Finance Director - Kenya Irrigation Project at Land O Lakes

Project Description:

Kenya Irrigation Project is a 5-year $14M-$18M project funded by the USDA Food for Progress Program. The project will work closely with the National Irrigation Board and act as a steward of USDA funds to design and construct small and medium sized irrigation projects that demonstrate a strong potential for expanding agricultural production and trade.

Position Summary and Primary Responsibilities:

The Finance Director is responsible for the overall financial oversight and cost containment for the Kenya Irrigation Project. This position will oversee the accounting, financial reporting and audits, while ensuring program compliance with Land O’Lakes and donor rules and regulations. This position partners with and supports the Chief of Party in regards to all accounting and financial reporting activities; as well as provides leadership to the entire program team regarding any and all financial and administrative issues. The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with travel to other field sites.

Primary responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the following:

• Supervise the accountants in the use of the CostPoint Accounting System and complete reviews of various accounting reports to validate that all project transactions are processed accurately.
• Ensure all accounting transactions for the project are properly supported, documented and are recorded in the CostPoint accounting system timely and accurately.
• Manage all project advances to staff and ensure they are accounted for and cleared per the accounting policies and procedures.
• Ensure payments for employee benefits are processed and paid in accordance with local laws.
• Ensure local timesheets are completed timely and accurately.
• Ensure local payroll is calculated and processed timely and accurately, and ensure that changes to salaries or supplemental payments are supported by appropriate documentation.
• Complete accurate and timely balance sheet reconciliations.
• Ensure accurate and timely project financial reports are prepared as required by the internal Finance and Accounting policies and donor rules and regulations.
• Monitor program spending by reviewing the monthly project status reports and other management reports for accuracy, impact and potential adjustments.
• Lead the budget forecasting process for the project, using Hyperion to communicate budget information to the Chief of Party and HQ.
• Guide and assist all budget users to prepare, revise and monitor monthly, quarterly and annual budgets for their ongoing activities.
• Conduct budget analyses and clearly communicate any potential financial issues and their impact on the project to the Chief of Party, Regional Program Director and HQ management teams in a timely and transparent manner.
• Identify and lead budget realignment efforts, if necessary.
• Ensure compliance with all Land O’Lakes and donor financial and operational policies.
• Provide training and direct supervision to the Project Operations manager and the Accounting team, including providing performance feedback throughout the year.
• Assist the Chief of Party in limiting financial risk to the program and Land O'Lakes.
• Review all procurements before payments are made to ensure Land O’Lakes and donor policies and procedures were followed.
• Maintain strong internal control environment to safeguard organization assets.
• Coordinate all necessary audits, statutory requirements, and financial enquiries from USDA, the Government of Kenya and HQ; including tax reporting as required by local law.
• Ensure registration requirements are met each year and registration renewal is documented.
• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

Reporting & Supervision:

This position reports to the Chief of Party and supervises 2-4 positions

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• A Master’s degree in Accounting/Auditing/Business Administration
• Accounting certification(s)
• Minimum 10 years relevant experience in an international development organization in a similar position
• Accounting software user experience
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint,
• Previous experience in managing U.S. Government grants, agreements, and/or contracts
• Excellent inter-personal skills managing people in complex projects while under tight deadline schedules.
• Professional proficiency in the English language

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

• Prior working experience with CostPoint Accounting system will be an added advantage
• A self-starter who is able to work with minimum supervision