets and workplans for donor submission, and prepare budget analyses, realignments, or modifications as needed to support project delivery or donor requests.

Payments and accounting

• Review partners cash forecasts and manage the partner payment processes through HQ.

• Monitor the partner advances, review the subsequent forecasts and prepare the subsequent partner payments.

• Review IRC PMU staff claims/reimbursements for compliance with IRC and donor guidelines, and assist in the payment process.

• Performing the posting of entries of partner expenditure reports and PMU ensuring proper controls are enforced and appropriate systems in place to maintain all required supporting documentation.

• Support the processing of bank and cash transactions and ensuring internal control procedures are followed for all cash disbursements, receipts and transfers including internet banking

• Any other responsibilities assigned by Project Director or RFD.

Key Working Relationships:

Internal:

Position Reports to: Project Director and the Regional Finance Director, management in partnership

Position directly supervises: None

Internal collaborators: Grants and Partnerships Manager counterparts in each partner organization, Regional Finance Analyst, Regional AMU, Deputy Directors Finance and other key Program and support Staff at country office, HQ Finance

External:

External to IRC: Donors, External Auditors.

Qualifications:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance. A recognized professional certificate in accounting (CPA or equivalent certification) is preferred

Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years of experience with at least (3) years experience in managing partners finances in INGO.

• Experienced with various excel spreadsheets, and financial related software (accounting / ERP packages).

Skills and abilities:

• Able to communicate effectively (written and verbal) in English with program, management and other country office staff

• Excellent management and coordination skills

• Must be able to function comfortably within complex remote work environment.

• Strong team player while being able to work independently. Comfortable making decisions.

• Good supervisory, excellent in time management prioritizing multiple tasks

• Experience in financial management capacity building and mentoring, and in development of organizational policies and procedures highly preferred.

Language Skills:

• Fluent English (speaking, writing and listening).

• Knowledge of local language of the region will be a plus.

Travel requirements: The position will be based in one of IRC country programs in Asia, with frequent travel (once in a quarter) to project locations in the Asia region.