Director of Operations and Finance: Circle of Hope

Job Title: Director Operations and Finance Reports to Chief of Party

Department: Salary Grade: 11

THIS POSITION IS CONTINGENT UPON FUNDING

About COH

Circle of Hope (COH) is a Faith-Based Organization (FBO) that became operational on 1st September 2005. On commencement, COH realized the need to care and provide for the whole person and adopted a family cantered approach. Having identified the existing symbiotic relationships among poverty, prostitution, broken families, street kids, alcohol abuse and HIV/AIDS, COH derived its scope of program activities that included provision of the comprehensive HIV cascade of care services with particular focus on treatment and care for people living with HIV, Home based Care, Orphan and Vulnerable Children, prevention of mother to child transmission program (PMTCT), Community sensitization and awareness campaigns and Income generating activities.

Background

COH is recruiting key personnel for an anticipated CDC-funded project that aims to improve HIV prevention, care, and treatment outcomes in target communities by engaging faith-based organizations to provide critical prevention interventions to improve awareness of the HIV epidemic and improve linkage to care and treatment. It will also target primary prevention of sexual violence and HIV among 9-14 year old boys and girls, by focusing on evidence-based activities that prevent sexual violence and any form of coercive, non-consensual, or forced sex; prevention of early sexual debut; and helping communities and families to provide an enabling environment that improves violence and sexual risk reduction, and helps link victims to the justice system

Job Summary:

The Director Operations and Finance will be responsible for overall financial, budgeting and donor compliance responsibilities of the project. In addition to ensuring donor grant reporting and compliance regulations are met by all the national sub-grantees (Faith Based Treatment Facilities) in Zambia. The project is an integrated team that brings all the consortium members under one senior management team to improve efficiency and communication. This position will therefore supervise and mentor Local Partners Treatment Facilities (LPTFs), National Finance and Compliance Officers in line with said integration.

Roles and Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a principle point of contact on grant management and compliance issues with treatment facilities, COH HQ Zambia Finance and compliance staff.
• Work with COH HQ Zambia Finance, and Regional Finance and compliance staff, and country coordinating teams to develop and coordinate grant management capacity building trainings at the site.
• Attend meetings/trainings related to grant reporting and compliance organized by COH, and the consortium.
• Disseminate strategies and training/learning materials by COH HQ finance and compliance staff.
• Improve field staff capacity to comply with regulations.
• Provide technical support to the LPTF to finalize their annual budgets, conduct a review of budgets against project targets, budget notes and justification, making recommendations and follow up implementation.
• Monitor monthly reports for liquidation, update budget analysis and advise the LPTFs accordingly.
• Generate feedback for Senior Management Team on adverse budget variances in quarterly meetings
• Approve budget updates and liquidation reports for the COH finance team to process and submit to HQ.
• Analyze cost per patient for various sites and advise accordingly.
• Provide direct technical support in all aspects of finance for local partners (LPTFs)
• Orient accounting and project management staff in relevant and appropriate financial management policies, procedures, and standards.
• Monitor all LPTF agreements and ensure compliance manuals and CDC financial regulations and guidelines.
• Provide analysis and recommendations to the Project Team.
• Develop and deliver training curricula on finance issues as required.
• Prepare site visit reports to internal controls, procurement, human resource management, asset management and budget utilization. Site findings, explanations of findings, criteria and recommendation as the follow-up requirements.
• Prepare working papers to document work carried out during site visits. Ensure that files are organized, legible, and logically developed to document the management and logistics systems, the assessment of these systems, the tests developed and conducted to evaluate those systems, and the tests of reporting accuracy.
• Give opinion on adequacy of internal controls, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, compliance with LPTF policies and procedures.

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in International Development, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Accounting, or other relevant field highly preferred.
• A professional qualification in Accounting (ACCA, CPA or equivalent)
• Minimum of 5 years work experience in a management position with progressive responsibilities. Experience with an international NGO preferred.
• Understanding of financial systems, including budgeting and budget/expense analysis experience.
• Knowledge of multiple public donors’ regulations, including CDC, highly preferred.
• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment.
• Knowledge of procurement and general office administration/management issues.
• Proficient in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

Required Languages – Excellent English language oral and written communication skills

Travel – include percentage of required travel, if applicable. Could be stated as Must be willing and able to travel up to 30%.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions.
• Strong relations management abilities. Ability to work collaboratively
• Team leadership abilities
• Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience engaging partners and strengthening partnerships. Knowledge of COH partnership strategy a plus.
• Experience in MS Office package (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications, and information and budget management systems.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all COH Staff)

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of COH and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Responsibility
• Empathy
• Compassion
• Integrity
• Passion
• Ethics

Supervisory Responsibilities (if none, state none)

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Chief of Party; M&E Team Lead; Director of Programs; COH HQ Zambia Finance Manager; Finance and Compliance Officers; Consortium Staff.

External: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Vendors; Professional Bodies; Local Partner Organizations.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

COH’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

COH is an Equal Opportunity Employer