Job title: Finance Officer

Reporting to: Finance Manager

Location: Kampala Office

Overall purpose of the role:

The Finance Officer will provide leadership in execution of financial services for DRC Uganda, ensuring effective and transparent utilization of financial resources and integrity of financial services. S/he will be responsible for coordinating and administering the organization's plans for the control, monitoring and reporting of financial operations, as directed by the Finance Manager. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to country Finance Team.

The position will work in close cooperation with the Regional Finance Controller for Uganda, International Accountant and International Finance Controller for Uganda.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Management

• Ensure thorough and effective budgetary control in the consortium and provide regular feedback to partners and partner support and visits.
• Liaise with relevant Managers on key financial issues for ECHO consortium project in the country, including co-funding, financial reporting, key variances and any remedial action.
• Collecting cash forecasts from all Programme Managers and requesting funds in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain team to ensure clean up in DRC Dynamics pending orders and Payables.
• Ensure all required documentation in relation to ECHO is in place and is reviewed as well as provide prompt follow up where there are gaps.
• Review of Cash distribution accountabilities for DRC Uganda and Consortium partners.
• Prepare journals for reconciled cash transfers in a timely manner for review and posting in Dynamics.
• Ensure monthly meetings are held with project managers to discuss key variances, reasons for these, and any remedial action that is required.
• Timely review of cash position for operations to ensure sufficient funds on hand for disbursements.
• Timely identification and recording of receipts for income application.
• Facilitation of internal and external audits (Providing correct supporting documentation for audit and providing responses to Auditors when required)
• Maintain primary contact with local bank management on routine operational matters on ECHO transfers.
• Ensure proper filling of financial documents(Vouchers, Reports, Bank reconciliation)

Controlling functions

• Implementation of the control mechanism for ECHO project to ensure that vouchers processed are matched and completed, transactions are correctly recorded and posted in the cash books .
• Responsible for organising ECHO BFU review meeting and sharing minutes on Monthly basis.
• Support the uploading of cash to be transferred to beneficiaries on mobile money wallets and bank account platforms.
• Liasing with program and other finance colleagues to ensure efficient reconciliation of beneficiary listings, cash disbursed to each beneficiary/household and following up on failed transactions.
• Maintain updated database for open Balance sheet items of cash distributed yet to be charged to the project, ensuring that by 10th of every month all program and finance reconciliations are completed, and journals are posted to ECHO project for previous month disbursement.
• Carry out rebooking and ensuring proper filling of all rebooked transactions.
• Perform BVAs on before preparation of any financial report and advice management of areas of red flag on over/underspent.

Technical Line Management Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance and support to field finance staff.
• Support Finance manager to promote understanding and application of DRC policies, procedures and principles.
• Raise with Finance manager non-compliance issues relating to Finance Administration.

Additional tasks

• On request perform any other additional duties assigned by the supervisors in order to allow the organization to function optimally.

Experience and technical competencies: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting.
• Final or Part certification in CPA or ACCA is added advantage.
• 5 years INGO or other international agencies experience in finance and operations management in international humanitarian set up, including demonstrated ability to set up financial management systems in a large Programme and direct experience of delivery of humanitarian Programme in an emergency response.
• Experience in financial reporting and knowledge of major donor rules including BPRM, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, EUTF, ECHO, EU, DFID, DANIDA.
• Proficient in standard computer applications and various accounting and financial management software. Good knowledge Navision financial software will be an added advantage.
• Strong accounting and analytical skills and knowledge of GAAP and IFRS.
• Experience in guiding, couching, capacity building and motivating country Programme staff and partners.
• Professional, courteous and able to work with abroad spectrum of people.
• Proven ability to manage large and varied workloads, and deal constructively with stress and periods with long hours
• Proven ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines and work with limited supervision
• Pro-active, stable and robust character and a good team-player
• Excellent communication skills, calm and a good sense of humor