Afghanistan: Head of Finance (Kabul, Afghanistan)

War Child Canada’s flagship Afghanistan program advances the social and legal protection of highly vulnerable and at risk women and children, focusing on education, child protection, livelihoods, and access to legal justice. The country program is currently undergoing an exciting expansion with newly secured long-term funding for programs focusing on vulnerable children and their families, building on well-established, successful programs in Kabul, Kandahar and Nangarhar since 2003

Location: Kabul, Afghanistan

Start Date: As soon as possible Duration: 6 Months

Head of Finance has overall responsibility of providing leadership on financial planning, developing systems and control procedures, financial management, team building and ensuring compliance with financial control policies and procedures

Responsibilities

Developing systems and control procedures (30%)

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  Review of current systems and lead on development of robust financial controls (policies, manual, guidelines, training package for staff and partners etc) that are in line with country laws and international acceptable standards

  
  


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  Rollout financial control procedure and orient staff

  
  


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  Support all departments in ensuring compliance with financial control systems

  
  

Efficient and transparent management of finances (25%)

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  Ensure accurate data entry into ledger accounting system, lead improvement and system enhancement work, ensuring good housekeeping

  
  


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  Lead on country budgeting; monitor spending and support program team with preparation of accurate and realistic donor budgets

  
  


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  Lead on the financial reporting to HQ and donors. Focus on continuous improvement and ensure that reports are of high quality

  
  


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  Effectively organize and manage internal and external audits and ensure recommendations from external audit and review are fully addressed

  
  


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  Ensure the Finance team prepares and circulates monthly and quarterly management accounts to program team and ensure that any under-spending is brought to the attention of the senior management team and HQ staff

  
  


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  Support Senior Finance Manager to produce statutory (legal) accounts and other legal returns as needed for Afghanistan

  
  


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  Ensure full compliance to applicable taxes and financial laws

  
  

Capacity building and team management (25%)

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  Conduct capacity need assessment of the finance team and prepare capacity building plan through coaching, mentoring and tailor made trainings

  
  


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  Ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly understood by each team member

  
  


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  Conduct timely performance appraisals for staff

  
  


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  Ensure that non-finance program managers have full understanding of financial policies and procedures

  
  

Financial monitoring and support to partners (12%)

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  Monitor partners financial management as far as it relates to War Child funded projects, ensuring compliance with War Child and donor rules and regulations

  
  


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  Build knowledge and understanding, promoting improvements to financial management and reporting

  
  


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  Ensure Finance team conducts financial monitoring and support visits to local implementing partners at least on quarterly basis

  
  


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  Conduct monitoring/audit of the partners

  
  

Support to Senior Management Team (8%)

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  Actively contribute to the senior management team (SMT); by providing timely and accurate information analysis on the financial health of the organization

  
  


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  Assist the Country Director and SMT with country strategic planning, annual planning, programmatic and geographical expansion

  
  


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  Assist SMT with a system assessment and selection of local partners

  
  

Academic Background and Knowledge

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  Master’s in Finance or in business administration with specialization in finance or accounting.

  
  


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  At least 5 years of senior management experience including developing and implementing financial policies and control procedures with preference in the non-profit sector

  
  


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  Demonstrable knowledge and experience of successful financial management with preference in conflict or post-conflict zones

  
  


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  Knowledge of Afghan taxation, labor laws, and financial reporting requirement for NGOs

  
  


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  Demonstrable experience of building capacity of national staff

  
  


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  Knowledge of at least one of War Child Canada’s programming focus in Afghanistan

  
  


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  International work experience and/or previous experience in Afghanistan strongly desirable

  
  

Skills

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  Fluency in written and verbal English. Dari or Pashtu is desirable

  
  


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  Excellent leadership skills in building strong and competent team

  
  


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  Detail oriented, strong organizational and analytical skills

  
  


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  Ability to manage stress and willing to work under strict deadlines

  
  


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  Excellent skills of operating Microsoft word and excel spread sheet

  
  


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  A positive problem-solving approach

  
  


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  Good interpersonal and team-working skills

  
  


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  Culture sensitive and respect for local norms

  
  

How to apply:

This position is open to both expatriates and Afghanistan Nationals. Interested applicants are invited to send their resume and an accompanying cover letter electronically to: jobs@warchild.ca

The deadline is 25 March, 2016. Please ensure your application email has the subject heading of ‘Head of Finance, Afghanistan – [insert your name]’.

Only those applicants selected for an interview will be notified. No phone calls please. For more information about War Child Canada, please visit www.warchild.ca