TechnoServe Finance Controller Job Vacancy in Nairobi, Kenya

TechnoServe

Position Title: Finance Controller

Job Category: Administration

Requisition Number: FINAN002936

Reports to: Country Director

Location: Nairobi

About TechnoServe

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build a better future.

This simple idea has been at the heart of TechnoServe’s work around the world for over 50 years.

TechnoServe is a pioneer in leveraging the power of business and markets to create sustainable pathways out of poverty.

The low-income communities in which we work are full of enterprising people. Their small-scale farms and businesses are the keys to economic development.

But they face many challenges: low literacy, lack of access to jobs and markets, unpredictable political dynamics and, increasingly, the effects of climate change.

For many women and young people, the challenges are even more daunting. Working with TechnoServe staff, people around the world are lifting themselves out of poverty.

The results are amazing…when incomes increase and living conditions for families get better, they are able to access health care and education previously out of reach.

Communities and even whole countries are better off.

Job Summary: The Financial Controller is a senior member of the TechnoServe Kenya leadership team and provides fiscal leadership for project activities, ensuring the effective use of donor resources to meet project goals.

The Financial Controller will be reporting to the country director and will be responsible for leading and developing the following key functions: –

1) Finance and accounting

2) Budgeting, monitoring and reporting for country platform budgets and supporting specific programs

3) Program support

4) Procurement

5) Audit and legal

6) Policies, procedures and systems of internal controls

7) Compliance with donor and other regulatory authorities’ requirements

8) Supervisory responsibilities

Primary Functions and responsibilities

Finance and Accounting

  • Oversee the day-to-day operations of the finance department, including but not limited to timely payments to suppliers, timely posting of financial transactions in the system, proper coding of expenses by program staff, proper supporting documents that can withstand an audit etc
  • Establish and document a cost-sharing basis for shared costs and periodically review and document the rationale as and when new factors come into play
  • Manage payroll and expense reimbursements to staff
  • Monitor the liquidity position of Kenya cash positions to ensure that business cash flow adequately supports projects activities. Manage currency fluctuations in the country.
  • Ensure timely monthly closure in compliance with TNS timelines and GAAP.
  • Maintain all balance sheet accounting, producing consistent and accurate supporting schedules and reconciliations.
  • Provide support in all aspects of financial management for sub-grantees and monitor agreements to ensure compliance with donor financial regulations and guidelines
  • Review financial reports of sub-grantees, whenever applicable, and ensure that expenditures are in line with the budget and in compliance with donor regulations
  • Effectively communicate and present critical finance matters to the country director and the regional financial controller
  • Provide detailed financial analysis to support any critical decision making for TechnoServe

Budgeting, Monitoring and Reporting

  • Lead the annual country budgeting process as well as mid-year budget reviews
  • Discuss monthly budget tracking reports with program managers and ensure spending is within budget and corrective action taken in case of unfavorable variances
  • Lead the quarterly burn rate calls with HQ finance management and the country and regional directors

Program Support

  • Assist TNS Kenya program managers on the financial oversight of their awards by providing internal financial analysis on a monthly basis, utilizing country reports updated in the shared drive.
  • In collaboration with the regional financial controller (RFC) and Kenya country office finance team, ensure country program invoicing is in line with approved donor budget and donor reporting requirements.
  • Conduct and/or lead budget realignment process for each program. Study previous budget trends and take into consideration the benefits and losses during the previous financial years due to budget planning. Analyze and understand costs to date and proposed work plan to the end of the program
  • Develop compliant, competitive and accurate cost proposals for new program proposals
  • Provide leadership for budget preparation, formulation, presentation, and execution according to the requirements of the specific donors.
  • Develop detailed budget narratives/ notes that explain and support all budget assumptions, following the line items in the budget closely, identifying the costs and the basis for the costs
  • Create budget crosswalks from TNS’s template to the donor’s budget template(s).
  • In collaboration with the grants & contracts department, ensure and evaluate full recovery of overheads as stipulated by internal TNS policy and/or TNS’s most current NICRA
  • Review and understand the solicitation materials (ie RFP), TechnoServe’s internal technical design (i.e. log frame) and emerging technical proposal that presents the technical design
  • Prepare for and participate in TNS internal green team reviews, as required by TNS policy. Keep the proposal manager informed on major changes being made on the initial budget.
  • The position will be required to prioritize developing cost proposals for large/complex projects and be available for the required duration; this requires a flexibility, due to the often unpredictable and changing requirements of a proposal; this may include working overtime/long hours

Procurement

  • Oversee procurement processes including tendering process, supplier selection, to ensure procurement solutions that meet project needs are compliant with all applicable regulations and standards of accountability, ethics and integrity
  • Manage acquisition of inventory, recording, verification and protection of project assets and equipment

Audit and Legal

  • Work with the country director to proactively minimize financial and legal risk to the organization
  • In liaison with the regional financial team, coordinate and lead all forms of audits and prepare responses to audit findings.
  • Lead the implementation of audit findings and sensitize staff on new processes and internal controls designed to implement the audit recommendations.

Policies, Procedures, Internal Controls and Compliance

  • Guide staff in interpretation of laid down policies and procedures and ensure compliance
  • Continually review systems of internal controls as and when the need arises
  • Implement financial operations of the program, ensuring compliance with local laws and donor policy and contract provisions
  • Ensure all taxation and legislative requirements of the host government are complied with at all times.
  • Keep abreast of changes in regulations which may affect the accounting functions of the organization and communicate all changes and updates to the organization accordingly
  • Participate and contribute in proposal development.

Any other duties as allocated by the Country Director.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Degree in business related subjects. MBA preferred
  • Professional qualification – CPAK
  • Minimum of 10 years’ experience with at least 5 years in a senior position
  • Excellent knowledge of excel, access and powerpoint required; familiarity with serenic navigator, or similar finance and accounting software preferred
  • Financial management and financial reporting skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience and understanding of not-for-profit accounting
  • Knowledge of key donor reporting requirements (USAID, USDA, DFID, SIDA and other international donors) preferred
  • Good leadership and strategic orientation skills
  • Ability to control and manage financial policy and procedures and good practices/systems
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and Excellent verbal, analytical, organizational and written skills

Success Factors

Competency is a combination of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) directly related to successful performance on the job.

Core Competencies include:

  • Integrity and honesty: Is widely trusted; seen as a direct, truthful individual; presents truthful information in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidence; admits mistakes; does not misrepresent himself or herself for personal gain.
  • Teamwork/ Relationships: Works cooperatively and flexibly with other members of the team with a full understanding of the role to be played as a team member and/or leader, to achieve a common goal. Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks.
  • Learning attitude: Proactively takes advantage of opportunities to learn. Actively identifies new areas for learning; applies and shares new knowledge and skill appropriately.
  • Diversity/Inclusiveness: Demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for diversity and supports diversity efforts. Interacts effectively with and inclusively with people of all races, cultures, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions, ages, and genders.
  • Communication: Expresses ideas effectively in individual and group situations. Listens effectively; shares information, ideas and arguments; adjusts terminology, language and communication modes to the needs of the audience; ensures accurate understanding; acts in a way that facilitates open exchange of ideas and information; uses appropriate non-verbal communication.
  • Decision making/Problem Solving: Is able to analyse situations, diagnose problems, identify the key issues, establish and evaluate alternative courses of action and produce a logical, practical and acceptable solution. Is able to make effective decisions on a day-to-day basis, taking ownership of decisions, demonstrating sound judgement in escalating issues where necessary.
  • Results Oriented/ High Quality Deliverables: Stays focused on the efforts necessary to achieve quality results consistent with programmatic or departmental goals. Demonstrates the ability to achieve effective results; works persistently to overcome obstacles to goal achievement.
  • Accomplishes tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how small; showing concern for all aspects of the job; accurately checking processes and tasks.
  • Planning & Time Management: Establishes a course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a specific goal. Effectively plans, schedules, prioritizes and controls activities; identifies, integrates and orchestrates resources (people, material, information, budget, and/or time) to accomplish goals.
  • Prioritizes work according to the program or department’s goals, not just own job responsibilities; manages own time effectively.
  • Business Acumen: The ability to use information, ask the right questions and make decisions that make an impact on the overall business performance.

Job Specific / Technical Competencies include:

  • Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources is about understanding human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
  • Computer Literacy: Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for their own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace.
  • Internal Client Focus: Client Focus is based on the ability to understand the client’s needs and concerns in the short to long-term and to provide sound recommendations and/or solutions.
  • Compliance & Governance: Compliance with and knowledge of company policies, applicable legislation, grant requirements, donor contracts, the local labor code and tax laws.

Managerial Competencies:

  • Emotional Intelligence: The act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others.
  • Emotional intelligence consists of 4 attributes: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
  • Strategic Thinking: Managers should recognize key actions, underlying problems, make connections and patterns, see consequences and implications. Anticipates obstacles realistically and plans ways to deal with them.
  • Staff Development: managers are required to work with employees to plan on the development of skills and abilities so that they can fulfil current or future job/role responsibilities more effectively.
  • Trust to Delegate: managers should have trust and willingness to assign responsibilities to direct reports and give them discretion and authority to carry them out.
  • Feedback/Coaching (mentoring): managers should give instructions, suggestions, explanations, and feedback to subordinates. (SPI+R)

Supervisory responsibilities, Capacity Building and Leadership

  • In collaboration with grants & contracts departments, continually conduct training regarding budget procedures (budgeting and budget management), templates, budget utilization and monitoring to all TNS Kenya programs’ staff to ensure coherent understanding of the project budget(s)
  • Supervise, coach, guide and manage performance of finance staff and provide them with professional development opportunities that will enhance their capacity and skill set

Application Process

CLICK HERE to apply online.

We encourage all qualified individuals who share TechnoServe’s vision of improving the lives of others through proven business solutions to apply.

With our commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and affirmative action employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, HIV/AIDS status, protected veteran status, disability and all other protected classes.

We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and beneficiaries from abuse and exploitation and thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.

If you have a disability that affects your ability to use our online system to apply for a position at TechnoServe please contact the Human Resources at recruitment@tns.org or call +1 202 785 4515.

Updated:
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