Job Title:                          Country Finance Manager

Reports to:                       Country Director

Terms:                               This is a 12-month replacement role with unaccompanied terms based in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR)

Salary:                               €41,108 to €45,676 plus benefits.

Requirements:                You will report to the Country Director, also based in Bangui, and will line manage the Finance Team, currently composed of a Programme and Partnership Accountant, the Deputy Finance Manager, the Finance Officer and the Finance Assistant. You will also technically oversee Finance staff based in the field offices (Bossembele, Kouango, Mobaye). You will work closely with Programme staff (including the Programme Director, the Programme Support Officer), Operations staff (including HR, Logistics and IT functions), the Compliance and Internal Auditor. You will be a member of the Country Management Team alongside the Country Director, Programme Director and Operations Director.

About Concern:               Established in 1968, Concern is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organisation, dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern’s vision, our mission and our work are all defined by one goal – ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes. Concern strives for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression.

Our culture is values driven and we believe that our people are central to all that we do and are key to delivering on our goal of Reaching the Furthest Behind First. We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and contribute to delivering on our mission.

We would like you to start end in March 2025.

Role Purpose:                  The Country Finance Manager (CFM) is responsible to manage all aspects of the finance function of the Concern Worldwide country programme in Central African Republic (CAR), to achieve objectives in line with Concern’s policies, procedures and standards.

Responsibilities:

Financial System

• Ensure that the country financial management systems & records are adequate in order to identify and protect the assets & interest of the organization.
• Maintain and update systems for efficient & effective management of assets
• Ensure adequate controls over cash & bank management are constantly monitored & updated to minimise the risk of fraud or misappropriation.
• Closely monitor all financial activities and keep the Country Director/Country Management Team advised of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial management performance.

Financial Control

• Maintain an effective & efficient system of internal controls which comply with Concern Worldwide’s financial guidelines.
• Review existing systems on an on-going basis in order to maintain an adequate level of internal controls, in compliance with Concern’s policies and procedures.
• Oversee compilation of financial records & accounts in a timely and accurate fashion and in line with international accounting standards & donor regulations.
• Ensure that the country financial operations comply with legal & statutory requirements e.g. audit & financial reporting to all relevant national authorities.
• Lead the preparation of annual & revised Country budget and donor budgets including
  • Budget template preparation,
  • consolidation of the budget packs,
  • completion of the budget submission to Dublin
  • Complete the responses on budget feedback from Dublin jointly with Shared Services Accountant.
• Keep up to date with donor regulations and ensure that all controls are in place to meet donor compliance.
• Manage internal and external audits that are carried out as per Concern requirements; support the Country Director to prepare management responses; ensure all agreed remedial actions are undertaken in a timely manner
• Undergo regular and random checks for compliance

Financial Reporting

• Manage timely & accurate preparation of data for monthly management accounts for shared service accountant, budget-holders, and Country Management to ensure that they can monitor the budget utilization and take appropriate action on any significant variances
• Review and completion of the financial reporting pack prepared by Shared Services Accountant including country commentary and country management team (CMT) approval and dealing with feedback from head office jointly with Shared Services Accountant. Support the timely & accurate preparation of donor reports for external donors / agencies.
• Reconcile all balance sheet items on a monthly basis, in accordance with Concern Worldwide policies & procedures based on transactions details provided by Shared Service Accountant.
• Provide financial analysis where necessary especially on maximizing available funds and advice to CD.

Staff Management & Capacity Building

• Train and develop the capacity of the finance team in Bangui and the field to ensure that a good standard of financial management and control are maintained.
• Train and develop the capacity of the local partners to ensure that a good standard of financial management is maintained.
• Undertake financial training of budget-holders, to assist them in enforcing financial controls, budget monitoring & making decisions based on financial reports.
• Provide technical support and on-going on-the-job training and coaching to staff in management and or technical subjects where necessary
• Work to build fit-for-purpose mechanisms to improve information management and organisational learning

Other financial duties and general systems support

• Facilitate internal, external & donor audits.
• Investigate and implement procedures for statutory deductions, social security & taxes are complied with & to liaise with relevant authorities in this respect.
• Actively participate in the country management team (CMT) meetings and be proactively involved in the decision-making processes. This includes proposing relevant initiatives, backed up by strategic analysis, to the CMT for consideration.
• Work with the Country Director and the Operations Director to support development of policies and procedures for procurement, logistics, HR and IT.
• Support training of staff in procurement, budget management and operational policies and procedures as appropriate.
• Preparation of monthly cash flow and ensuring adequate monetary levels in field offices

Other

• Actively participate and contribute to the implementation and the update of Concern’s CAR strategy.
• Contribute to organisational accountability initiatives, including overseeing the roll out of commitments of Concern under the CHS (Core Humanitarian Standards).
• Adhere fully to and promote the commitments and rules of Concern’s Code of Conduct (CoC) and its affiliated safeguarding policies, including the respect of confidentiality and duty to report.
• Report to the appropriate manager any violations of Concern’s CoC and Safeguarding Policies, as well as Anti-Fraud and Whistleblowing Policies; this is a mandatory duty of all staff.
• Undertake other related duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Shared service accountant and Country Director. 

Role Holder Requirements:

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Accountancy degree/masters
• 3-5 years-experience in a similar position with a donor-funded NGO
• Experience in developing staff technical and management capacities
• Experience managing donor grants
• Fluent in French with some command of English
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, protection and participation including Concern Code of conduct
• Familiarity with broader operations development including procurement, logistics, HR and IT.
• Experience of working/living in insecure and sensitive environments
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines
• Strong attention to detail
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload, using initiative when appropriate.
• Good team player, flexible and capable of working with a multinational country team,
  politically and culturally sensitive.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills

We would also like:

• Experience working with ECHO, USAID, BHA, EU, France, Irish Aid and other large institutional donors
• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Flexibility, adaptability, sense of humour, and patience.
• Ability to motivate and develop skills of others.
• Facilitation and interpersonal skills.
• Experience of working in Africa (or elsewhere under similar conditions) would be an advantage.

To apply:  CVs should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by the closing date.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date. 

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent - please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

Concern has an organizational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behavior expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking. 

Your Personal Data 

During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation. 

For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office. 

You have certain rights under data protection legislation. For more information on how to exercise those rights please visit www.concern.net/about/privacy 

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.