Job Description:

The Finance Officer will be responsible for ensuring effective administration of financial operations. He/she will support the Finance Manager in recording and retrieving financial details of the company, including maintaining financial records, processing payments, cash handling and reconciliations. The principal duties and responsibilities will be as follows:

Project Monitoring & Reporting

• Provide support to the Finance Manager to produce forecasts and budgets for work activities based on the estimates on the Rolling Work Plan (RWP). This includes collating activity costing and providing support for preparation of the working estimates.

• Ensures the financial transactions are properly authorized, recorded, have adequate supporting documentation, filled, maintained and can be easily extracted for the purpose of preparing financial statements; and financial audits.

• Support the Finance Manager in ensuring all project staff adhere to internal financial controls, ensure the “Do-Check-Approve” process is applied in all financial transactions, that conflicts of interests and authority levels are respected.

• Checks budget codes to ensure that all transactions are booked to the correct budget codes.

• Ensure timesheet suspense is cleared weekly and cost models are up to date and accurate. Monthly review with the FM of the salary variance account and work with UK finance team to take corrective action

Cash Management

• Assist with the preparation of bank reconciliation statements and ensure they are checked and approved for submission within deadline.

• Assist in carrying out timely bank transactions and, also to deposit cheques into vendors accounts.

• Responsible for petty cash management and ensuring regular reconciliation of cash balance for review. Accountable for cash count and reporting on cash count exercise to the management.

• Responsible for recording cash and transactions into the applicable bank or cash book. Ensure records are available for regular checking and are up to date to meet deadline for submission to the UK head office.

• Provide support for payment and disbursement of cash payments e.g. per diems. To produce reconciliation of payment and supporting document for appropriate retirement.

• Follow-up on all advances, ensure that all advances are timely and appropriately settled.

Accounts Payable

• Assist with the compilation of Vendors’ list and collation of vouchers for batch processing within the financial system.

• Assist in the preparation of all payment vouchers, and cheques and ensure the timely settlement of all undisputed invoices.

• Checking and ensuring that all payment vouchers meet the minimum audit requirement by checking for approvals and necessary supporting documentations.

• Ensuring tax compliance; more specifically with reference to the withholding tax as per the relevant provisions

• Carry out the bank and cash operations including cash count preparing bank reconciliation statement maintain cash and bank books and control including issuing cheques, bank transfer requests and other correspondence with banks.

• Prepare vouchers and process for approval of competent authority for timely payment/settlement/adjustment and ensure timely and proper posting of vouchers into MM accounting system.

• Register invoices in Connect Business

• Register vendors in Connect Business as per MM requirements

• Support the Finance Manager in preparing the payroll (if needed)

Audits

• Assist the Finance Manager in the preparation and the subsequent activities for external e.g., client, and internal audits, as and when required

• Review audit reports from partners and sub-grantees and coordinate their audits

Ethics

• Operate in line with Our Code of Ethics at all times.

• Promote integrity and honesty in all financial reporting and business practices, maintain objectivity and avoid conflicts of interest, and commit to the confidentiality of sensitive financial information.

• Identify and report unethical behaviour, ensuring adherence internal financial controls and compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. Proactively in recognising potential ethical issues and take appropriate action to address and report them through the proper channels.

• Implement and maintain data protection policies with regards to sensitive financial information, proactively identify and report data protection risks to the Finance Manager

Subgrantee Management

• Carry out sub-grantee financial monitoring (collection, review, and processing of financial reports/Accountabilities.

• Carry out on-site and desktop monitoring and ensure sub-grantee compliance with grant agreements.

Note: This job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder and line manager.

Candidate Specification:

Skills

• Familiar with International Financial Reporting Standards and local statutory legislation

• Excellent numeracy and accountancy skills

• Experience of working for an international organisation, preferably in the development/humanitarian sector;

• Experience in budget management

• Strong IT skills and knowledge of MS Office systems.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;

• Attention to detail and accuracy;

• Ability to think ahead and produce accurate information;

• Willingness to be flexible and respond in a timely manner to support colleagues

• Experience in operating within environments with diverse cultures and practises;

• Understanding the concepts of due diligence, value for money and ethics and transparency

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in Accounting/finance

• Working toward chartership with relevant accounting body (i.e. ACCA, ICA, CIMA, ICAEW, ICAS etc.) with a track record of continuous professional development

• Significant relevant work experience in a related field

• Advanced Excel Skills

Background:

Cambridge Education has been awarded the FCDO funded Girls in Rwanda Learn (GIRL) programme, a 6-year programme (Nov 2024 - Jun 2030). GIRL is the FCDO’s new bilateral education programme in Rwanda, building on components of the previous Learning for All (LFA) programme (2015-2023). The LFA programme worked to improve learning outcomes in English and Mathematics in all government and government-aided schools in Rwanda, with a special focus on girls and including children with special educational needs. GIRL has been designed to build upon this work by continuing to focus on foundational learning outcomes in English and Mathematics, with an even stronger focus on girls’ education and inclusive education. It will work to reduce school drop-out and improve transition to lower secondary or other learning pathways, particularly for girls and children with disabilities. The programme is made up of 3 main components:

• Component 1 will focus on improving learning outcomes in English and Math and providing technical assistance to the Government of Rwanda to strengthen capacity and the policy environment for improved foundational learning.

• Component 3 will focus on managing an innovation fund for out-of-school girls using a test-learn-adapt approach.

• Component 5 will focus on technical assistance and advocacy to the government around foundational learning and out-of-school girls, to ensure approaches are scaled and evidence from the programme feeds into policy and programming in the sector.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team and personal commitments. We embrace agility, flexibility and trust.