Senior Finance and Administration Consultant, DRC Consultancy Full Time NEW

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an international non-governmental, non-partisan organization dedicated to establishing and strengthening democracy, particularly in countries in democratic transition. IFES promotes democratic stability by providing technical assistance and applying field research to the electoral cycle in countries around the world to improve citizen participation and strengthen civil society, governance and transparency. Since its founding in 1987, IFES has developed and implemented programs in more than 145 countries. Its interventions focus specifically on electoral management, namely the effective organization of high-quality electoral processes and electoral leadership.

In DRC, IFES is currently implementing development programs funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Primary Function:

The Senior Finance and Administration Consultant shall provide financial and administrative services in support of the IFES-DRC FCDO program. This consultant is expected to liaise regularly with the dedicated IFES DRC and HQ finance and administration staff to coordinate financial, operational and administrative efforts.

IFES is seeking applications from consultants to work from Kinshasa, DRC on a sustained basis from the date of hire through March 2025. Please indicate your willingness to do so clearly within your application. Applications without a clearly noted willingness to work from Kinshasa will not be considered.  The applicant must demonstrate his/her working experience within the Great Lakes Region, especially in DRC.

Major Tasks:

Under the supervision of the IFES DRC Country Director, the Consultant will support the following tasks:                       

• Provides leadership and support to all project finance and operations, including general administrative processes, financial management, procurement, accounting, and logistics for IFES’ FCDO program;
• Ensure compliance of financial and operations systems with IFES policies and procedures, FCDO rules and regulations, and Government of DRC laws, as applicable;
• In tandem with IFES HQ and finance colleagues monitor program budget;
• Monitor and track expenditures against budgets and support budget realignments as needed;
• Manage field office procurement and expenditures, ensuring that they comply with IFES policies and donor regulations;
• Support production and review of Field Expense Reports, including financial voucher creation and data entry in Quickbooks, as appropriate.
• Liaise between IFES’ headquarters and DRC field office on financial and procurement matters;
• Regularly analyze and forecast IFES FCDO project expenses;
• Advise leadership on financial and operations-related matters under purview;
• Support preparations of annual and quarterly financial and accrual reports for donors;
• Contribute to the development of high-quality work plans, quarterly and annual reports, financial reports, and any other reports required by FCDO;
• Liaise with internal and external auditors in the review of project financial management;

Skills and Specifications

• The ability to remain highly organized while handling multiple tasks under tight deadlines

• Ability to complete tasks with limited supervision
• Business awareness and numerical ability
• Must possess solid communication and presentation skills
• Willingness to adhere to all principles of confidentiality
• Must value operating in a collaborative and cooperative environment
• Ability to show initiative, good judgment, and resourcefulness
• Conduct himself/herself with integrity and function ethically
• Ability to work with senior management

Education and Qualifications

• Minimum of Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related required; Masters degree preferred;
• Minimum of ten years of experience working with international NGOs, or combination of education and experience;
• Familiarity with donor rules and regulations on financial management and procurement is required, ideally FCDO;
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), budgeting and fiscal control principles;
• Ability to maintain and apply strong internal controls for finance procurement;
• Demonstrated experience with developing and managing budgets;
• Relevant skills in automated accounting software systems and database spreadsheets;
• Experience with financial management of projects that utilize rapid resource mobilization;
• Demonstrated leadership qualities, depth and breadth of financial management expertise;
• Relevant computer software skills and familiarity with accounting software (including at a minimum, Quickbooks, the standard application in MS office);
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience establishing and maintaining good relationships with a wide variety of professionals and organizations.

Language Skills:  Fluency in written and spoken French and English is required.

Travel:  This position will be based in Kinshasa, DRC for a full time consultancy through March 2025. In addition to a deployment to DRC, some in-country travel may be required.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT: Standard office work environment.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.