Project Background:

Through the USAID/Honduras School-Based Violence Prevention Activity (SBVPA) locally named Asegurando la Educacion, DAI will support USAID/Honduras to implement innovations to address school-based violence (SBV) that impedes the delivery of education, and use education and school processes to contribute to violence prevention in target communities. As part of the USAID/Honduras Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Development Objective 1, project activities will mainly focus on schools and communities in the municipalities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro de Sula, La Ceiba, Choloma, and Tela.

DAI will assist Government of Honduras (GOH) institutions at the national and local levels, as well as schools, communities, civil society organizations, and vulnerable populations in the target communities to achieve the project’s four objectives: Improve school ability to reduce SBV through creation of safe learning environments; strengthen local networks that increase school safety; increase the capacity of the Ministry of Education and social protection actors to prevent and respond to SBV; and lower risk factors and enhance protective factors for students that qualify for secondary prevention services.

Role’s Purpose:

The DCOP is a key member of the project leadership team. S/he will play a pivotal role in overseeing adherence to project's Field Operations Manual (FOM), USAID regulations, contract requirements and limitations, financial policies, procedures, controls, and reporting systems. The individual ensures compliance of all accounting and financial reporting functions, oversees cost and general accounting, accounts receivable/payable, payroll, financial risk management, partner relationships, audit backup documentation, and directly supervise and support key program and operations team members.

Tasks and responsibilities:

Management

  • Manages and oversees key program and operation team members
  • Serves as acting Chief of Party, as required
  • Anticipates contract changes; develops and implements plans to resolve issues
  • Recommends strategies to streamline systems for efficiency
  • Diagnoses and makes plans to address the needs of the project considering the nature of the work, the dynamics of the team and at the mission
  • Responsible for gaining comprehensive knowledge of project's Field Operations Manual (FOM) and for identifying areas where policies, procedures and/or practices may not be fully aligned with project practice and advising project management with options and recommendations
  • Responsible for coordinating documentation requirements with various departments, i.e. procurement, grants, logistics, Human Resources, Inventory Management, Technical/Delivery and other areas
  • Responsible for providing training to staff on finance procedures and documentation requirements

Payroll

  • Ensures the timely and accurate processing and review of all payroll transactions, assuring compliance with established employment agreements and modifications

Financial Systems

  • Ensures compliance with all DAI Financial Systems, including field accounting system (FAS), cloud software for backup documentation, DAI's project management system (TAMIS). etc.
  • Monitors that voucher files are scanned and uploaded to DAI’s System for the Electronic Archival of Financial Documentation

Programmatic Duties

  • As needed and at the direction of the COP, serve as technical liaison with USAID, Government of Honduras, other local counterparts, and community stakeholders on program communications and technical implementation of activities.
  • Manage, lead, and oversee a team of technical staff, including institutional capacity building team, technical advisors, regional directors, consultants, and other staff as required and at the direction of the COP.
  • Present findings in both written and oral presentations as required.
  • Work closely with the Senior Technical Advisor on the implementation of key technical products at the school level.
  • Ensure timely, cost-effective implementation of all programmatic assignments and action items identified in the work plan, Teamwork meetings, planning sessions, and other strategies and plans
  • Liaise with DAI home office on program technical progress as needed

Operations

  • Responsible for effective delivery of products and services, staffing, compliance, and other functions of the Operations Unit
  • Maintain communication with DAI's home office staff on administrative and operational aspects of the project.
  • Ensure compliance with local labor, tax, and other local laws.
  • Ensure procurement files are properly documented and closed upon completion of an activity.
  • Develops and maintains reports of status of financial management activities (i.e. monthly and quarterly reporting)
  • Provides annual budgets of expenditure as well as quarterly forecasts against budget statements (accruals, pipelines, etc.) as applicable.

Audit

  • Manages preparation of internal and external audits
  • Supports responses and actions to internal audit comments
  • Conducts daily reviews of backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and full compliance with all regulations and the Field Operations Manual (FOM)
  • Performs regular spot audits on project’s files.
  • Ensures adequate backup documentation is uploaded to relevant system according to set deadlines

Policies & Procedures

  • Ensures compliance with all DAI policies, USAID rules/regulations and the terms of the contract.
  • Reviews and approves bank reconciliations performed by the field accountant
  • Prepares and reviews project cost data prior to submitting Oracle data reports to DAI Washington

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Management or equivalent. Advanced degree MBA, CPA, PMP or equivalent preferred.
  • 8+ years of relevant experience and progressive responsibility in finance and accounting, office administration, project operations at the senior level of an organization
  • Experience managing budgets of $10 million or more
  • Minimum 2 years’ experience managing USAID funded projects
  • Experience leading and managing the financial aspects of USAID projects, including a demonstrated understanding of applicable finance-related USG contracting regulations
  • Accuracy in working with large amounts of data
  • Experience supervising staff
  • Ability to respond effectively to the most sensitive inquiries or complaints
  • Experience with enterprise accounting software, and Microsoft office suite
  • Demonstrated knowledge of internal controls and audit processes (e.g. procurement, local subcontract agreements)
  • Excellent communications and personnel management skills and ability to relate to people at all levels of an organization
  • An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards
  • An extremely well organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment, and strong operational focus
  • An individual who can create a working environment that fosters diversity and collaboration across cultures in hiring and day-to-day interactions.
  • Full professional proficiency in English is required

This vacancy is archived.

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