Regional Finance Business Partner – Anglophone Africa

The Regional Finance Business Partner (RFBP) is part of the Global Programs Finance Team and serves as a regional RFBP.  The RFBP works closely with Program Staff, Contracts, Global Human Resources, and Jhpiego’s Country offices to ensure accurate financial, contractual and administrative reporting to management teams and agencies external to Jhpiego.  

The Regional Finance Business Partner will primarily provide management and oversight of the financial and contractual aspects for countries in the supported region.  This includes proposal support, new award/country start-up, implementation, and control, financial monitoring, close-out, reporting, audit and cross-cutting Global Program Finance (GPF) functions.

The RFBP will serve as in an advisory capacity for country Finance and Admin Directors to ensure adherence to Jhpiego Policies and Procedures, SOPs and Funder guidelines.  They will serve as an escalation point for Jhpiego Country finance, administration and logistics teams within their assigned region in coordination with the Director and Sr. Director of GPF.  For countries directly supported, the SFM provides financial guidance to GPTE Sr. Portfolio Managers, Program Managers, Program Finance Managers, Country Directors, and agencies external to Jhpiego, particularly partner organizations. Additionally, the incumbent works closely with both the Global Programs Finance Unit’s leadership to ensure that resources are appropriately allocated and tracked and that expenditures are in line with available funding and with Jhpiego’s Global Policies to ensure accurate financial, contractual and administrative reporting to the management team and to agencies external to Jhpiego.  This includes ensuring financial systems and reports are compatible with standard Jhpiego accounting practices and follow donor rules and regulations.

The RFBP provides training, capacity building, coaching and mentoring of junior finance staff and local partners by developing learning activities and materials to support capacity building. The RFBP contributes to staff orientation, mentoring and technical updates to ensure staff possess excellent knowledge of technical area and approaches.  

This position is to be based in Anglophone Africa

This role is exclusively open to candidates who are already located in any of the countries where Jhpiego currently operates

Financial Management

• Provides highly specialized guidance, support, advice and input on proposal budget costs based, leveraging findings from on analyses of new and existing implementation costs in countries of significant complexity, scope and budget
• Acts as key partner and contributor of expertise and industry knowledge pertaining to financial activities in the assigned country/global project that inform the development, design and delivery of effective budgets, workplans and processes in support of broader program objectives and program strategies
• Develops and implements financial processes and procedures and governs the requirements for work from a financial perspective for supported area, ensuring adherence and responsiveness to changing regulatory environments and /or donor requirements
• Conducts pipeline analysis and reporting as needed
• Participates in cross-functional and organizational initiatives as a subject matter expert helping to identify areas of risk and provide guidance for highly complex situations
• Acts as the main point of contact for resolution of escalated issues or sensitive, confidential matters with moderate to high risk and impact to the organization for assigned area
• May lead, facilitate and/or implement remediation plans to address performance, risk and / or governance issues, including responding to internal and external audit requests
• Contributes to the selection and management of relationships with organizational partners such as for auditor selection; reviews documents for accuracy, prepares management responses for review
• Interprets and advises on policies / procedures of high complexity and integrates broader organizational knowledge, raising awareness to impacts to other areas across the organization
• Conduct analysis of activity costs, unit costs, modelling of scenarios
• Serves as RIF (Remote Imprest Fund) administrator to review and approve RIF replenishment request  
• At a portfolio level, ensure follow-up on QBE (QuickBooks Enterprise) due diligence report findings to clear within 30 days, ensuring country and program staff understand each finding and its applicable solution

Financial Monitoring

• Monitors service / productivity and assesses efficiency levels and implements continuous process / performance improvements where opportunities exist in assigned portfolio or global project
• Ensures respective programs / policies / practices are well managed, meet programmatic and organizational needs, comply with internal and external requirements, and align with organizational priorities
• Maintains Compliance and track statutory requirements
• Reviews and reconciles sub-recipients’ invoices
• Reviews expenditure monitoring reports
• Performs key financial analysis including BvA, Burn Rate, resource utilization, etc.
• Monitors financial expenses of sub-grantees against obligations and established budget, following JHU high-risk sub procedures
• Responds to internal and external audit requests
• Reviews and approves monthly financial package and ensures the proper checks, balances and reconciliation of balance sheet items
• Ensures compliance and tracking of tax and statutory requirements (e.g., audit, government filings, VAT, payroll tax, import, other)
• Monitors and manages all SAP related activities as required

Reporting

• Maintains a schedule of routine and ad hoc reports
• Conducts complex analyses on reports, summarizing and providing key information to donors and management as needed
• Prepares final financial reports accurately and on time
• Ensure inputs to management reports are timely and present the needed analysis to inform management discussion and decisions

Country/Project Support, Capacity Building & Training

• Leads finance analysis & discussion for quarterly portfolio review meetings
• Supports monthly country and US financial review meetings
• Travels to countries in the region to conduct trainings, orientation, short-term
• technical assistance (STTA), audit support, and QuickBooks setup
• Supports appropriate onboarding and orientation activities for new field finance staff
• Participate in sub-recipient assessments and monitoring in-country and conduct trainings as needed
• Lead compliance trainings for US and country staff
• Leads finance-specific tasks, including the development of training and orientation materials for in-country finance staff
• Oversees regular review of country fringe rates, office leases, VAT, and other liability accounts
• Builds financial management capacity of country finance staff and local partners through on‐site and virtual coaching while providing feedback on budgets, expense reports, invoicing, etc.
• Monitors project start-up and close-out activities

Proposal Inputs

• Reviews New Program Development (NPD) budgets and budget notes for countries and programs within the assigned portfolio area
• Review and comment on new award documentation before signing for feasibility from a financial perspective
• Participate in NPD handover meetings; review new awards and highlight items for project staff and in-country staff
• Review start-up plan and develop budget (for HQ and in-country)
• Provides input to proposal budget development costs by leveraging findings from analyses on new and existing country implementation costs
• Develops work plan budget narratives with necessary inputs from programs, technical and country teams
• Reviews NPD budgets and budget notes
• Reviews and comments on new award documentation before signing for feasibility from a financial perspective
• Participates in NPD handover meetings, reviewing new awards and highlighting items for project and in-country staff
• Reviews start-up plans and develops budgets, providing both HQ and in-country support

Supervision (if applicable)

• Supervises Finance Manager(s)
• Provides coaching, guidance and mentorship to direct report(s) where needed
• Sets targets and objectives for assigned area and delivers results
• Grows team expertise to align with program and organizational direction while
• continually looking for ways to provide / enhance the value delivered
• Leads a high-performing team and provides ongoing feedback and performance reviews
• Tracks, monitors and effectively addresses and / or rewards performance of team members
• Manages employees in compliance with all HR policies, procedures, guidelines
• Shares knowledge, information, skills and subject matter expertise among the team and ensures the timely communication of issues while encouraging good working relationships with other functions / teams
• Recruits for all hires to ensure a highly diverse, qualified workforce with the necessary capabilities needed to achieve goals

• Master’s Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business or related field
• 9-10 years’ progressive experience providing financial management and oversight in international development program operations
• Prior supervisory, coaching and training experience
• Field experience in developing countries
• Advanced knowledge of US GAAP, IFRS, FAR, and 2CFR200: Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
• In depth knowledge of USG donor agency regulations (i.e., USAID, CDC, DOD) and other donor agencies (UN, Global Fund, Private Foundations)
• Knowledge of SYCEBNL accounting principles
• Knowledge of cost accounting methods and practices applicable to management of bi-lateral/multi-lateral funds
• Sub-contract and sub-agreement financial management and capacity building experience
• Experience developing finance and accounting policies, procedures and systems
• Demonstrates a leadership and management style that works in cooperation with others who represent a wide range of interests and needs
• Experience with international, non-profit organizations (larger than $15M), as well as a multi-office, multi-national environment
• Advanced knowledge of international taxation, banking, regulatory and reporting environment
• Understanding of the difference between contracts and cooperative agreements and the relevant terms and conditions of each modality
• Management skills in facilitation, team building, goal setting performance management and coordination
• Effective communicator with ability to communicate organization’s direction and ability to motivate others with
• strong, honest leadership
• Strong problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
• Comfortable with a team approach to management with the ability to manage several competing priorities simultaneously
• Aware of and sensitive to working in multiple socio-economic settings and with multi-cultural groups in a developing country environment
• In depth knowledge and experience with financial software applications, databases, spreadsheets, and/or word processing required. Including but not limited to: Microsoft Outlook, Access, Excel and Word, Power BI, Tableau
• Advanced Excel skills required
• Experience with university-specific accounting & reporting packages is a plus
• Ability to travel internationally, particularly to low-resource settings, to provide training, audit support, etc.
• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time

• 5 years’ work experience as F&A Director or Sr. Finance Manager for
• 10+ years’ experience providing financial management and oversight in international development program operations

Total compensation will be based on the country of hire and Jhpiego’s local compensation plan.

Jhpiego offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive employee benefits package.

Please apply at www.jhpiego.org/careers

Applicants must submit a single document for upload to include: cover letter, resume, and references.

For further information about Jhpiego, visit our website at www.jhpiego.org

Note: The successful candidate selected for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.

Jhpiego is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Jhpiego, a Johns Hopkins University affiliate, is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, other legally protected characteristics or any other occupationally irrelevant criteria. Jhpiego promotes Affirmative Action for minorities, women, individuals who are disabled, and veterans.

EEO is the Law

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