Finance Assistant at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) - Holland Nigeria

Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international, private, non-governmental, non-profit humanitarian organization. Our organization offers assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters, to victims of armed conflict, without discrimination irrespective of race, religion, creed or political affiliation. We have been working in Nigeria since February 1996. A Memorandum of Understanding between Médecins Sans Frontieres and the Federal Government of Nigeria facilitates this. We are at present co-operating with the Federal Ministry of Health, State and Local Government departments of health on various health projects.

We are recruiting to fill the position below in our Zamfara Secondary Healthcare Project:

Job Title: Finance Assistant

Location: Talata Mafara, Zamfara
Employment Type: Contract

Main Objective and Responsibilities

• Perform administrative and finance related tasks and follow up of project accountancy to support the Project HR/ FIN Manager following MSF standard and procedures, in order to ensure legal compliance and keep a strict control over monetary resources to achieve project objectives

Accountabilities

• Implementing cash management procedures in order to ensure the highest control and security, assisting the Project HR / FIN Manager in the prevision of monthly treasury and planning in order to ensure the coverage of daily needs, advances on salaries, payroll, etc.
• Processing the payment to suppliers and keep strict on all documentation involved, informing the administration Manager of any sort of disparity.
• Carrying out all accounting tasks and activities, classifying, preparing and filing of all accounting pieces in accounting software, in order to ensure strict control of all expenditures and the reliability of statements and documentation.
• Following up of all expiring rental contract dates and inform the Administration Manager in order to leave enough time to arrange a renewal or look for some other alternative.
• Making all administrative information available to the staff (posting, meetings, etc.), supporting the Project HR/ FIN Manager in translating documents into local language and assisting in meetings upon request.
• Any other administrative task delegated by the Project HR / FIN Manager.

MSF Section/Context Specific Accountabilities

• Process all Bank payments (Online, transfers) after receiving and reviewing the supporting documentation for compliance with the Finance policy, quality standards and the beneficiaries’ Banking details.
• Check the Bank balance frequently and ensure it is within the maximum and minimum stipulated by MSF. Flag to the Manager when the amounts are low so it can be followed up.
• Liaise with Coordination in terms of doing the paperwork necessary for any Bank transaction and follow up.
• Ensure that the monthly closing deadlines are respected, actively follow up and inform the Manager if deadlines are approaching in terms of the normal monthly financial procedures.
• Assisting the HR / FIN Manager in the prevision of monthly financial planning (MMRs) in order to ensure the coverage of daily project needs, advances on salaries, daily workers and also advising Coordination of anticipated costs for their financial planning. Ensure collaboration with departments’ Supervisors to facilitate accuracy of MMR.
• Ensuring respect of and strict compliance to MSF standards (Chart of accounts, quality of documents, Authorization table, expense validation procedures, cash security rules, etc.).
• Processing the payment to suppliers/third parties and keeping strict oversight on all documentation involved, informing the administration Manager of any sort of disparity. Report on any outstanding payments to ensure timely communication with affected individuals as necessary.
• Is responsible to ensure all receipts meet MSF requirements (deadlines, information, signatures).
• Checking individual entries and preparing the necessary originals documents for efficient justification and explanation of payments and receipts made.
• Prepare the hardcopies according to the month-end checklist and ensure proper filing of financial documentation. Review the projects’ bookkeeping to ensure that the supporting documentation complies with the Finance policy standards and ensure exception reports are completed as required.
• Update the food-kitty costs and charge out to International staff’s sub accounts on a monthly basis.
• Check for monthly Bank statement matching with the transactions and monthly Bank reconciliation as requirement and prepare as per MSF template
• Be adaptable in terms of taking on new tasks and adjusting to ad-hoc requesting
• Be friendly and welcome to all staff encourage having an open and safe environment in the office

Requirements (Qualifications / Experience / Knowledge)
To apply for this role applicants MUST meet the following criteria:

Educational Qualification:

• Finance, Accounting, Business or Administration related Diploma (Desirable)

Experience:

• Previous working experience of at least two years in relevant jobs (Essential)
• Experience in MSF or other NGOs in developing countries (Desirable)

Languages:

• Mission language and local language essential

Knowledge:

• Computer literacy (word, excel, internet) and strong in Unifield instance (Essential)

Competencies:

• Results and Quality Orientation, Teamwork and Cooperation, Behavioural Flexibility, Commitment to MSF Principles, Stress Management

Application Closing Date
4th March, 2024.