Back Program Finance Officer, Africa

1. Overall Purpose/Broad Function:

The Program Finance Officer works in close collaboration with regional finance team to ensure correct contracting and payments as well as the proper use and maintenance of the Contracts Database in the Region.

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1. Key Duties and responsibilities: **

The specific terms of reference for this position are:

Contracts Database management

· Regional contracting and payment processing for programs within Africa.

· Ensure that all regional project and contract details are correctly maintained in the NI contracts database.

· Verifies the coding in the Payment request form and checks that it agrees with the Contract Database

· Monitor the contracts database for the Region on a monthly basis by following up with program staff on all the long term extender contracts, milestones that are past their activity date.

· Assist Regional Office with the follow-up of quarterly monitoring reports.

· Assists in the preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual monitoring reports on program spending

· Monitor the Contracts Database (CDB) for the Region on a regular basis. Provide guidance to Country offices and resolve / troubleshoot CDB related bottlenecks.

· Responsible for sending CDB reports once a month to all Country offices to facilitate appropriate corrective action in CDB.

• Ensures that all project milestone activity related information is captured and maintained in NI information systems.

• Works with other team members to resolve temporary or cyclical workload issues when they arise.

Program and Contract Management

• Ensure the completeness and accuracy of the funding approval form, contract approval sheet, payment request form and other related documents received from the country offices in the Region
• Reviews the completeness and accuracy of contract closure form and project closure form and related documents received from the country offices in the Region.
• Reviews and provides comments to the Finance Manager-Budgeting on approval applications for changes to grant/consulting agreement conditions (budget supplements, time extensions) as well as any ensuing amendments.

· Ensures compliance with established NI policies for the release and approval for signature of legal documents. (Grant agreements, consulting contracts, travel letters, extension and supplement requests).

Budgets

· Verify that the contract budgets are in line with the approved budgets.

· Verification of budgets for GAC project allocated and indirect expenses and sending review to Finance Manager Budgeting

· Any other specific task assigned by the supervisor.

4.Supervisory Responsibilities:

· This position does not have any supervisory function.

5. Education/Professional Designations/Experience:

· Minimum: Bachelor’s degree with at least five years of working experience in finance in the development sector

1. Language Skills

· English written and spoken.

1. Travel Requirements

· None

8. Other Specific Skill Requirements

· Skills in financial management and administration skills

· Superior interpersonal and people management skills

· Competent IT skills, i.e. Word, Excel advanced, and Outlook.

· knowledge of Great Plains will be an advantage

· Attention to detail

· Ability to work under pressure

· Multi-tasking ability with an analytical and methodical approach.

NOTE: This job description can and will be amended as required from time to time

NI is a non-smoking work environment