Head of Finance and Administration at European Committee for Agricultural Training

Starting date: 1st January 2020

Contract duration: 1 year

Monthly gross salary: 2.500 € - 2.800 € (according to experience)

Report to: Regional Coordinator (RC), Italy HQ

Objectives and general characteristics

The HEAD OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION (HFA) is in charge of the administrative and financial management of the Kenya/Somalia Regional Office.

• (S)he supports the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators to ensure a proper financial management of the country missions and the projects.
• The HFA reports to the Regional Coordinator and functionally to the HQ Administrator in Bologna.
• As a key member of the Regional Coordination Team, the post holder will be required to ensure the regional finance management, HR management and administration are in line with HQ policies and guidelines and local legislation. (S)he has also to ensure that program quality is of organizational standards, support the procurement, marketing and funding processes of the program, through management of funding proposals and of timely and accurate donor reports.
• (S)he supports the Regional Coordinator and the Project Coordinators in the preparation of agreements setting the relationships between CEFA and its partners or other organizations for the implementation of the projects. Moreover (S)he ensures the correct administrative application of the agreement, including the handover procedures.

Areas of Responsibility

• Administrative Organization
  • In accordance with the Regional Coordinator and following procedures agreed with the HQ, (s)he recruits, supervises and evaluates the administrative and support staff, ensuring that the local staff assigned to him/her meet the requirements of professionalism and reliability necessary for the performance of their work.
  • (S)he ensures the application of the general organizational guidelines, policies and procedures adopted by CEFA at the Regional office and at the field offices . To this aims, (S)he supports the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators providing adequate technical assistance and appropriate monitoring to the field administration and finance, also through regular field visits as required.
  • (S)he ensures in every area of management the respect of the local law.
• Book-keeping, Finance and Budgeting
  • (S)he ensures the preparation of the annual financial report and its certification. (S)he is the contact person for the external auditors and ensures the flow of information to the HQ.
  • (S)he ensures the proper management of the bank accounts and contracts with local banks.
  • Based on information provided by the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators, (s)he ensures the preparation and management of cash flows and budget follow up for the Regional Office costs and supports the project coordinators in doing the same for each project.
  • S(he) Checks and approve all fund requests coming from the PCs against the available budget and send them to HQ by the 29th of every month
  • S(he) elaborates and follow up Project Audits and General CEFA Audit.
  • (S)he supports the RC and PCs in the development and revision of detailed proposal budgets.
• Project management
  • (S)he ensures the preparation of financial reports according to the contracts signed with the Donors and CEFA’s internal procedures
  • (S)he supports the Regional Coordinator in preparing the budget for new projects, and the project coordinators for budget revision for on-going contracts.
  • (S)he supports the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators in monitoring the expenses by providing them with periodic follow up and forecasts.
  • S(he) prepares and update the Country cash flows (Kenya and Somalia) identifying the resources to cover structure and support staff costs from the different project budgets and share it with the Regional Coordinator and HQ
  • (S)he supports the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators in planning the annual financial reporting and in identifying the project financial needs (this information will be consolidated in the country Cash-Flow).
• Human resources management, legal compliance
  • (S)he prepare/revise staff contract in cooperation with the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators and ensure compliance with the local legislations and CEFA Policies and Procedures.
  • S(he) manages directly all the Regional Office support staff and conduct performance appraisals and periodic reviews as per CEFA policies and procedures
  • (S)he ensures compliance of the legal obligations related to CEFA presence in the country like the NGO registration with relevant ministries, predispositions of agreements with Authorities and Local Partner, obtaining work permits or other matters for expatriate staff or volunteers.
  • (S)he reviews the contracts for signature highlighting to the Regional Coordinator any points of concern or discrepancies from the Countries’ law
  • (S)he ensures the proper administration management of local and expatriate staff (including Visas, work permits, annual returns etc) in accordance with local legislation and CEFA procedures
  • (S)he ensure the management of the health scheme for all staff according to CEFA HR Policy
• Purchasing and Logistics
  • (S)he oversees the administration, supervision and management of assets acquired by CEFA.
  • (S)he Analyzes all the projects’ procurement rule and general conditions and ensure that CEFA’s procedures are in line with them.
  • (S)he oversees contracts stipulation and purchase transactions of goods and services complying strictly with donor and CEFA requirements, both at project and Regional office level.
• Management Control
  • S(he) makes sure that all administration and financial procedures are followed by all admin, logistic and program staff.
  • (S)he ensures the elaboration of the country budget on the basis of information provided by the Regional Coordinator and Project Coordinators and the preliminary financial statement in due time according to the format provided by HQ. (S)he ensures the preparation of periodic internal expenses follow up for internal use in line with CEFA requirements.
  • (S)he ensures the systematic monitoring of the accountancy to enable a proper process of management control.
  • (S)he undertakes quality assurance: periodic monitoring of all CEFA accountants in Kenya and Somalia through internal audit to all the projects using the European
• Administrative Toolkit and other tools.
  • (S) he trains admin/logistic staff on anticorruption, and risk management and reduction procedures

Mandatory Requirements

• University level degree in public administration, business, economics, financial management, or another relevant field
• A minimum of five years of financial management, grants management, or similar experience At least three years of demonstrated successful experience in international relief and development in African countries in a similar position is required.
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication, negotiation skills, multi-tasking and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to manage and monitor a diverse staff in multiple locations
• Familiarity with major institutional donor’s financial management requirements
• Demonstrated ability to work in stressful environments and under pressure.
• Fluency in English language.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel

Desired Requirements

• Possession of MBA or Master in a related field is a strong plus
• Experience in logistics, procurement and security matters is a strong advantage.
• Previous work experience in Kenya and/or Somalia is a plus
• Experience in working in conflict-prone environments a plus.
• Knowledge of Italian language is a plus