Head of Finance and Administration
Trócaire, Sierra Leone
Job Description
Trócaire is a social justice organisation working in partnership with local organisations and communities to tackle the root causes of poverty, injustice, and violence. We support people to use their own power to create positive and lasting change. Trócaire works in up to 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. We work towards five goals:
· Defend Human Rights and Promote Access to Justice
· Achieve Climate and Environmental Justice
· Ensure Women and Girls Protection, Voice and Influence
· Save Lives and Protect Human Dignity
· Mobilise the Public on the island of Ireland to achieve Global Justice.
In Sierra Leone, Trócaire works through partners to bring about positive and lasting changes around women’s socio-economic and political empowerment. Currently integrated programmes that promote women’s economic, social and political empowerment, climate change, agroecology are being implemented by 16 local civil society partner organisations, funded by a variety of donors including Irish Aid, European Union, USAID, UNDP, and different trusts and foundations. Core to Trócaire’s partnership approach in Sierra Leone is civil society strengthening and organisational development.
The role provides high level continuous and consistent operational support, providing proactive and strategic support that takes full account of the breadth of operations needed, and ensuring the coordination of reactive support to the country program leadership, in relation Finance, Budgeting and reporting, Administration, Logistics, components of HR and implementation issues as they occur.
The Head of Finance and Administration plays a pivotal role in the Country Management Team, heading the portfolio of Finance, Budgeting and reporting, Administration, Logistics, and components of HR. In addition, Head of Finance and Administration plays a key role in inputting into the development of policies, procedures, and systems to continuously improve in-country operations.
Reports to the Country Director and receives technical support from headquarter based International Accountants.
Managing a team of five: 3 Programme Accountants, 1 Finance Officer, 1 Admin Officer and other staff as appropriate
Requirements
As Member of the Country Management Team:
- As a member of the Country Management Team, actively and constructively contribute to the overall leadership of Trócaire’s country program in Sierra Leone.
- Actively participate in Country Management Team meetings, contributing to decisions on policy and strategic direction and playing a key role in the ongoing implementation and adaptation of Trócaire’s Sierra Leone Country Strategic Plan.
- Support the Country Director and Director of Programs in cross cutting issues in programing by giving technical financial advice amp; expertise.
- Engage with the CD and Head of Programs, Business Development and Grants Manager on the Country Business Development strategy, in line with country program needs and the institutional funding landscape.
- ·Provide guidance for country program strategic and managerial decisions by proactively identifying issues that might affect the country program, partners and programs, flagging these to the Country Director and Head of Programs.
- ·Ensure there is constant and open communication between the country finance and administration team and HQ for smooth operations of the Country Office and programs.
- Support the Country Director in the Management of risk, including acting as control owner of financial management risks and ensuring that appropriate controls and mitigations are both in place and regularly reviewed.
- Directly line manages a team of five staff (three Program Accountants, Finance Officer and an Administrator). Entire Finance and Administration team consists of eleven staff.
Organisational Financial Controls amp; Reporting
- Oversight of the timely amp; accurate preparation of monthly management accounts for budget-holders and country management to ensure that management can monitor budget utilisation and take appropriate action on any significant variances.
- Support the Program Accountants in preparation of projects budgets, generation of monthly BvA reports and donor reports and ensure compliance of programs with donor rules and requirements incl. financial tracking and reporting/ amendments for all grants/contracts. Support the organisation and participate at grant inception meetings, grant review meetings, and grant close out meetings. Closely monitor financial activities and strategically advise the Country Director about situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial management.
- Manager of relation