Finance and Operations Manager Country Sierra Leone City Freetown Type Full Time Program (Division) Country Programs - Sierra Leone Telecommute No Overview

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to our mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of disease in low-and middle-income countries. We work at the invitation of governments to support them and the private sector to create and sustain high-quality health systems.

 

CHAI was founded in 2002 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with the goal of dramatically reducing the price of life-saving drugs and increasing access to these medicines in the countries with the highest burden of the disease. Over the following two decades, CHAI has expanded its focus. Today, along with HIV, we work in conjunction with our partners to prevent and treat infectious diseases such as COVID-19, malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Our work has also expanded into cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and other non-communicable diseases, and we work to accelerate the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, reduce maternal and child mortality, combat chronic malnutrition, and increase access to assistive technology. We are investing in horizontal approaches to strengthen health systems through programs in human resources for health, digital health, and health financing. With each new and innovative program, our strategy is grounded in maximizing sustainable impact at scale, ensuring that governments lead the solutions, that programs are designed to scale nationally, and learnings are shared globally.

 

At CHAI, our people are our greatest asset, and none of this work would be possible without their talent, time, dedication and passion for our mission and values. We are a highly diverse team of enthusiastic individuals across 40 countries with a broad range of skill sets and life experiences. CHAI is deeply grounded in the countries we work in, with the majority of our staff based in program countries. Learn more about our exciting work: http://www.clintonhealthaccess.org

 

CHAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and is committed to providing an environment of fairness, and mutual respect where all applicants have access to equal employment opportunities. CHAI values diversity and inclusion, and recognizes that our mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people with diverse experience, backgrounds, and culture.

 

Program Overview:

CHAI established presence in Sierra Leone in 2015. While CHAI’s original intent was to provide assistance related to the Ebola response, it became clear based on preliminary conversations with the government that the real need for partner support was in the realm of health systems strengthening. In response to the government’s need, CHAI developed a scope of work focusing on Human Resources for Health and Supply Chain, supporting the HRH Directorate within MOH and the National Pharmaceutical Procurement Unit (NPPU) respectively. In recent years CHAI has expanded its support to the Government to include programs on sexual and reproductive health, vaccines delivery, assistive technology, Essential medicines with focus on improving access to medical oxygen and recently Malaria prevention.

 

Position Overview:

The Finance and Operations Manager (FOM) will be based in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He /She will provide high quality financial and accounts management and services in support of CHAI’s operational performance in line with its mission of saving lives and reducing the burden of diseases in Sierra Leone. The FOM will direct and oversee all finance, accounting and operations functions of CHAI SL, developing and implementing systems and processes that facilitate the effective and cost-efficient execution of core CHAI functions. Ultimately, the FOM will ensure robust finance, accounting and operations processes are in place to meet CHAI’s needs in Sierra Leone.

Responsibilities Ensure monthly transactions are entered in the general ledger accurately and on a timely basis. Maintain and record all supporting details for the transactionsEnsure quality and accurate monthly finance returns and reports/summariesManage financial month end closing and year-end processes, including ensuring timely submissions to Boston financeReview and approve all vouchers prepared by the finance officer (disbursement, receipt and general journal vouchers) for expenditures and ensures that expenses are reasonable, allowable and allocable to the right projectsReview advances for field activities and staff travel, ensuring proper process for disbursement of funds, correct documentation and the settlement of advances in a timely mannerCoordinate payment of invoices with the finance officer; reviews and disburses funds request upon approval.Review monthly expenditure reports (prelims & finals) and prepare adjustments; review variance analysis; investigate variances and commentCoordinate and liaise with Boston Accounting team on financial reports and follow up on supplemental information as required.Maintain and safeguard CHAI assets, ensure monthly Depreciation, reconciliations carry out periodic physical verifications per CHAI policyPrepare the monthly expense allocation guide and employee allocations, with guidance from Accounting team in BostonReview payrolls and validate employee’s payroll and benefits (Pension, Severances, Tax, Insurance)Process or contribute to the periodic tax return and complete reporting of tax formalities to the local authorities where requiredMaintaining the integrity of the balance sheet by preparing monthly balance sheet reconciliations including Bank and CashContribute to the improvement of financial systems and processes in the country office, recommending changes to provide timely and appropriate financial information to CHAI’s grant managers and donorsManage and maintain CHAI financial management system (currently QuickBooks)Manage and maintain CHAI financial records including supporting approvals for the financial transactions per the country office document retention policyPrepare monthly variance reports of expenditure against funding and approved budgets for the country leadership (CD/PMs etc.)

Financial Planning & Analysis

Provide the leadership on financial planning, budgeting & country resource allocation working closely with the CD Support the CD in project budget planning and management Assist the CD in planning country operations to support program activities Ensure proper budget monitoring and timely reporting internally within the organization and externally to donors and local government as prescribed by the statutes Support program staff in developing proposal budgets and budget revisions for donorsProvide information related to costing and operational needs to support program implementationSupport Grant Tracker review by ensuring the veracity of the information in the Grant Trackers on a monthly basis Ensure that all donor-financial reporting requirements are complied with and that donor financial reports are submitted in a timely manner

Legal, Compliance & risk management

Ensure financial policies and procedures are in place and kept up to date, liaising with International Controller in Boston Monitor the compliance manual against audit comments, best practice etc. and recommend changes to the controller where appropriate, to promote effectivenessMaintain a proper monitoring system of partner expenses by facilitating periodic reviews of accounts and ledgers and maintain up-to-date reports per donor requirementsPrepare country for and coordinate annual audits, donor specific audits/assessments and CHAI internal audits Ensure follow-up with audit observations and maintain an up-to-date remediation log Review MOU/MOA/Independent contracts and send for approval to Contracts team for reviewEnsure compliance with grant and donor requirements Execute leases and contracts for supply of good and services under the CD leadershipEnsure compliance with CHAI procurement policies and guidelines at all times Assist the CD and program managers in processing exceptional approvalsMaintain up-to-date knowledge of country government regulations and share the same with Boston where necessaryReview the remittances of all applicable taxes in accordance with legal requirements in the countryConduct spot checks in the main office in the CO and field offices to ensure internal control are workingFacilitate in country capacity assessments by potential donors Lead on and support program teams in assessments and building financial management capacity of CHAI implementing Partners Provide overall management and co-ordination of the work of the finance teams in the countryAct as a business partner to other functional leads e.g. Programs, Operations

Grant and Partnership Management

Review all Independent Contractor Agreements and Memoranda of Agreement from financial management perspective prior to signing with partners/contractors; suggest any points of negotiation and analyses the impactAssess and Train local partners and CHAI teams on best practice in Finance, procurement, and admin processes to ensure compliance with donor policies and regulationsManage local partners and ensure timely reporting, invoices quality reviews and timely cash disbursements for implementationsBuild relations with focal person and build a trusting partnership with partner organizationsKeep the Country Director informed on all major compliance issues/challenges while taking the necessary corrective steps with the respective Partners

Treasury

Manage the country treasury function (cash, bank, receivables and payables) and ensure adequate resources are available for both administrative and programmatic spending Manage local payments & process wire requests to Boston Prepare cash projections for the programsPrepare fund requests for programs and operationsManage monthly cash forecasting and cash requests for projects Liaise and communicate with Boston finance team to ensure good flow of information, including raising awareness on areas of risk or concern

Budgeting and Forecasting:

Develop annual budgets and revisions as required, including working with department heads to set donor approved activities and costsAnalyze historical financial data and ensure they accurately charged to the different grantsEnsure budget monitoring is in place to avoid overspend and that variances can be explainedProvide guidance and recommendations to ensure financial goals match the activities done 

Administration, & Office Management

Responsible for the maintenance of the office premisesLead the provision of logistics support to the programs and support teamsManage the team that coordinate events including country meetings and global summits Maintain inventory registers and ensure periodic verification of reports prepared by office managerEnsure vendor screening and maintain a quarterly screening updateValidate vendor claimsOversee the IT functions and related purchases in liaison with the Boston IT leadership Provide thought partnership to Country Director on ways to improve operational efficiency of the teamAct as the point for Safety & Security in the country Qualifications

CHAI places great value on relevant personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, independence and work ethic. We seek a highly committed and adaptable individual with a track record of delivering high quality results with limited resources. The individual must be able to function independently in a swift and flexible manner. CHAI hires exceptional individuals who can drive work plans to completion and meet milestones with minimum daily supervision.

Bachelor or Master’s degree in Finance or recognized accounting professional qualification (e.g. CA/CPA)Minimum of 7 years’ experience in a not-for-profit organization with at least 3 years in a managerial positionExcellent Knowledge of Microsoft operating Systems with an excellent command over MS ExcelWorking Knowledge of ERP Accounting Softwares (Knowledge of NetSuite, QuickBooks and Unit 4/Agresso will be an added advantage)High level of integrity and dependability with leadership qualities Proactive and responsive to urgent needs of the programAbility to work under pressure without compromising on quality of policy and compliance proceduresSelf-motivated and firm in providing opinion to support effective decision-makingExperience in managing donors funds and executing their financial reporting requirementsHighly developed analytical and problem-solving skills Excellent interpersonal and communication skills Ability to influence senior managers and peers over a wide range of issuesAbility to work in a multicultural environmentFluency in English required; Fluency in Krio a plus.

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