Programme Finance Officer

IUCN North America Finance Office provides financial and operational services to the IUCN Programs and Projects based at IUCN Washington DC Office. The finance has a team of five staff headed by the Senior Finance Manager. The finance and operational services include, accounting of income and expenditures, manage accounts payable, manage accounts receivable, treasury management, budget preparation, donor financial report preparation, budget expenditure monitoring, review of sub-awardee’s financial report, processing payments, and support with procurement processes. This position will support specifically with budget preparation, procurement processes/contract preparation, processing payments and review of sub-awardee’s financial reports. The detailed roles and responsibilities for this position are provided below.

Programmatic financial and administrative support:

• Manage the provision of services to a portfolio of programmes and act as a primary account manager in terms of relationship between the North America Office Finance and specific Center Teams. The Programme Finance Officer will be responsible for building the relationship with the heads of teams assigned, and for communicating and pro-actively responding to requests from heads of teams.
• Develop and ensure the efficient implementation of systems to support the financial and administration management of Center Teams to enable effective assessment of financial performance and risk of the overall Global Thematic Programmes cost centres;
• Develop and maintain internal systems to support financial and administration procedures as projects transition from proposal development, implementation and closure;
• Ensure that regular Center Teams tasks are performed to meet IUCN’s internal procedures; such as time tracking, consistent cost recovery and overheads charging, financial and contractual data archiving, etc.
• Ensure the maintenance of up-to-date financial and administrative data in appropriate systems (Award Vision, Project Portal, etc.) including budgets, internal agreements, implementing partner agreements, etc.
• Facilitate the development and monitoring of centre teams budgets, including supporting the preparation of annual budgets and budget revisions and forecasts, and the monitoring of actual expenditure against budget.
• Track planned cost recovery and utilization of programme staff, and review regularly with the Center Teams project managers, in conjunction with the heads of Teams, to ensure consistency of cost recovery throughout the Center Teams’ project portfolio;
• Contribute with financial analysis to annual reporting, work plans and general briefings to senior IUCN management.
• Prepare Center Teams’ financial management reports for use at various levels of the organization covering areas such as performance measurement, compliance and risk.
• Monitor compliance with IUCN finance procedures by cost centre and project managers and take action in cases of non-compliance, including follow up with the manager concerned or/and escalating the issue within the finance unit if appropriate.
• Update heads of teams on financial performance and areas of concern and advise on action to be taken.

Project/Grant Management Support: Budget, procurement, contracts, donor report, monitoring of budget expenditure and audits:

• Develop and ensure the efficient implementation of consistent financial and administration systems and services (internally, and externally with regions, sub-contractors and implementing partners) to Center Teams’ projects, from concept and proposal development with budget development ensuring proper cost recovery, and throughout the project cycle management with financial reporting to close-out with project audits as required.
• Provide support and guidance to project managers to ensure consistent application of all IUCN and donors standards related to project preparation during concept and proposal development, and throughout the project cycle to close-out.
• Ensure that all donor contractual requirements in respect to finance and reporting are respected through sound monitoring and oversight, and liaison with donors, implementing partners, IUCN regions and Center Teams on financial and administration aspects;
• In conjunction with Center Teams management and project managers ensure that projects are developed to optimise cost recovery against the different roles and responsibilities through the project management teams;
• Ensure and safeguard timely and efficient donor financial reporting, project audits, etc. Track and follow up on reporting deadlines/submissions with project managers.
• Provide support to project audits by collecting requested documents and by responding to requests from the auditors in collaboration with Programme Finance Managers, and regions.
• Support implementing partner processes, including drafting agreements, reviewing reports and entering details into NAV.
• Support the tracking and follow up on reporting deadlines/submissions with project managers
• Support the development and management of internal agreements (IAs), including the drafting of agreements. Work with regional colleagues to ensure a consistent and streamlined approach to the administration and management of internal agreements.
• Support the management of grant/sub-grant by participating to review proposed sub-grantee budget along with Program/Project Manager/Officers and provide the required contracting support once the grant is awarded, provide necessary financial reporting training to sub-grantees, respond to sub-grantees questions related to finance and budget and receive and review sub-grantee financial report and process payments on timely manner.
• Support the digital and physical financial and contractual data filing and maintenance through the maintenance of the J Drive, projects files, project reports filing, etc.
• Monitor and ensure timely and efficient contract clearance processes (implementing partners, consultancy, internal agreements) by:
• Assisting with the preparation of documents for clearance of donor contracts;
• Undertaking due diligence checks on all contracts, internal agreements, implementing contracts issued by the programme;
• Identifying issues of eventual conflict with IUCN policy and rules or with donor requirements;
• Ensure timely procurement process clearance
• Issue any necessary explanation of exceptions to IUCN Policy;
• Liaising with all necessary units to ensure a smooth clearance process (Programmes, OLA Legal department, DGO, etc.) and take lead on inputs, revisions, etc.
• Ensure monitoring and oversight on the programme’s contracts procurement clearance processes, including liaising with the IUCN procurement officer, documenting the contracts under review and ensuring timely contract procurement clearance.
• Liaise and coordinate with regional colleagues to ensure a consistent approach to programme and project finance and administrational procedures through streamlining an efficient internal agreement process.

Institutional transversal support:

• Provide training and support on systems, standards and procedures to cost centre and project managers.
• Participate in the development of global procedures and standards to support the effective management of programmes, projects and core income and expenditure.
• Participate in the development of financial systems, taking a lead role in areas such as contractual procedures, time tracking and reporting management, budget development and reporting.
• Monitor and report against key performance indicators relevant to finance.

General administration support:

• Ensure the timely processing of travel requests from programme staff and facilitate logistical arrangements for travel, visa, workshops and events.
• Support the development of financial, administrative and operations systems and processes in areas such as contractual procedures, time tracking and reporting management, budget development and reporting, travel logistics, etc.

Other responsibilities:

• As required the Programme Finance Officer shall assume responsibility for other activities and projects that supervisor may assign from time to time.

The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, in a small organisation such as IUCN, staff members are expected to show flexibility in their approach to work and be willing to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee’s responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the Human Resources Management Group.

Requirements:

• Baccalaureate in Accounting or equivalent required.
• 3 Years or more as Finance Officer/Accountant or 5 years or more as Junior Accountant required.
• Experience working for NGOs preferable, international experience preferred but not required.
• Practical experience of using and updating financial systems.
• Good communication skills.
• Hands-on mentality, result driven and team player.
• Strong written and spoken English.
• Ability to work and function in multicultural and multidisciplinary environments.
• Experience with management and donor reporting – knowledge of donor guidelines and reporting requirements desirable.
• Experience in process improvement and systems development, and practical experience with integrated financial systems and ERPs are desirable.

Source: https://hrms.iucn.org/iresy/index.cfm?event=vac.show&vacId=11186&lang=en