Finance Officer at Global Development Incubator (GDI)

About the Role: The GDI Finance Officer is a key member of the finance team, effectively contributing to its success, and the overall financial integrity of the organization.

Illustrative Responsibilities

• Assist in the development and continuous review of financial processes/procedures that enhance operational efficiency and curtail business risk.
• Ensure strict, sensible, and demonstrable observance of established financial controls.
• Offer efficient, timely business services to internally oriented customers (staff, consultants) and external parties (funders, donors, program participants, and beneficiaries).
• Guide other staff to interpret, understand and follow organizational-wide business accountability mechanisms.
• Keep proper, current, accurate, and complete records and books for GDI projects; Carry out precise, cogent accounting of financial transactions from source records (internal requisitions, payment vouchers, liquidation documents, purchase orders, etc.) to data capture/recording, and reporting.
• Prepare usable project financial reports to quality and time standards; Review and analyze the financials with the concerned budget holders, agree and follow up on the disposition of any identified variances.
• Work with concerned technical project managers to guide and help prepare solid project budgets that align with related technical proposals, and ensuing project cash flow forecasts.
• Regularly apprise budget holders on needful donor/funder compliance matters, and emergent or imminent cost overruns.
• Monthly processing of staff payroll, and related statutory filings.
• Payables and Receivables management.
• Handle statutory as well as project-specific audits, tax compliance, and NGO Board reporting.
• Undertake any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Qualifications

Desired Competencies:

• Demonstrate capacity to lead project management and delivery by taking an idea or nascent project into a final deliverable.
• Spot operational opportunities and risks.
• Demonstrate capacity to manage relationships for at least a few external stakeholders (e.g. funders).
• Demonstrate understanding of client/partner perspective and needs.
• Demonstrate ability to make complex or technical ideas accessible.
• Generate new ideas for improving data analysis and synthesis.
• Demonstrated capacity for managing up.
• Contribute to business development through the creation of relevant tools, templates, and data management resources.
• Identify opportunities to improve GDI-wide collaboration and culture.
• Manage bookkeeping and execution of financial operations and revenue recognition.
• Demonstrate mastery of internal F&O processes.
• Capable of supporting managers in providing guidance to initiatives and external clients.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• University degree in commerce, accounting, finance, or related business field. A postgraduate qualification is desirable.
• Professional: Full professional accounting qualification (CPA, ACCA, etc.)
• At least seven (7) years in a similar position and context, including proficiency in ERP’s, grants and contracts management.
• Essential skills: Budgeting, Accounting & bookkeeping, Financial planning & analytics, Compliance, Taxation, Cloud computing

Qualities of GDI Employees

• Demonstrate leadership qualities, motivate others and have an ability to communicate concisely to convey ideas, present findings and facilitate discussions effectively;
• Doers, not talker - possess a relentless drive to get things done, drive social impact and tackle the world’s biggest challenges in new ways;
• Have razor-sharp problem-solving skills with an aptitude to analyze complex situations, identify challenges and devise strategic solutions that contribute to initiative and organizational success;
• Possess the ability to quickly adjust to changing priorities, tasks and environments while maintaining effectiveness and productivity.
• Demonstrate a willingness to explore creative ideas, embrace change and contribute to the evolution of initiatives and processes using innovative approaches, relevant software, tools and systems for enhanced efficiency.
• Have the ability to move fluidly between collaborative and independent work styles, all the while building strong relationships, fostering teamwork, and managing conflicts constructively, with a sense of humor and humility.