Programme Officer – Finance Full Time

Starting Salary: USD 38,654

Contract: 2 Years

Location: Harare, Zimbabwe

Job Profile

To contribute to CAFOD’s involvement in the Zimbabwe agreed strategy, by taking the lead on the day-to-day programme financial administration of CAFOD-supported programmes and partnerships.

This post-holder will manage effective relationships with partners; developing and nurturing partnerships and providing or facilitating capacity strengthening support where appropriate. The scope of the post falls into the following broad functions.

• Responsible for producing all budget analysis and reporting for programme finances.
• To keep an accurate overview of programme and office finances; responsible for providing efficient and effective financial guidance and support to programme staff.
• To be responsible for the preparation of programme accounts (but not sign-off).
• Providing support and capacity building to partners on financial standards and systems including assessing partner financial needs.
• Responsible for financial aspects of donor compliance and developing relations with donors in liaison with the Business Development Lead.

Accountability

This role reports to the Finance and Administration Manager (FAM).

Key Responsibilities

Assist in Maintaining an Overview of CAFOD Programmes Finances

• Responsible for book-keeping using relevant software to consolidate partner finances for reporting to donors.
• Preparation of monthly programme accounts and reports in compliance with CAFOD’s financial procedures and donor requirements.
• Assist in maintaining overview of the programme finances, providing accurate and timely updates to Programme Managers and the FAM.
• Ensure that CAFOD Financial standards, policies, and procedures are disseminated to all programme staff and partner staff as appropriate, and documentation is available for ready reference in physical files.
• Coordinate the timely submission of any records and accounts as required
• Assist in conducting financial assessments of CAFODs programme work, reviewing budgets and reports, reviewing audits; assist in identifying any financial problems or fraud.
• Support the budgeting processes and suggest relevant changes as and when necessary.
• Ensure full accountability through effective record keeping.
• Assist in training of programme staff in the policies and procedures for financial accountability.
• Ensure upward and downward transparency and accountability throughout the programme.
• Preparation of documents for annual or donor audits.
• Keeps track of donor assets held by partners and maintains an asset register for different donors.
• Trouble shoot Web Promise grants in liaison with the FAM.
• Reconcile Web Promise grants figures to Report manager quarterly.
• Ensure proper archiving of tenders in liaison with programme officers and partners in readiness for audits.
• Check payments, financial reports and cashflows in liaison with the Country Representative as per the Competence Table.
• Check staff liquidations after travel.

Partner Finance Support

• Support programme staff in conducting financial assessments of CAFOD’s partners programmes, reviewing budgets and reports, reviewing audits; responsible for identifying any financial problems or fraud.
• With partner staff produce and develop budgets and monitor the use of funds to ensure they are properly accounted for.
• Meeting with partner staff to review budgets and expenditures.
• Train partner staff in the policies and procedures for financial accountability and ensure ongoing compliance with these procedures.
• Develop, nurture and manage relationships with CAFOD partners organisations.
• Capacitate partner finance staff to produce complete financial reports.
• Perform grant reconciliations for partners to ensure that the report, bank and cash balances reconcile with funds disbursed to partners.
• Review partner disbursement requests to ensure reconciliation with their bank balances, report, workplans and forecast.
• Keep an overview of partner cashflows to ensure they request funds on time.

Donor Compliance and Development

• Ensure financial compliance with donor standards.
• Review all partners for capacity assessments due and perform due diligence checks when they fall due.
• Prepare partners for next audits before they are due.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Your role is responsible for ensuring that the programming work you are accountable for is safe, accessible, dignified and inclusive, providing ongoing support and follow-up to our partners in this area.

Person Specification

Understanding our context

• Understanding Catholic identity
• Understanding CAFOD
• Understanding international development

Working together

• Managing ourselves; Trains and mentors staff in good financial standards systems and processes as well as donor compliance and accountability
• Working with others
• Communicating
• Looking outwards; Understanding of donors and ability to ensure compliance to donor requirements

Making change happen

• Managing resources; Creates budgets; Full understanding and practical application of good financial standards and PCM; Full understanding of CAFOD’s finance systems and grant making; Monitors and reviews expenditure, recognizes errors, issues and fraud
• Achieving results; Good numeracy and IT skills
• Managing our performance
• Taking the lead; Manages, coaches and mentors staff in sound financial management skills and task manages others in the office

Job-specific competencies

1. Qualified accountant (or evidence of working towards qualification) with practical work experience in a finance or accountancy-based role.
2. More than five years’ experience working in Finance and Development sector.
3. Strong analytical and deductive skills.
4. Advanced level of written and verbal English
5. Perform basic analysis using tools such as Microsoft Excel skills

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Please click here for a full list of CAFOD’s Staff Benefits

Come and join us and help make a real difference in the lives of the world’s poorest communities.

CAFOD is an equal opportunities employer. Recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

Tagged as: Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, Zimbabwe