Regional Finance Manager, Europe – UK or Asia region

Location: UK or Asia region (Afghanistan, Nepal, Pakistan, Kirghizstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, or Indonesia)
Position Status: Regular
Salary: Starting salary for this role will be £53,360 in UK, and based on local benchmark for other locations.
Closing date: Applications to be submitted by November 18th

Current unrestricted right to work for UK is required at the time of application for this position.

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Program/Department Summary

The International Finance (IF) Department plays a key role in supporting financial operations in Mercy Corps’ country programs throughout the world by working collaboratively with country finance staff and providing guidance in grant management, budgeting, accounting and other financial functions in accordance with Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations. The IF Department supports the timely, complete and accurate reporting of financial information from Mercy Corps’ Country offices and is responsible for ensuring that all financial reporting requirements to donors are met in a timely and accurate way. The IF Department also works closely and collaboratively with the Headquarters (HQ) Regional Program Team members (RPT) in support of country program objectives as well as the HQ Corporate Finance department in support of agency financial functions.

General Position Summary

The Regional Finance Manager will work closely with the Director of International Finance, Europe, to provide strategic financial support to a specific region including ensuring that the financial reporting and financial compliance standards are met throughout the region. The Manager is the primary focal point for European representation at a regional level. The Manager will lead the Regional Support team for Europe and provide oversight and management supervision to the Analysts and Senior Analysts. The Manager will provide review of donor financial reports for the region. The manager will participate in SoP development processes and dissemination, and will participate in relevant working groups as a subject matter expert for European donor finance. The Manager will also support a country portfolio within the region as primary focal point for Europe IF. The manager will support the Director of IF, Europe by deputising for them as applicable. The Manager will recognise opportunities to innovate on current processes and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are shared and welcomed.

Essential Responsibilities

STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

• Support the department and regional/country strategy actions and contribute and support the agency strategy.

● Directly supervise regional International Finance Analysts/Senior Analysts in their activities, setting goals and objectives.

● Lead recruitment and onboarding for new regional European IF team members within their region.

● Manage portfolio coverage within their region, including leave planning and coverage support during team member absences.

● Encourage team members to identify process improvements and to establish means for moving ideas to solutions.

● Partner with Director of IF for Europe and deputise as applicable.

STRATEGIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING

● Primary European International Finance representative for the region of responsibility.

● Participate in cross-regional initiatives/proposal processes.

● Represent European IF team and proactively lead in regional efforts to streamline processes to achieve efficiencies.

● Mobilise/coordinate with others on wider initiatives, as a subject matter expert on European donor finance.

● Responsible for ensuring timely submission of donor financial reports for their region of responsibility.

● Responsible for reviewing donor financial reports for their region.

● Participate in the review and implementation of policies, procedures, and systems to comply with all the applicable financial and accounting regulations.

● Coordinate with peers to share knowledge and develop best practices for IF and country finance teams.

● Support with recruitment and technical vetting of senior country finance staff.

● Travel to region to provide financial support and training.

PORTFOLIO AWARD MANAGEMENT

• Proposal Development – provide guidance on donor templates and cost eligibility, and review proposal budgets to ensure they are fully costed and competitive in a manageable format for implementation. Assist with donor queries and due diligence as required.
• Award set-up – review donor agreements and advise on financial matters as required. Design and develop coded budgets to meet grant and internal management needs. Using financial system reporting tools, design and construct Budget versus Actual (BvA) reports suitable for all stakeholders.
• Project Financial Management – provide ongoing monitoring of grants through production of BvA reports, and coordinate with the project team to ensure issues are being addressed on a timely basis. Prepare donor financial reports and related supporting schedules. Review budget modifications, ensuring any amendments are in accordance with donor requirements. In conjunction with the Compliance team, support country teams with application of donor regulations, providing advice and training. Monitor grant-level cash flow and submit funding requests to donor agencies on a timely basis as required by the grant agreement and internal procedures.
• Audit Assistance – support with donor-specific audits, including providing requested information and responses to audit queries and management letters. Assist in preparation for the MCinE annual statutory audit and provide any required inputs to country statutory audits.

HUMAN RESOURCES, SAFEGUARDING AND DIVERSITY

● Support Mercy Corps global initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development;

● Collaborate with the people team to promote staff access to high quality learning opportunities,

● Assist with the on-boarding of team members, ensuring they are set up for success and familiar with agency systems, procedures, and protocols.

Supervisory Responsibility

Senior International Finance Analysts/International Finance Analysts

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: Director of International Finance, Europe
• Works Directly With: Country Finance Teams, Compliance and Programmes teams in Europe, Corporate Finance, Mercy Corps Global Finance team, Internal Audit, Regional teams

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

● BA/S or equivalent in accounting or relevant field.

● 2+ years in leadership or management type roles.

● 5+ years finance management experience.

● 5+ years international accounting experience or non-for-profit accounting experience.

● Demonstrated experience and skill with creating templates and tools in Excel.

● Demonstrated experience and skill with budget preparation and analysis, financial audits, financial reporting preparation and presentation and the proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.

● Strong communication skills, both with members inside and outside the department; ability to clearly communicate ideas both verbally and in writing.

● Strong interest and capability in thinking through new or improved systems and workflows

● Detail oriented, with proven ability to identify process improvements to lead to an efficient and effective team.

● Strong knowledge of rules and regulations governing the compliance/regulatory management of grants from European donors (EC/ECHO/FCDO, other governments) and other agencies required.

● Demonstrated experience and understanding of financial reporting, accounting systems, and budget development and administration is required.

● Experience with MS Office and accounting (general ledger) software.

● English fluency required; additional fluency in French, Spanish and/or Arabic is highly beneficial.

Success Factors

The successful Regional Finance Manager will have a strong understanding of multi-donor finance and accounting in a relief and development setting. They must be a strong communicator with the ability to problem solve, prioritise, delegate and work closely with other departments. The ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment while maintaining the respect of staff and colleagues will be essential. They must be able to lead, motivate and mentor their team and ensure the collaborative achievement of team goals.

The most successful Mercy Corps staff members have a strong commitment to teamwork, accountability, and effective communication in all situations. Mercy Corps is a highly collaborative and lateral organisation that encourages strong self-initiative as well as team spirit. In order to succeed in this environment, the candidate should be highly organised, and innovative. They should demonstrate proud workmanship, good communication and collaboration skills. The successful Regional Finance Manager will demonstrate a strong understanding and sensitivity towards the diverse cultural, political and religious environments of the places where Mercy Corps works.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

The candidate can expect to travel internationally up to 20% of time.

Ongoing Learning

In support of our belief that learning organisations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organisation with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognise that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.