Finance Officer at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from destructive approaches towards cooperative solutions. With more than 600 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 countries across the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Finance Officer

Location: Bayelsa
Employment: Type Full-Time

Position Summary

• We need a Finance Assistant to provide finance support, liaising closely with the Admin and Logistics in the offices and the finance team to ensure good recordkeeping, as well as liaising with the housekeeping staff to support the smooth running of the office.
• The position holder will be responsible for a range of bookkeeping responsibilities as well as providing support for finance and project budget management functions.
• Carrying out and recording relevant financial transactions, as well as coordinating the financial coding of these transactions, will all be part of your daily routine.
• You will oversee the maintenance and reconciliation of bank records as SFCG receives funding from a number of donors.
• You will also be responsible for maintaining ledgers and contributing to regular financial reporting.

About the Project

• Search for Common Ground (Search), in consortium with local co-applications has proposed to implement an 18-month action with the overall goal of fostering inclusive community security approaches to address the systemic drivers of violence and criminality in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States.
•  Bringing together four leading peacebuilding and development organizations in the Niger Delta, the consortium offers a holistic, community-centered approach to addressing core drivers of criminality, violence, and conflict in the region, with a specific focus on the empowerment and inclusion of youth in the security of their respective communities in the Niger Delta.
• The consortium partners will leverage existing relationships with the action’s diverse target groups, including at-risk youth, local communities impacted by oil production and oil bunkering, state security actors, the private sector, journalists and media actors, key civil society organizations, and policymakers at the state, regional, national, and international levels, to secure broad-based buy-in and participation in the action.
• Overall, the project will seek to initiate a shift in the way that relevant actors think about and approach issues of oil bunkering, criminality, and security in the Niger Delta in favor of more bottom-up, human-centered perspectives.
• This institutional and social shift is necessary in order to sustainably reduce the prevalence of oil bunkering and other forms of criminality and violence in the region in the long term.

The design of the action centers around four activity streams, each addressing a systemic driver of division, violence, and criminality in Bayelsa, Rivers, and Delta States: 

• Stream 1 will foster intra-community collaboration around issues of social exclusion, lack of economic opportunity, and environmental degradation.
• Stream 2 will build trust and collaboration between communities, the government, and security actors for more participatory, community-centered security operations. 
• Stream 3 will leverage arts- and culture-based approaches to foster social cohesion between divided communities, both online and offline.
• Stream 4 will facilitate policy change to institutionalize community-centered security approaches at the local, state, regional, national, and international levels. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the Country Finance Manager in effective financial management of the project.
• Contribute to the analysis of financial information and preparation of internal and donor’s reports, ensuring they are accurate, complete, and timely.
• Ensure proper documentation of vouchers and receipts, financial reporting, proper coding of expenses, distribution of payments, tracking petty cash distribution and bank deposits;
• Work closely with the Administration and Logistics units to ensure timely payments for goods and services rendered to SFCG;
• Support Finance Manager to strengthen financial and accounting systems - identifying gaps, weaknesses and issues and recommending and implementing solutions;
•  Support Finance Manager to develop and update financial policies and guidelines;
• Ensure compliance with SFCG and donor accounting requirements.
• Undertake regular reconciliation of other expenditures and income, according to agreed timeframes and standards.
• Collaborate with SFCG finance teams in order to fulfill payments and other project expenditures.
• Ensure that all expenditures are charged to the correct budget line.
•  Liaise with the Finance coordinator to ensure smooth and proper coordination related to regular payments and purchases
• Ensure overall financial compliance and management across the consortium
• Follow up with consortium partners for financial tracking and spending rates.
• Conduct internal verification within the consortium to ensure cost eligibility and compliance
• Maintain regular communication and provide support to finance teams of Search’s partner
• Support the reporting process by ensuring all documents supporting transactions are collated, reviewed, and reconciled before submission to the Finance unit for upload to the system.
• Maintains a tracker of all subcontracts and other activities under grants.
• Serves as primary contact for local partners and subcontractors on administrative items. Ensures inquiries and needs are promptly addressed to develop and continue positive relationships between SFCG and partners.
• Review and monitor budget performance by analyzing variances between approved budgets and actual expenditures.
•  Manage transactions effectively and efficiently to ensure quality reporting.
• Carries out tasks in support of assigned activities, such as photocopying, processing paperwork, and organizing meetings.

Educational Qualifications and Required Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Finance An ICAN Certification plus a Master’s Degree in Accounting would be an added advantage.
• 3-4 years ́ professional experience providing finance, administrative, logistical, and/or operational support
• Experience working in an NGO or civil society is a plus
• Experience working with little or no supervision

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Proven interest and commitment to humanitarian and development principles and a demonstrable understanding of conflict/post-conflict development contexts
• Excellent in English (oral and written)
• Ability to plan, organize work, communicate and report effectively (both in writing and verbally)
• Proven ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines; team player and effective communicator, 
• Strong IT skills (Email, Microsoft Office applications, Google Drive, Google Docs, Sheets, and presentations)
• Good reporting capacity and experience
• Ability to function effectively under stressful conditions such as heavy workloads, and deadlines.

Application Closing Date
31st July, 2023.