Job Description

Title: Finance Manager

Company Name: ARTICLE 19, Bangladesh & South Asia

Vacancy: 1

Job Location: Dhaka

Employment Status: Contractual

Educational Requirements:
∎ Qualification (graduate or postgraduate degree or Institute of Chartered, Management or Certified Accountants) in finance.

Experience Requirements:
∎ At least 5 year(s)

Job Context:
∎ Number of Vacancies: 1 Position (for Bangladeshi nationals only)
∎ Reporting to: Regional Director, ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh and South Asia
∎ Key Relationships: Regional and International Finance Team, HR Team, and International Office
∎ Contract Type: Fixed term full-time employment contract
∎ Working Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week (working week from Sunday to Thursday)
∎ Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh with field visits
∎ ABOUT THE ROLE: The Finance Manager will act as the fund manager for various donor-funded projects and work as the focal person for all the projects; ensuring all required financial reports are submitted in a timely manner. The Finance Manager will also establish and maintain internal control procedures, good practice, and statutory requirements within ARTICLE 19. The Finance Manager will provide timely financial guidance and advice to the management in compliance with the GAAP, IAS and contribution agreements with donors. This position will monitor overall financial management and contribute to developing ARTICLE 19`s financial procedures and systems. The Finance Manager will contribute to financial business operational practices and management innovations. This position will also work in collaboration with the South Asian Regional Office programme teams in compliance with contracts including calling forward budgets as well as providing support to the transfer of funds. The Finance Manager will directly report to the Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 Bangladesh and South Asia while closely collaborating with the Bangladesh and South Asia teams and the International Office finance teams.

Job Responsibilities:
∎ a. Financial Monitoring and Implementation:
∎ Implement financial strategies according to the ARTICLE 19 Financial Guideline, in full compliance of Donor Contribution Agreements, regional regulations, policies, and recording and reporting systems for all projects.
∎ Review and verify financial transactions, activities, and documentation; taking corrective actions as needed and reporting any unusual activities.
∎ Overseeing budget burn rates by preparing the periodical management accounts to meet ARTICLE 19's commitments against the project's proposed burn rate and providing timely guidance to the management.
∎ Monitor financial exceptions reports for unusual activities or transactions, investigate anomalies and report to the Regional Director conclusions and/or present recommendations for actions/decisions.
∎ Generate project financial reports to identify the financial status, procedures, exchange rates and variances between costs and expenditures, and/or review reports before signing off.
∎ Monitor monthly movement of a consolidated budget and follow up with the Regional Director as, budget holder/owner.
∎ Collect, verify and present information and data for use in the planning of financial resources and the formulation of the Regional Office program work plans, budgets, proposals on implementation arrangements and execution modalities.
∎ Work with the Regional Director to formulate the annual budget, control funding allocations, monitor expenditures, and prepare revisions according to the needs of the Regional Offices.
∎ Provide advice and recommend solutions to ARTICLE 19 management with a wide range of financial issues.
∎ Maintain and improve the internal expenditure control system and ensure statutory compliances before final approval from the Regional Director by reviewing all invoices, expense claims and bank transfers.
∎ Ensure the finance system is up-to-date with transactions posted and reconciliations completed for balance sheet accounts in a regular and timely manner.
∎ Undertake corrective actions on un-posted vouchers, including vouchers with budget check errors, match exceptions and unapproved vouchers.
∎ Respond to queries and requests from the Regional Offices along with the International Office to resolve financial data issues.
∎ Monitor cash flow, submitting payment requests against approved budget from donors in a timely manner.
∎ Track the appropriate and timely submission of financial reports for all Donors as well as forecast periodical financial requirements in compliance with the contribution agreement with donors.
∎ Progress provider's payments (by check and/or transfer) in accordance with ARTICLE 19's financial guidelines.
∎ Constant monitoring to update the legal books, statutory requirements and organization's financial policies.
∎ Oversee all relevant tax declarations (fiscal and social) in respect of legal deadlines and reporting.
∎ Responsible for preparing periodical consolidated as well as project financial reports and provide software-generated financial reports for external auditors.
∎ In coordination with the International Office, appoint external auditors for statutory and project audits and monitor the audit processes in compliance with the Contribution Agreement with Donors.
∎ b. Financial Compliance:
∎ Create systems and procedures to ensure proper operation and segregation of duties of internal controls as far as possible, in liaison with the International Office finance team where appropriate.
∎ Report any troubling discoveries or suspicion of financial wrongdoing in accordance with ARTICLE 19's finance policies and procedures and including the international office finance team.
∎ Engage and manage any audit processes affecting the region, e.g., by donors, institutional audits and any other audits as required, with support from the International Finance team.
∎ Ensure compliance with requirements relating to tax, audit and NGOAB.
∎ c. Finance Support to other teams:
∎ Provide support to the HR and Admin. team with financial queries related to the recruitment budget, onboarding inductions, administrative operations and procurement.
∎ Prepare and review monthly payroll, Tax and VAT calculations before signing off.
∎ Provide support to the Programme team during the preparation of the narrative reports as per the donor contribution agreement.
∎ Provide finance-related support and guidance to the Programme team during project-related event activities, travel and procurement.
∎ Complete reports to donors and submit those on a timely basis after appropriate review with the budget holder, ensuring that full cost recovery has been applied to transactions where possible.
∎ Support the production of budgets for new project proposals submitted to donors and ensure that they comply with Full Cost Recovery principles, highlighting any compliance issues that might arise.
∎ d. Staff Supervision and Monitoring:
∎ Manage, support and mentor the Finance team, including guiding the development of work plans, conducting performance appraisals and tracking the training requirements.
∎ Contribute to the professional development of the team by providing necessary training and a supportive approach, with an aim to strengthen and enhance the overall financial performance of ARTICLE 19 and encourage knowledge sharing within the team.
∎ Conduct training for new Finance Team members on ARTICLE 19 financial policies and procedures.
∎ e. The above-mentioned tasks to be performed are intended as a guide and should not be viewed as an inflexible specification as it may be modified following discussion with the Employee. Expected deliverables from the Employee throughout this employment period are as follows:
∎ Provide a clear and detailed work plan and timeline to the Line Manager.
∎ Collect monthly work plans from the team and supervise accordingly.
∎ All analytical or research reports during employment duration, tools, documents, meeting summaries, audios and pictures including the consent papers collected during the data collection for the assignments must be collated with the timesheet as deliverables.

Additional Requirements:
∎ Five (5) years of relevant experience in leading finance functions in INGOs.
∎ Experienced user of finance systems and Microsoft Office products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
∎ Understanding of funding mechanisms, budgeting, reporting and procedures of key complex donors such as the European Commission, US Department of State, FCDO, and Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
∎ Experience working in a multi-currency environment.
∎ Ability to look at processes, identify efficiency and control improvements, particularly with workflows, and drive resulting improvements.
∎ Experience in line managing staff, including through a review of work plans and objectives, assessment of work through regular appraisal, and providing guidance and support as necessary, including on individual professional development.
∎ Organising the work of the Finance team in an efficient, effective and coordinated fashion to ensure the delivery of agreed outputs.
∎ Proactive work approach & initiative-taking, high attention to detail, process-oriented working style and ability to handle overlapping and competing deadlines.
∎ Comfortable working virtually in an international, multicultural setting.
∎ Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Bangla.
∎ Must have the right to work in Bangladesh.
∎ Commitment to work within ARTICLE 19's Bangladesh vision, mission, objectives and core values of:
∎ Non-discrimination on any grounds
∎ Use of mutual discussion to talk through issues and avoid hurtful behavior
∎ Positive cooperative behavior towards our colleagues - speaking with respect and kindness to achieve our organization's objectives and goals
∎ Welcoming new ideas and dissent with careful listening and appreciation
∎ Desirable:
∎ Experience with expense claim management systems and document management systems.
∎ Experience in writing user guides, procedure notes or manuals, or similar.
∎ Knowledge and/or experience in countries where ARTICLE 19 South Asia works.
∎ Knowledge of human rights and/or key freedom of expression issues, international human rights law and awareness of mechanisms for the protection of human rights.

Salary:
∎ Salary and benefits shall be fixed within the existing ARTICLE 19 pay scales and in line with Service Rules.

Job Source: Bdjobs.com Online Job Posting.

Application Deadline: 13 Jun 2023

Company Information:
∎ 27 May 2023
∎ ARTICLE 19, Bangladesh & South Asia

Category: Accounting/Finance

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