Senior Finance Officer

Organization: Right To Play Burundi

Department/Division: Finance

Work Location: Bujumbura, Burundi

Authorized to work in: Burundi (Eligible to work legally without requiring sponsorship or work permit)

Target Start Date: November 2024

Application Closing Date: September 11, 2024, 23:59 UTC +2 hours

ABOUT US:

Right To Play is a global organisation that protects, educates and empowers children to rise above adversity through the power of play. We help millions of children each year to stay in school and out of work, to prevent life-threatening diseases and to stay safe from exploitation and abuse. We are the leading global development organization that uses play to transform the lives of children and youth impacted by poverty, war, disease and inequality.

Established in 2000, Right To Play reaches children through experiential programming in 14 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. These programs are supported by our headquarters in Toronto, Canada; London, UK and seven national offices across Europe and North America.

With a shared passion for our mission, our Culture Code guides how we act and interact based on five core pillars:

• Accept Everyone – Be intentional about inclusion
• Make Things Happen – Seek opportunities to lead and innovate
• Display Courage – Act with integrity
• Demonstrate Care – Look after yourself and one another
• Be Playful – Have fun at work

Please visit our website to learn more about who we are and what we do, and watch this video to find out about the five pillars of our Culture Code.

ROLE SUMMARY:

The Senior Finance Officer reports directly to the Country Director (CD) and has technical reporting lines to the Senior Manager, Field Finance (SMFF). The incumbent is responsible for the proper implementation of financial procedures in all Right To Play programs in Burundi and will provide support and guidance by working closely with the in-country management team. The Senior Finance Officer is responsible for overseeing and maintaining effective and efficient accounting and financial records for the offices in Burundi. He/she is responsible for preparing financial reports for local management, preparing the payroll, maintaining accounts payables and implementation of the effective internal control framework.

The Senior Finance Officer must develop professional relationships with all staff in Burundi to ensure responsiveness to required needs and recognition of Right to Play and donors’ standard practices.

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WHAT YOU’LL DO:

#1: Financial Accounting, Management and Reporting (45%)

• Performs complete and accurate supporting information for all financial transactions.
• Reviews of the field offices’ monthly financial reports (verifying the coding, arithmetical accuracy, documentation, authorization) and subsequent feedback to ensure timely submission to SMFF.
• Keeps up to date on program priorities and makes occasional field trips to monitor finance related issues and procedures.
• Prepares payroll and monitors salary advance reimbursements; stays abreast on the latest developments in tax and other related laws in the country; ensures that RTP complies with all government statutory regulations including licensing payment of taxes and social security fund; ensures timely submissions of such deductions to the relevant authorities.
• Prepares and monitors financial reports and project cost reports/invoices against budget and donor requirements for accuracy and consistency and alerts management team of necessary actions based on that review.
• Participates in the annual financial audit ensuring all supporting documents are available for auditors to review; responds to auditor’s requests, as well as any internal or donor audits.
• Trains program staff on RTP financial policies.
• Prepares Country Office Budget on a yearly basis.
• Participates in the yearly financial planning in the country of operation; supports the program team in preparation of proposal and operational budgets; supports the Program Manager in communicating plans to program staff and partners.
• Ensures complete financial documentation of funding awards.
• Works with Program Manager to comply with donors’ terms and conditions, monitor spending and deliverables.
• Maintains control over the financial filing systems to ensure complete and organized accounting files, especially with regard to original procurement documents.
• Ensures financial oversight and control mechanisms and procedures to ensure that all programs and Country expenses are in accordance with RTP and donor financial policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Verifies accuracy and compliance of expenses and expense reporting.
• Reviews and provides support for the financial aspects of contract execution of local and international sub-implementing partners.
• Regularly prepares and presents financial reports, analysis, and recommendations concerning relevant financial issues.
• Identifies and recommends improvements that could streamline implementation processes in the areas of accounting, finance, and budgeting.

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#2: Management of cash and bank transactions (20%):

• Prepares the Cash Transfer Requests to HQ through the Director Global Field Finance and ensures that appropriate balances are maintained to facilitate grant implementation.
• Oversees the daily cash/bank management of financial transactions.
• Oversees all the incoming wires from HQ/Donors.
• Oversees the timely preparation, review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations.
• Monitors petty cash accounts including the spot-checking of balances and payments.
• Supervises the collection and recoverability of contractual, project partner activity advances, staff activity and travel advances and other receivables.

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#3: Financial Guidelines, Procedures and Policies (20%):

• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements.
• Complies and keeps abreast with Right To Play and donors policies, procedures, and guidelines in regards to accounting and procurement including internal controls framework.
• Ensures all purchase documents are well documented and followed according to policies.
• Ensures the Procurement Plans for the year are prepared by designated staff, approved by the CD and are up-to-date regularly.
• Reviews all procurement actions to ensure full and open competition to the greatest extent possible, strong internal controls with appropriate segregation of duties, adequate documentation to support solicitation, selection and best-value decisions, and full compliance with Right To Play and Donor regulations.
• Ensures proper travel related templates are used, travel related data are properly reviewed and analysed and adequate supporting documents are well maintained as per the Policies.
• Oversees the protection of the country’s assets (inventory and fixed assets) through the enforcement of internal control policies and procedures by ensuring that the Fixed Assets and Inventory registers are in place, updated regularly, and reported to Field Finance Unit.
• Ensures all expenses are authorized and approved in line with In Field Authorization Policy.
• Oversees the administration functions to ensure compliance with RTP and donor procurement procedures.

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#4: Team Management (10%)

• Ensures that the direct reports have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities; supported by clear job descriptions to ensure quality performance.
• Facilitates the capacity building of direct reports to ensure they have the appropriate skill levels for their positions and are developing to their full capacity; provides the necessary feedback to them and completes their performance appraisals.

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#5: Other Tasks as Assigned (5%)

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WHAT YOU’LL BRING (ESSENTIAL):

EDUCATION/TRAINING/CERTIFICATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, or any related discipline.

EXPERIENCE:

• 5 years of experience in a similar role working in an accounting, grants and developing budgets.

COMPETENCIES/PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Attention to detail and ability to plan and implement work plan with minimum supervision.
• Good networking and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work efficiently under tight deadlines and pressure.
• Excellent communication and reporting skills.
• Ability to prepare concise and informative financial reports.
• Professional verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team with culturally diverse professional staff.
• Leadership skills.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS:

• Excellent MS Office including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Familiarity with accounting software preferably Navision.
• Superior bookkeeping skills.

LANGUAGES:

• Fluency in spoken and written English, French and Kirundi.

BONUS IF YOU’LL BRING (NOT ESSENTIAL):

• Knowledge of good understanding and usage of an accounting software’s.
• Previous experience working in I/NGO.
• Experience managing a direct report(s).

WHO YOU ARE:

You are highly driven, results-oriented, collaborative and well-rounded leader with a passion for working with children and youth. You are an exceptional communicator with excellent networking skills.

WHAT YOU’LL GET:

The opportunity to collaborate with an innovative global team who are passionate about working with children and youth. You will gain experience working for a globally recognized organization with a healthy culture premised on our Culture Code (accept everyone, make things happen, display courage, demonstrate care and be playful). You will be immersed in an environment where learning and development is encouraged and valued, and “play” is appreciated as a core avenue to building community.

• Competitive salary and benefits.
• Flexible work arrangements (e.g. work from home and flexible hours).
• 20 days annual leave.
• Up to 3 personal days per year.
• Up to 5 personal learning and development (L&D) days per year.
• Maternity/paternity/parental leave top up and support.
• Annual learning week.
• Annual staff recognition awards.
• Opportunity to connect with employees across our offices (Global Buddy Chat, Facebook Workplace).
• Opportunity to engage in global projects and initiatives.
• Wellness programs.
• Playful activities and events.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for this position, please apply with your resume and cover letter in English via the application link.

Application Link: https://righttoplay.hiringplatform.ca/188249-senior-finance-officer-bujumbura-aug-2024-burundi/818884-application-form/en

While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Shortlisting of applications will begin immediately and interviews may be held before the closing date.

Right To Play provides equal employment opportunities to employees regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We offer a family-friendly environment that allows for flexible work arrangements in order to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

We are a child-centered organization. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory Vulnerable Sector Screening or equivalent criminal check as a condition of employment.

We value and promote a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Should you require any accessibility related accommodations or specific adjustments to ensure fair and equitable access throughout the recruitment and selection process, and thereafter, please reach out to the People & Culture team by email at careers@righttoplay.com. All information provided will be treated as confidential and used only to provide an accessible candidate experience. To learn more about who we are and what we do, please visit our website at www.righttoplay.com.