Description
International Finance Manager (IFM) – Afghanistan
Permanent. Full-Time position
Location – The role will be based in Kabul, Afghanistan in HALO’s HQ, but travel across the provinces and remote locations will sometimes be necessary.
Salary – up to £50,000 depending on experience.
About Us
HALO Afghanistan is seeking an experienced finance manager to fulfil the International Finance Manager (IFM) role in the Afghanistan programme. The position will contribute directly to delivering donor-funded humanitarian projects in Afghanistan, ensuring financial and contractual accountability. The role would suit someone experienced working at scale and overseeing a finance team that is geographically disbursed and working in a challenging context. The successful candidate will be exceptional at working alongside others, bringing the best out of a team and proactively supporting the development of the finance department and wider programme team.
About the Role
The IFM is a member of the programme’s senior management team and is responsible for the programme’s finance department. They are responsible for ensuring the daily, monthly, and annual financial duties comply with HALO’s policies, donor contracts and national finance and tax regulations. In addition, the IFM is responsible for the strategic leadership of the finance team, developing business plans, budgets, and strategies to support the programme’s funding and overarching strategy.
The IFM is responsible for managing the finance team, building the capacity of individual team members and the overall structure to ensure the department provides robust and timely support to the programme’s activities. They are to lead their team, and alongside the other senior management team members, they are to inspire, motivate and manage the programme. The IFM is responsible for ensuring that the proper procurement and accounting systems are in place, monitored and improved as necessary and that the finance team is resourced appropriately.
The IFM is responsible for promptly meeting deadlines for internal and external reporting and proposals. Alongside the Programme Manager, the IFM is responsible for short- and long-term financial planning to support the programme and successfully deliver donor contracts on budget.
Role and Responsibilities
Financial planning and monitoring
Supportsenior and Programme Managers in formulating, implementing, and monitoring annual business plans and project budgets.
Analyse and report on the programme funding position, working collaboratively to produce scenarios that ensure ongoing financial stability.
Lead the financial monitoring and review of grants/contracts, working closely with operations to forecast and report on project costs to completion.
Collaboratively produce project/programme budgets and forecasts utilising HALO’s financial planning system (Adaptive Insights).
Support the Programme Managers in managing financial risk in the programme, escalating, and addressing any emerging risks.
Accounting and Financial Control
Provide financial oversight and support to all programme locations, ensuring transactions are fully reconciled and discrepancies identified and corrected.
Ensure implementation of HALO’s financial and logistics policies and procedures, reviewing and reporting on compliance against same.
Oversee all financial accounting matters, closing the country books by agreed deadlines.
Ensure that direct and indirect costs are allocated appropriately to projects, identifying and reporting any shortfalls in direct and indirect cost coverage.
Oversee the financial management of delivery partner contracts, ensuring compliance with HALO’s contractual obligations.
Supervise the production of the payroll cycle, ensure donor funding allocations are accurate, and calculations for salary, income tax, social security, severance, and other government levies follow legislation.
Support the Programme Manager in ensuring compliance with all statutory legislation (e.g., tax, registration, labour law), including review of regulatory requirements in new operational territories.
Cash Management
Ensure that adequate banking and cash provisions are in place, set up following HALO financial policies and that delegations of authority enable the programme to operate efficiently, particularly during periods of leave, etc.
Manage the short-term cash flow requirements of the programme, liaising with HALO HQ to facilitate cash transfers. Manage the effects of exchange rate fluctuations between local and contract currencies.
External Reporting and Audit
Lead the preparation of country financial statements and donor financial reports.
In collaboration with the HALO HQ finance department, review and report on compliance against HALO policies and procedures.
Lead the preparation for external audits, preparing schedules and documentation as required by auditors and HALO HQ finance department.
Staff Management and Development
Ensure that financial staffing capacity is fit for purpose for the needs of the programme.
Develop national staff’s capacity and career development, ensuring financial consistency and quality across the programme.
Requirements
Key Skills and Competencies Required
Essential Experience:
- Experience in financial management experience overseas
- Experience in managing personnel, mentoring, and advising senior management.
- Experience developing the capacity, structure, and capability of teams.
- Working in the INGO sector
- Experience of ERP systems
Essential Skills and Knowledge:
- Financial planning and reporting
- Good understanding of financial risk management in developing countries
- Ability to implement and monitor policies and procedures in challenging environments
- Proven ability to lead, manage, motivate, and develop a team
- Interpretation and implementation of donor/client contract requirements
- Sensitivity to cultural differences and the ability to work in a wide variety of cultural contexts
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to coordinate activities
- Excellent literacy, numeracy, and IT skills, including data manipulation
- Fluent spoken and written English language skills
- Fluent spoken and written Portuguese language skills
- Ability and willingness to work strategically and undertake routine administrative tasks
Qualifications:
- Professional accounting qualification or clearly demonstrable qualified experience.
HALO requires its applicants to work in line with our values, which are:
- Courage
- Discipline
- Integrity
- Respect for Others
- Loyalty
- Selfless Commitment
Benefits
Our benefits:
- Local overseas allowance of $350 monthly
- Shared accommodation in a rented HALO guest house, provided at nil cost.
- 49 days of leave annually (weekend inclusive equivalent to 7 weeks of pay leave)
- Three economy return flights to the member’s official home address (or an alternative location up to an equivalent cost)
- Comprehensive insurance package: life assurance and emergency medical insurance, including evacuation and repatriation.
How to Apply
To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter (no more than 2 pages) outlining how your skills and experience match the requirements of the role by no later than 31st January 2024. If there is a sufficient calibre of applicants, we reserve the right to close the role earlier than the date noted.
The HALO Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. The HALO Trust is committed to a culture that is both diverse and inclusive and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.
The HALO Trust is committed to ensuring that it provides a safe and trusted environment which safeguards and promotes the welfare and wellbeing of anyone who comes into contact with, or is part of, the Charity, with a zero-tolerance approach to behaviours which challenge this.