Finance Officer at Street Child

Street Child are a rapidly developing international children’s charity with exceptional programming in 20 of the world’s lowest income and most crisis-affected countries.  Our high-impact projects chase gains in education and protection outcomes for the most marginalised children – through signature integrated education, child protection and livelihoods initiatives.

Job Description

Part 1:  Role Purpose
We are seeking two outstanding Finance Officers for an exciting new programme (Education Outcomes Fund (EOF)) which will be implemented in Ghana, to be based in Accra and Tamale. The Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) programme will enable 28,000 children to access education over the next 4 years, and raise learning outcomes in 200 public primary schools. The Finance Officer will lead financial oversight of this programme in their location, working in close collaboration with the Head of Operations and Finance and national partner finance teams to monitor financial management and compliance. This role reports to the Head of Operations and Finance, with support from the Programme Manager.

The key objective of this role is to oversee all finance and compliance functions of the Education Outcomes Fund (EOF) programme in the operation location. The Finance Officer will work closely with other staff to ensure effective and efficient management of funds, ensuring compliance with international and donor standards. The successful applicant will work to strengthen the financial capacity of our national partners and will coordinate between country teams to ensure accurate and timely monitoring of programme expenditure and effective donor reporting.

Part 2:  Key Responsibilities

1. Finance
   • Review and consolidate financial reports, fund requests, and budgets of the field office teams/partners in a timely manner
   • Oversee the timely preparation review and approval of all monthly bank accounts and cash reconciliations related to the field office
   • Oversee and consolidate regular forecasting of the field office, providing timely updates to the Programme Manager and Finance Manager
   • Monitor budget utilization and take appropriate action on any significant variances
   • Oversee asset management processes and procedures
   • Maintain an effective & efficient system of internal controls which comply with Street Child guidelines to minimise the risk of fraud or misappropriation
   • Perform regular spot checks on partners’ management of project funds, including partner office visits to review records
   • Collaborate closely with country and partner finance teams to strengthen financial management capacity and recommend corrective actions for improvement
2. Compliance & audit
   • Prepare regular financial reports with respect to accounting, legal and contractual requirements and ensure the review of such reports by the Programme Manager prior to submission to the Finance Manager
   • Contribute to the development of a risk register on financial issues and review it on an ongoing basis, developing and improving appropriate controls to mitigate the risk in compliance with donor policies and procedures
   • Stay abreast of various grant regulations and requirements, tracking and monitoring changes
   • Ensure donor and Street Child policies and procedures are strictly followed during financial transactions
   • Ensure maintenance of all financial documentation such as payment vouchers, bank reconciliations, cash forecasts, and fund transfer files for the projects to make sure all necessary documentations are readily available for audit and compliance review
   • Organise and lead donor and any other external audit functions in the field office
   • Work closely with and support partner finance teams with audit preparations
3. Other
   • A strong commitment to Street Child’s vision, mission, and values
   • A commitment to adhere to all Street Child’s policies and procedures
   • Represent Street Child appropriately both internally and externally
   • Carry out all reasonable requests that are within the broad remit of the role

Required Skills or Experience