Jhpiego is an international non-profit health organization affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University. For 40 years now, Jhpiego has empowered front-line health workers by designing and implementing effective, low-cost, hands-on solutions to strengthen the delivery of health care services for women and their families. By putting evidence-based health innovations into everyday practice, Jhpiego works to break down barriers to high-quality health care for the world’s most vulnerable populations. Jhpiego is implementing a number of projects in Tanzania and wishes to fill the following position:
The Finance Officer
Position Reports To: Direct Administrative supervision: Regional Program Manager(s) (RPMs) (please see supervisory roles and responsibilities at the bottom of the job description) Technical/functional supervision by Finance Manager/Senior Finance Manager.
Position Supervised: None
Job Overview: The Finance Officer is responsible for assisting the finance department with various finance functions and to ensure the smooth running of the finance systems for efficient program implementation. This includes handling of expense reports, implementing and monitoring JDR processes, maintaining and supporting cost share documentation, and collecting and filing financial documents. The finance officer provides support to the Finance Managers and Regional Program Managers and assists with other finance tasks as assigned.
Responsibilities:
- Examines financial documents such as invoices, expense reports and other documents at regional offices to ensure the completeness, accuracy, reasonability and validity of financial data before they are sent to Dar es Salaam.
- Ensure that funds spent at regional offices are spend in accordance with Jhpiego’s financial policies and procedures as outlined in the Jhpiego Finance and Accounting policies manual for country offices, Travel Policy, Banking Policy, Procurement Policy, Petty Cash Policy and any other policies.
- Ensures that financial documents, payments supporting documents at regional offices for field activities are sent to Dar es Salaam (at least twice a week) and make necessary follow ups with field vendors as determined by the finance manager.
- Monitoring and reconciling supplier statements from respective regional offices on regular basis and ensures timely settlement of bills.
- Responsible for reviewing petty cash documents at regional offices before they are sent to Dar es Salaam for requesting replenishment. .
- Maintain a register for all invoices received at regional offices as well as a register for all deposit slips for funds deposited into Jhpiego’ s bank account at regional offices.
- Monitoring and reconciling travel expenses and project expenses to individual advances on a regular basis.
- Posting of transactions in QBE clouds in accordance with DOA mandate
- Ensures that all staff at regional offices deposits unspent advances to the bank within 24 hours after submission of their expense reports.
- Assist in preparation of ad hoc financial reports as needed.
- Be an integral part of the regional office team by providing RPMs with data for decision making including burn rate/spending level, aging, open purchase orders and embed value for money in these advice to the team.
- Participate in inventory count as needed.
- Provide guidance and inputs to regional staff on finance related policies and procedures.
- As needed assist in making payments for field activities and prepare reconciliation reports on a timely basis.
- Assist in resolving outstanding payments to participants and vendors as needed.
- Participate in regional team meetings to address regional financial processes and challenges.
- Support program teams to review activity and annual budgets on regular basis
- Follow up on outstanding advances for staff at the regional offices in collaboration with the finance manager and the regional program manager
- Provide guidance/feedback to Finance Manager to ensure the sound functioning of the Jhpiego regional office on finance related matters.
- Supports completion, collection and maintenance of regional costshare documentation for costshare purposes
- Assume other duties as assigned.
Qualification and Requirements
- Degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration and an effort to acquire a CPA or its equivalent.
- Minimum of 1 - 2 years relevant experience in finance or accounting.
- Additional years of relevant work experience may be substituted for educational requirement
- Knowledge of USAID regulations would be an added advantage.
- Previous experience with nonprofit organization will be an added advantage.
- An understanding of maintenance of ledger entries, books keeping skills and bank reconciliation.
- Computers skills including use of spreadsheets and/or accounting packages
- Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, GAAP.
- Knowledge of internal controls
- Financial and computer skills – working knowledge of database applications, word processing and Excel, as well as experience with accounting software
- Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented and high degree of accuracy;
- Strong analytical skills and sound judgment.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively interact with all levels of staff and partners.
- Good oral and written communication skills to effectively communicate findings and analyses
- Be cooperative, hardworking, flexible & dependable.
- Pleasant, warm and outgoing personality.
- Be of high integrity and have a sense of confidentiality
- Be willing to take on extra responsibilities in order to achieve the goals/objectives set by the organization
- Capability to develop and implement effective strategies and tactics for accomplishing assigned duties
- Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
- Be self-motivated, proactive and have a positive attitude to work requiring minimum supervision.
Roles and responsibilities of supervisors
Technical/function supervision role:
Finance officers will technically/functionally report to a Finance Manager/Senior Finance Manager. Technically/functional supervision entails the Finance Manager/Senior Finance Manager supervising the Finance Officer in the following:
- Oversees weekly/monthly finance deliverables with specific indicators e.g. Advance reductions to minimum required level, reduced number of open POs,
- Ensuring the FO meets with regional team to address various financial concerns or issues
- Provides appropriate finance data to the regional teams to enable RPMs to make decisions e.g. burn rate, etc.
- Work with RPM in managing the performance of the Finance Officer including appraisal process
- The Finance/Senior Finance Manager will also contributes to FO performance/360 review but they are not direct supervisor in JEMS
Administrative Supervision Role:
Finance officers will have a direct administrative reporting to Regional Program Manager. Direct reporting entails the Regional Program Manager to:
Provide day-to-day tasks and job duties in the region as needed to support efficient program implementation. These day to day task assignments include:
- Supporting program team to review budgets
- JDR problem troubleshooting and oversight
- Activity payments (when needed to support POs/PAs)
- Involvement in reviewing procurement process as needs
- Inventory counts (in collaboration with stores officers)
- Provide outstanding advance reports to RPMs
- Updates RPMs on outstanding invoices/payments
- Track budget expenditures
- Attend regional team meetings
Jhpiego offers a competitive package selected candidates in line with salary history, academic qualifications and relevant experience
Application Instructions
To apply please indicate the position title and region of reference on the envelope or subject line of your e-mail. Applications should also include an up-to-date CV with three contactable professional references, a cover letter and your salary history. Applications which do NOT include ALL of these elements will NOT be considered. The application should be addressed to:
Human Resource Director
Jhpiego Plot 72,
Block 45B,
New Bagamoyo Road - Victoria PO Box 9170
Dar es Salaam,
Tanzania