Senior Finance & Compliance Officer job at War Child

About the Organization

We are War Child. We began life as a handful of volunteers working in a borrowed loft. Today we are active in sixteen countries - working to improve the resilience and wellbeing of children living with violence and armed conflict.

Job Description

Participate in the assessment of the financial management capacity of WCH’s partners, identifying capacity gaps on annual basis, recommend actions to address the gaps and make follow ups with relevant staff for timely implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Control and Compliance to Assigned grants (30%)

Responsible for ensuring full compliance with donor requirements and WCH policies and for providing management with all financial and compliance administrative aspects of assigned projects while adhering to local laws and regulations.
Support the FM Plan, perform and report on internal verifications to ensure that financial control, financial guidelines of donor requirements and other control procedures are in place and properly implemented and managed in the organization.
Performing procedures to identify occurrence of financial errors (poor/lack of proper supporting documents, miscoding, non-compliance with WCH’s delegation authority, procurement threshold, incurring excess expenditure without prior approval, non-compliance with donor requirements) or fraud (theft, bribery, forgery, misuse of assets, etc.) and bringing any findings to the attention of the FM and the senior management (CD, PM & OM).
Review thoroughly all financial documents of projects funded by asigned donors and ensure the expenditure incurred fully comply with donor requirements before any donor audit takes place.
Ensure compliance with all tax liabilities by partners.
Assist the FM with the management of donor funds and timely production of donor reports, internal quarterly and annual financial reports.
Assist budget holders with preparation of donor and organizational budgets; ensure compliance with donor regulations.
Assist the FM in the process of obtaining explanations of variances between budget and actual spending, income etc.
Coordinate with the relevant programme staff and ensure monthly review of BvAs and incorporate feedback
Review financial reports and transactions provided by the partner on a timely basis, and provide feedback to partners (as required) and keep PIM and FM informed
Support and maintaining proactive links with partners to ensure compliance Donor requirements, WCH policies and national laws.
Provide support, supervision and oversight function of partners compliance to ensure that the overall project implementation complies with donor and WCH regulations and policies;
Work closely with the implementing partner finance/Grants team to ensure compliance by providing trainings and regular technical assistances and assist with budgetary and finance needs.
Participate in the assessment of the financial management capacity of WCH’s partners, identifying capacity gaps on annual basis, recommend actions to address the gaps and make follow ups with relevant staff for timely implementation.
Review partners’ external audit reports and following up any issues raised in the audit reports.
Make recommendations to the FM and Management on the performance of WCH’s partners with special focus on the key areas that require management attention for immediate improvement (findings rated as high risk).
Ensure all partner copy file documents are well reviewed and archived at WCA.
Assess the finance skills of both finance and key non-finance staff of partner organizations by using the partner assessment tool and other relevant tools.
Preparation of monthly cash flow and ensuring adequate monetary levels of partners.
Support in quality preparing for all assigned donor audits and verifications from the start to closure
Follow up on audit recommendations and ensure they are implemented by the departments

Capacity Building (10%)

Support the FM train and develop the capacity of WCH’s grant teams and partners to ensure that a good standard of financial management is maintained
Under take financial training of budget-holders, to assist them in enforcing financial controls & making decisions based on financial reports.
Other financial duties and general systems support
Support training of staff in procurement, budget management and systems policies and procedures as appropriate

Others

Adhere to the standards of conduct outlined in Code of Conduct (CoC) with Associated Policies; the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking Policy.
Support and promote the standards outlined in the WCH and donor Code of Conduct and related policies to the team.
Undertake other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the FIM.

Qualification, Experiences and Competencies

Bachelor’s Degree: A minimum of a bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
Advanced Degree (Preferred): A Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field can be advantageous.

Professional Certifications

Certified Public Accountant (CPA): Highly preferred and often required.
Certified Management Accountant (CMA): Beneficial for demonstrating expertise in management accounting.
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA): Relevant for those focusing on compliance and internal audits.
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE): Useful for roles heavily involved in compliance and fraud prevention.
Other Relevant Certifications: Such as Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or other industry-specific certifications.

Professional Experience

Extensive Experience: Typically, at least 7-10 years of experience in finance, accounting, or compliance roles.
Leadership Experience: Demonstrated experience in a leadership or senior management position.
Industry Experience: Experience in the specific industry of the organization (e.g., healthcare, financial services, manufacturing) can be beneficial.