Job Title: Finance Officer
Location: Monrovia, Montserrado
Reports to:Programme Finance Manager
Supervisory Responsibilities: This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities at this time.
Contract Type: Full-Time, 12 months fixed term, renewable

BACKGROUND

Street Child is a rapidly growing, child-focused, humanitarian, and development organisation. In 2023, Street Child celebrated reaching over 1.5 million children across 25 countries over its fifteen years of existence. This was accomplished with and through a growing network of more than 200 national and local actors.

Street Child has been operating in Liberia since 2013, and since then has supported over 50,000 children to access improved protection and education services. Its c.$1m program portfolio is currently focussed on addressing the barriers to education for children in Montserrado, Margibi, Maryland and River Gee counties, in strong support of the government’s priorities.

Street Child is entering the fourth and final year of the Education for Every Child Today (EFECT) project which aims to enrol 13,500 out of school children in Liberia in education, in partnership with Education a Child (EAC).

Job functions Summary:

The Finance Officer has overall responsibility for supporting the finance functions for the Street Child International – Liberia, Monrovia and field offices. The Finance Officer responsibilities include internal control management, accounting system management, reconciliation and verification of payments, staff training, budget and cash management functions, as well as supporting on procurement.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Internal Control:

• Ensure that all policies and procedures are in compliance with SCI-L and donor policies, procedures and requirements.
• As required, establish finance and other support function policies, systems, procedures, and directs or performs their development, documentation, and implementation
• Manages the field finance activities and schedules to meet the financial reporting requirements and deadlines as per SCI-L and donors’ policies
• Closely monitors all financial activities and keeps the Finance Manager advised on all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial performance
• Maintains current knowledge of local government requirements related to financial matters and ensures compliance with tax regulations and other legal requirements
• Represent finance during tender committees within his/her approved threshold level.

Cash/Bank – Management:

• Support in processing of bank and cash transactions
• Review payment vouchers to ensure completeness and accuracy of documentation
• Perform weekly cash count and ensure that documentary evidence is duly approved
• Review multi-currency cashbooks as well as cash and bank reconciliation monthly
• Facilitate the field office on cash needs and related issues

Treasury and Cash Flow Management:

• Coordinate bank related instructions including user additions and deletion as well as Supervises all bank account activities
• Oversees the timely preparation, review and approval of all monthly bank account and cash reconciliations
• Oversee the preparation of Cash Transfer Requests and ensures that appropriate balances are maintained to facilitate grant implementation

Payment Processing and Documentation Management:

• Payment Processing
• Review internal system of record retention to ensure compliance with SCI-L policy and specific donor requirements
• Ensure maintenance of uniform standards for documentation, including forms, support documents etc
• Ensure sufficient procedures for retention of documents, proper and systematic filing for ease of access
• Control access to financial records to authorized staff only

Month End Close-out:

• Coordinate the monthly close-out process
• Review monthly field financial report against the original documents before posting into the system
• Review monthly balance sheet reconciliation and follow-up on the outstanding items

Staff Training:

• Assist the Finance Manager in developing and conducting regular training sessions on accounting procedures, procurement procedures and donor regulations.

Note:the duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

EDUCATION AND JOB-RELATED SKILLS

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Accounting, Business administration or a finance-related field.
• Effective communication skills in local languages and strong negotiation and diplomacy skills.
• Effective communication skills in English writing and verbal skills, sensitive to cultural dynamics
• Strong Excel skills required
• Ability to build strong working relationships in communities and influence positive change.
• Minimum of 3 to 5 years’ experience in finance related position
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Good understanding of Local laws (Tax & Labour related)

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 3 to 5 years’ experience in finance, admin and procurement related position.
• Proficiency in Using any ERP system (Finance and procurement)
• Motorbike riding skills and valid license
• Experience working with children, caregivers, and other vulnerable groups
• Knowledgeable about safeguarding and child protection policies.

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• Respectful, courteous, and polite
• Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view
• Personable and approachable, with an enthusiastic and motivational nature and an overall passion for excellence
• Ability to positively influence decision makers.
• High sense of confidentiality & integrity
• Critical thinking and problem solving.
• Teamwork and collaboration.
• Professionalism and strong work ethic.
• Oral and written communications skills.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Organizes and accurately completes multiple tasks by establishing priorities while taking into consideration special assignments, frequent interruptions, deadlines, available resources, and multiple reporting relationships
• Plans, coordinates, and organizes workload while remaining aware of changing priorities and competing deadlines
• Establishes, builds, and maintains effective working relationships with staff and partners to facilitate the provision of support
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Safeguarding Commitment

Street Child is committed to the safeguarding and protection of all the communities we serve. All offers of employment are subject to:

• Satisfactory references and background checks.
• Participation in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.
• Safeguarding-focused interview questions.

Street Child values diversity and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

TO APPLY PLEASE CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK: Finance Officer – Street Child

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The offer may close before the set deadline if the right candidate is identified. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.