Audit & Compliance Officer at Save the Children Nigeria - 4 Openings

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in over 120 countries. We save children’s lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Save the Children is working in Nigeria because one in five children in Nigeria dies before their fifth birthday. About 40% of children miss out on school and have to work to survive while nearly 2 million children have lost one or both parents to an AIDS-related disease.

We are recruiting suitable candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Audit & Compliance Officer

Job Identification: 1913
Locations: Abuja, Jigawa, Yobe & Adamawa
Job Type: Full time
Job Category: Finance
Contract Length: One (1) Year Renewable
Team/Programme: Risk and Compliance  
Grade: Officers

Child Safeguarding

• Level 3:  The role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the policies/checking/vetting process staff.

Role Purpose

• Reporting directly to the CO Internal Control & Compliance Manager (ICC), The Compliance Officer is accountable of conducting investigations of allegations involving fraud, waste, abuse, corruption, beneficiary exploitation and abuse, and other misconduct.
• In this role, he/she will support SCI programs to ensure continued vigilance with regard to the risks associated with violations of SCI’s Code of Professional Conduct and Policies, law/regulations and the further development of complaints mechanisms and investigation capacity.
• He/She will additionally collaborate with other SCI functional areas and programs to support our partners, sub-grantees, and other agencies in encouraging a work environment that minimizes the potential for fraud & misconduct.
• He/She will also be responsible for conducting internal control compliance checks as may be required.
• He/she will collaborate with teams across the country programme, the SCI Regional Office, Global Assurance and Centre for relevant areas.

Scope of Role

• Reports to: Internal Control & Compliance Manager
• Matrix Report: Head of Internal Control & Compliance

Key Areas of Accountability

• Undertake investigations of alleged fraud, corruption and other violations of fraud and anti-bribery policy with objectivity, impartiality, and fairness throughout the investigative process and in accordance with generally recognized international investigative standards and SCI guidelines.
• Prioritizes, plans and implements investigative work in consultation with the Internal Control & Compliance Manager (ICCM), develops terms of reference (TOR) and investigative plans, and maintains records of all complaints and allegations of fraud and corruption from both internal and external sources.
• On a timely basis, prepares high quality investigative work products, including Investigation TOR’s, preliminary inquiry reports, work plans, reports of investigation and case closing memoranda, that analyse and clearly present the information collected, are consistent with applicable policies and procedures, and require minimal revision.
• Formulate investigation plans, review, and analyse all information to determine its relevance and reliability, conduct interviews of staff and other parties, record interviews, acquire and analyse potential documentary and electronic evidence, conduct investigative research, prepare draft investigation reports, and present investigative results in a clear written form.
• Prepare reports and ad hoc briefs pertaining to investigations in coordination with the ICC and others as appropriate.
• Prepare recommendations for corrective actions and improved controls and effectiveness or efficiency of SCI operations.
• Deliver investigation training, remotely and in person, to CO staff supporting investigations.
• Participate in developing and revising compliance-related best practices and lessons learned from investigative work.
• Conduct reviews/ spot checks on SCI policies and donor requirement compliance in finance, Human resources, administrative, award, procurement, logistics, operations, programme etc. (both at the Country and field office levels) in line with internal control and compliance risk base annual work plan.
• Keeps the ICC Manager informed on the status of implementation of corrective actions by management.
• Contribute into the development of the CO Annual Internal Control Work plan and other unit related activities.
• Ensures that lessons learned are considered and incorporated into procedures and policies and participates in fraud/Aid Diversion/Anti-terrorism financing -awareness and other training programmes.
• Contributes to the ongoing development of professional practices within ICC/Fraud Function, including exchange of experience with team members and external counterparts.
• Performs other duties as required by the ICCM/HICCM.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree required in Business, Finance, Accounting, Law, International Relations, Criminal Justice or related field. Fraud management related certification (e.g. CFE) is a plus.
• Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience (with a minimum of 1 years spent working at NGO will be a plus)
• Experience in the non-profit, NGO sectors or grant-supported organizations, regional and international organizations, or the inspector general function within a large government organization a plus
• Experience conducting fraud, collusion, corruption, vendor and supplier collusion, safeguarding and other types of investigations in challenging environments.
• Experience working with investigation teams in remote locations and insecure environments.
• Experience examining forensic, financial and electronic evidence.
• Extensive experience conducting interviews of witnesses and subjects in multicultural environment.
• Experience in fraud awareness and case investigation management.
• Computer fluency; highly competent using MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Ability to speak and understand Hausa language is a plus.
• Candidate from the States indicated above will be preferred.

Skills and Behaviours (Our Values In Practice):
Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to; builds and maintains effective relationships with colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity and different people’s perspectives, able to work cross-culturally.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.

Cuts away bureaucracy and encourages an entrepreneurial approach.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency, builds trust and confidence.
• Displays consistent excellent judgement and maintain confidentiality.

Application Closing Date
30th June, 2023 at 09:12 AM.