Finance Lead

 SCOPE OF ROLE:   Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party-Operations  Staff directly reporting to this post: Finance Manager   KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:  Budgeting: Leads the development and periodic revisions of the USAID/LEGO CDA annual budget and annual/periodical projections of expenditures and funds in coordination with the Awards and CO finance team. Works with CDA team members, implementing partners' finance officers, Area/Field Office finance coordinators on budget realignments and revisions when required.  Ensures that all donor budgets are mapped in both SCI and donor formats and are accurately phased and linked to the Master budget. Ensures that all budgets are entered into the financial system- Agresso and phased correctly. Ensures consistency between budget and narrative and that the budget is tailored, reflecting relevance to and compliance with SCI and donor requirements. Monitors and provides technical support to implementing partners to ensure that they produce quality budgets and financial reports. Ensures that implementing partners have strong internal controls, accounting policies and procedures including robust reporting requirements. Ensures that effective systems are put in place, and regularly reviewed, to allow adequate financial management and control.  Guides program staff in periodic budget reviews (at least once per month), prepares budget amendments as necessary and supports them to build systems and processes on financial skill to reduce risks.  Financial Reporting: Ensures that implementing partners (IPs) submit good quality financial reports on time, monthly summary accounts including cash flow and other information as defined and share on a timely basis. Prepares monthly, quarterly and annual reports aligned with IPs as per the templates of donors and SCI. Leads the process of periodic financial expenditure analysis and reporting (weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually) and ensures a proper financial tracking mechanism is in place for both CDA core team and implementing partners. Facilitates and supports various audits and closure of audit findings. Ensures financial transactions are adequately supported, documented, reviewed and validated before being input into FMS/Agresso for data quality and coding accuracy of transactions. Reviews monthly financial reports to ensure the correctness of information before closing the accounts. Puts a system in place that limits exposure to transactions that are questionable and establishes a follow up plan to clarify the allowability of the charges with the budget holders of CDA Coordinates preparation of control reports, responds to findings and recommends solutions or action plans; Ensures proper accounting for partner advances and liquidations, periodic monitoring of partners on-site for spot checking adequate documentation of transactions, and reconciliation of partner related accounts. Reviews and checks recognition of monthly and year-end accruals and deferral adjustments per SCI policy. Ensures all relevant budgets versus actual (BVA) reports are provided to the Awards management team and senior management team on a monthly basis in order that budget monitoring meetings can be held and explanations for the variance documented and action plans are laid out. Ensures all donor financial reports are produced in a timely manner, using the correct formats. Work closely with Awards unit to streamline the donor reporting requirements. Ensures all financial plans, invoices, reports, and other financial documents and transactions are accurate, timely, and consistent with Save the Children and USAID guidelines and regulations. Performs financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with Save the Children's policies and procedures and donors grants and contracts requirements. Performs analysis on the status of all sub-grants by activity and overall grant budget and propose ideas where necessary for request of revision, extension, or any appropriate action accordingly. Manages the USAID/LEGO financial records and documentation to be kept and archived containing VAT and other budget records including periodic financial adjustments. Oversees sub grant monitoring and compliance including organizational assessments, review of financial reports/advance requests, and financial tracking; develops sub grant monitoring plans; performs and documents compliance visits. Supervises the finance staff including performance evaluation and revising job descriptions as necessary. Develops the capacity of the financial team of the implementing partners and LOEs of field offices.  Prepares and revises finance guidelines in order that they adhere to SC and donor requirements. Encourages a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence. Conducts risk analysis and trends, and recommends proper financial controls. Coordinates with the functional units (Finance, HR, Administration, Supply Chain and IT Solutions) in order to provide support on cost effectiveness, efficiency and compliance with the SCI policy and standards. Any other deliverables as may be requested from time to time by the line manager.