Finance & Compliance Manager (National Post)

Location: Based in Kyiv with travels to Lviv, Dnipro & Odesa

Reporting line manager: Deputy Country Director for Support Services, Compliance and Legal Affairs

Duration:12 months (with a possibility of renewable)

Conditions: Employment contract, gross monthly salary starting from EUR 4,099,- depending on proven relevant experience for the post. One-time moving allowance EUR 600 (for staff recruited from outside the duty station) and a monthly risk allowance of EUR 200 gross (Kyiv based). We also give 28 days annual leave, medical insurance and PSS support.

CARE INTERNATIONAL

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development Confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, as both a practitioner and thought leader, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls and the areas of gender equality, diversity and inclusion are at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We recognize that power relations between people and within systems and structures are unequal and that these are entrenched in our broader systems, structures, and institutions.

At the core of the CI Confederation is a globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its Members in areas including governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian response, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CI Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union and with other external stakeholders.

Context in Ukraine

On 24th February 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation to the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas controlled by Russian forces as well as cities under siege. Aerial attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict has caused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with 6.24 million displaced within Ukraine and 7.68 million refugees having fled to neighboring countries. By October 26, OCHA had counted 17.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

Amid the upcoming winter, which is anticipated to be the worst in decades, at least one-third of the country’s energy infrastructure is damaged, leaving millions without heating and access to water. In October, the Russian Federation claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, further increasing the challenge of access to these areas. Therefore, in addition to preparing the population for the approaching winter, an ongoing priority for the international humanitarian response is to secure access to recently liberated and recaptured areas in the East and to provide aid to previously unreachable and particularly hard-hit areas of Ukraine.

CARE UKRAINE

As a new actor in Ukraine, CARE prioritizes a locally led response and is partnering primarily with Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs), National NGOs, local authorities, and INGOs with a longstanding presence in the country and access to hard-to-reach areas. CARE Ukraine deliberately and strategically prioritizes partnerships with local and national Women-Led and Women’s Rights organizations (WLOs/ WROs), who are at the forefront of the response, in order to strengthen their voice and leadership in the overall humanitarian response and decision making. By January 2023, CARE Ukraine has established partnerships with fourteen local/national organizations (including six WLOs/WROs). As a result of these partnerships, over 600,000 people have been reached across Ukraine, including in areas along the line of contact. CARE Ukraine has four established offices in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Odessa and is currently in the process of opening additional field antennas.

Role Objectives

The basic function of the Country Office (CO) Finance & Compliance Manager position is to develop, coordinate and administer the CO plans for proper recording, documentation, control, monitoring and reporting of financial operations. The CO Finance & Compliance Manager is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations at the CO level. The postholder plans, organizes, directs, and is responsible for providing quality financial services to all projects, units and staff in the CO. The postholder will work closely with the DCD- Support Services, Compliance and Legal Affairs and Senior Management Team (SMT) to ensure that a cross-partnership is developed between Finance, Program, HR and Program Support. The Finance & Compliance Manager assumes overall responsibility for implementation of donor rules and regulations at the CO level.

The Finance & Compliance Manager’s profile includes: very strong accounting and finance knowledge (Knowledge Peoplesoft would be an asset), analytical skills, attention to details, ability to work effectively under time pressure, very strong business partnering skills with ability to influence CO senior staff, team player, proactive individual with ability to offer structured guidance, ability to ensure that the right priorities are set for the CO finance team, proven experience of training finance and non-finance staff, proficiency in Excel and an ERP financial system e.g. PeopleSoft, SAP etc.

Responsibilities:

Account Payable (45%)

• Ensure CO compliance with CARE’s accounting policy and procedures and generally accepted accounting principles.
• Develop and implement CO account payable and cash disbursement policies.
• Develop and implement the CO’s accounting systems and procedures.
• Supervise the protection of the organization’s assets through internal control and auditing procedures.
• Supervise and develop inventory control procedures.
• Facilitate any internal and external audits conducted by Headquarters or the donors; Review the CO payroll system to ensure that all taxes and other deductions are accurately prepared and determined.
• Review all leases and other contracts that require current and future use of CO assets and make any relevant recommendations to the CD.
• Supervise and control the quality of the CO financial processes and systems to include accounting software parameters and system switches, tables maintenance such as exchange rate table, cost pool, Shared Cost Allocations and revenue recognition tables, vendor and donor files, accounting segments (project, fund, account, location code, etc), etc.
• Ensure the timely payment of all invoices, demand notes and booking of all expenses in the system.
• Overseeing the preparation and Issuance of the timesheet guidelines to the CO staff monthly.
• Overseeing the booking of the local and international payroll.
• Supervise the monthly financial AP close (both soft and hard closes) and the running of the Shared Program Costs.
• Ensuring the timely review of the partners financial reports and the booking of expenses in PeopleSoft.

Treasury and Cash functions (15%)

• Provide oversight to day-to-day operations to include efficient process flows and controls over Accounts Payable, cash transfers and other cash journal entries.
• Ensure expenditures are justified and substantiated adequately.
• Coordinate banking operations and maintain liaison with CO bankers.
• Supervise the collection of contractual and miscellaneous receivables.
• Review and recommend to the CD the investment of short-term cash surpluses.
• Supervise the preparation of the CO quarterly and annual cash budgets; Develop CO plans to minimize exposure to currency gains and losses.
• Ensure bank and cash accounts are reconciled on a monthly basis.

Financial Reports and quality review (20%)

• Supervise and control the quality of the monthly closing process to include bank reconciliation reports, intra-company reconciliation, payroll reconciliation,
• sub-office reports, subledger and non-subledger accounts reconciliation.
• Ensure quality review of balance sheet, income statement, grants and contracts receivable/payable accounts, etc at least monthly.
• Take the lead in coordinating the preparation of the monthly/quarterly MARCO reporting tool.

Staff and talent management (10%)

• Responsible for the supervision and development of at least 9 staff in the CO finance unit; Provide accounting and financial training to CO finance staff including sub-offices; Organize training in financial management to non-finance staff as necessary.
• Implement Annual Performance Assessment policy and process to include the preparation and monitoring of Individual Operating Plan (IOPs) for finance staff.
• Develop succession plan to ensure that Finance level of service will not suffer due to the loss of any personnel.
• Provide guidance to subordinate staff in implementing the staff development plan.
• Work with the Country Director and the CO human resources unit to develop and manage talent in the CO finance unit.

General (10%)

• Develop financial and accounting training program to include manuals to meet the organizational goals for sustainable improved performance in financial management in CO.
• Assist CD and other senior CO staff in the review of donor contracts and other financial commitments.
• Identify and communicate potential issues regarding financial statements of accounts to the CD and other senior, CO staff and management in the Headquarters.
• Assist the CD in preparing responses to audit findings, planning, and implementing audit recommendations.

The Finance and Compliance Manager may be required to support the other departments in the finance unit as required. Job’s requirements are evolutive. The position holder may be asked to undertake new tasks as decided by the line manager and mission’s objectives.

Position Requirements:

Mandatory criteria for longlisting:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, development finance, or related field is a distinct advantage. Master’s degree and/or accounting designation (e.g., a Certified Public Accountant) is preferred.
• At least 7 years of experience in operations management in international INGOs,
• Experience working in humanitarian sector minimum 5 years,
• Proven experience in managing large budgets and working with donors.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office applications and working knowledge of Peoplesoft Accounting Software.

Technical Skills:

• Thorough understanding of financial accounting, reporting and grants and contract management processes.
• Facilitation skills to conduct training sessions for small, medium and large sized groups.
• Solid analytical and problem solving, financial troubleshooting and audit experience.
• Ability to maintain customer focus while handling multiple priorities.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems, processes and procedures and adapt local practices to global standards.
• Excellent leadership, coaching and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work in teams, work at detailed level and understand the larger picture.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Excel and Word and good skills at using financial software applications.

Expected

• Excellent interpersonal, communication and listening skills,
• Ability to take on a significant workload and work under pressure,
• Willingness to travel occasionally to the field location (Dnipro & Odessa)
• Proven experience in working with national partners, local/government authorities.
• Adaptability, cultural awareness and ability to work with various nationalities and cultural pattern.
• Skills in capacity building of national team.
• Fluency in Ukrainian language and English both in writing and speaking.
• Proven leadership skills and a competence in people management
• Competence in providing technical guidance and training
• Proven analytical and critical thinking skills
• Ability to take on a significant workload and work under pressure,
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work on one’s own and complete tasks and produce high quality output.
• Proactive in problem solving, initiating actions and making operational decisions.

Accountability within CARE:

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner.

Safeguarding:

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

Gender equality:

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.