Fin/Accounting Specialist III at Nature Conservancy

The Financial Specialist III provides highly specialized finance/accounting-related services to the Africa Division.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Finance/Accounting Specialist III provides highly specialized services in one or more of the following functions: proposal budget development; financial analysis and reporting; support and design field financial management processes; accounting; management controls and reporting; or similar financial activities for a department or business unit. S/he has a high level of expertise in his/her area(s) of specialization of reporting, proposals, analysis and systems innovation. S/he administers and maintains finance/accounting activities in accordance with TNC policies and procedures and best practices in financial/organizational management. The Finance/Accounting Specialist III provides assistance to all levels of personnel in his/her specialty area. S/he responds to complex operational and employee/management questions and problems based on advanced knowledge of the subject area with solutions.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE

• Works toward meeting the strategic priorities of the program by developing and coordinating tactics for approved plans and completing day-to-day tasks.
• Ensures programmatic commitments, TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met and managed for compliance.
• Reinforces consistency in the organization's policies and procedures and provides support related to relevant field.
• May participate in complex negotiations.
• Prepare financial reports and analysis for programs that compare budgets to actual results, and recommend corrective action as appropriate. Prepares financial analysis for management.
• Work with conservation, philanthropy and external affairs teams on budget development for funding proposals.
• Generate periodic internal and external reports for field and/or management use.
• Assist in developing and implementing appropriate systems, policies and procedures related to financial reporting and analysis.
• Serve as a resource to staff on financial matters, policies, procedures, guidelines and educate staff as required.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the Operations Team to ensure financial management processes in the field complement and support project outcomes, and where necessary, design financial management tools & processes that facilitate strong control environments.
• Reports to Finance Manager and provides interval updates on activities

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field and 4 years' related experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience with complex relational databases.
• Experience using accounting, financial reporting systems and financial analysis.
• Experience of supporting multiple projects in various locations and/or countries.
• Experience in manipulating, analyzing and interpreting data. Advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills.
• Non-profit accounting experience preferred.
• Technology innovation skills maybe preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong understanding of finance operations and systems
• Knowledge of current trends in specific field.
• May require fluency in a foreign language to support global operations.
• MBA, CPA and/or CIA may be preferred.