Senior Controls Officer at International Alert

​Role duties and responsibilities:

Controls and audits

• Act as a focal point for controls expertise within the organisation, providing advice and practical support for country programmes and HQ teams.
• Working with the Head of Finance and Director of Global Delivery (DGD), identify potential areas of weak controls, advise on and support implementation of corrective action plans and provide guidance on how to avoid similar situations in the future.
• Develop an annual internal audit plan, based on key risks and an assessment of audit needs, and agree it with the Head of Finance, Director of Global Delivery and the Risk and Audit Committee.
• Oversee implementation of the internal audit plan, through deploying staff teams, procuring external auditors or undertaking the audit themselves. Prepare reports and follow up on recommendations.
• Maintain a log of project and statutory audit findings, follow up and track implementation.

Statutory and donor requirements

• Act as a focal point within Alert for information and expertise about anti-bribery, dishonest practices and data protection including GDPR, to ensure we meet donor and statutory requirements.
• Maintain a detailed, up-to-date understanding of statutory and key donor requirements, policies and procedures, ensuring that current and future obligations are shared and understood across the organisation.
• Monitor compliance with donor and statutory requirements across the organisation, throughout the project cycle.
• Coordinate the collation of information necessary to comply with control and compliance requirements at the institutional level.
• Provide advice and practical support to country and HQ teams responding to and carrying out project-specific due diligence processes, including supporting partner due diligence processes.

Learning and process improvement

• Develop and implement, in collaboration with the DGD, Heads of Finance and HR, basic training on controls and compliance issues.
• Coordinate the identification and sharing of best practice in controls and compliance, supporting country offices to benefit from each other's learning and experience.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures for controls and compliance within Alert, through liaison across teams, in consultation with the DGD, and ensure that they are understood and observed throughout Alert.
• Support development of efficient and user-friendly tools and processes to track and meet control and compliance requirements across the organisation, including when subcontracting and working with partners.

Investigations

• In consultation with the DGD, lead, oversea or assist with investigations of whistleblowing, fraud, safeguarding and other confidential complaints or allegations of misconduct.
• Conduct interviews, gather evidence, and prepare reports on investigation findings, including recommendations of appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
• Provide guidance and support to country teams investigating concerns (including whistleblowing, fraud, safeguarding and other complaints).
• Maintain Alert’s log of serious incidents and prepare reporting to the XT, Risk and Audit Committee and Board of Trustees. Support with reporting to core donors.
• Support serious incident reporting and other engagement with the Charities Commission.

Risk management and reporting

• Coordinate bi-annual organisational risk assessment updates, supporting Alert teams to undertake their own risk assessments, and consolidate as the organisational risk matrix for reporting to the Executive Team and the Board of trustees.
• Prepare and present reports to senior management, including the Executive Team and the Board of Trustees, on controls and compliance activities, findings, and recommendations.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Experience working in either a controls or project management role in an INGO.
• Good understanding of internal controls and audit principles and methods.
• Up-to-date knowledge of contractual terms and conditions.
• Experience undertaking audits or confidential, sensitive investigations.
• Experience building effective, trusting relationships at all levels of an organisation, to influence staff in relation to implementation of effective controls
• Experience communicating complex information in an accessible way
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to engage with staff at all levels, partners and trustees.
• Clear and concise writing style, including ability to simplify and explain complex or sensitive issues to a wide variety of audiences.
• Ability to handle several high priorities at once and work under pressure.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Existing long-term right to work in one of Alert’s countries of operation (DRC, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan,
• Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tunisia, UK,Ukraine)