Administrative and Financial Manager position at Wild Chimpanzee Foundation
Heather Cohen
ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL MANAGER
Location: Sierra Leone
Reports to: WCF OKKPS Project Manager in Sierra Leone, Guinean WCF Administrative and Financial Director
Functional Relationships: TCS Development Manager and TSC Head of Finance in Sierra Leone, WCF and TCS Division Managers in Sierra Leone, Guinean WCF Operations Director
Supervisory Relationship: Accountant, Cashier
BACKGROUND
Established in 2000, the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation's mission is to help ensure the survival of the last remaining wild chimpanzee populations and their habitat, thereby helping to preserve the behavioural diversity of this fascinating species.
WCF implements conservation projects in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia and Guinea, and we focus our activities in areas where wild chimpanzees are still abundant to ensure their future survival. In Guinea, working in support of government authorities through the Office Guinéen des Parcs et Réserves (OGPR), WCF initiated a project in 2015 to create a national park along the Bafing River in the regions of Fouta-Djalon and Upper Guinea. The Moyen-Bafing National Park was officially created on May 4, 2021 by the President of the Guinean Republic.
Several other protected areas are also supported by WCF in Guinea, most recently in Sierra Leone, with a new project funded by the European Union (EU), with our strong partner in the country, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS).
In order to develop and coordinate the financial management of the OKKPS priority conservation landscape (Outamba, Kuru and Kilimi for Sierra Leone and Pincelli, Soyah for Guinea), WCF is recruiting a dynamic and autonomous Administrative and Financial Manager (AFM) for the Sierra Leone side.
This is in accordance with the funding obtained from the EU, and the mandate given to the WCF by the government of the Republic of Guinea, and by the government of Sierra Leone for the project co-applicant, and our project partner, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS).
OBJECTIVES OF THE POSITION
Under the responsibility/supervision of the WCF Director of Administration and Finance in Guinea and the Project Manager based in Sierra Leone, with TCS Development Manager and Head of Finance Operations as our close partner in Sierra Leone, in close collaboration with his/her counterpart, the Administrative and Financial Manager (AFM) in Guinea, and the WCF Director of Operations, as well as the WCF and TCS heads of the operational departments, the Administrative and Financial Manager (AFM) in Sierra Leone will be responsible for the administrative and financial management of the PAP4 OKKPS project in Sierra Leone. He/she will demonstrate a strong capacity in the implementation of an efficient financial management and accounting system, the development of procedure manuals, financial reporting and the implementation of an internal control system.
MISSION AND MAIN ACTIVITIES
· Assists the WCF’s Finance and Administration Director in implementing and enforcing financial management and accounting standards in accordance with donor and WCF principles
· Work in collaboration with the OKKPS Project Manager and the WCF Operations Director in Guinea, with TCS Development Manager and Head of Finance Operations as our close partner in Sierra Leone, as well as the WCF and TCS heads of the operational departments in the implementation of field activities
· Ensures compliance of expenditures and their eligibility, particularly in the field, according to donor and WCF procedures;
· Ensures the permanent management/monitoring of the financial and accounting management of the project
· Prepare monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual financial reports in accordance with donor requirements for validation by the Finance and Administration Director
· Ensures the production of the project's financial statements in the first instance and the follow-up of the various recommendations.
FINANCIAL AND ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT
· Prepares and verifies payment requests before submission to the WCF Director of Administration and Finance for approval
· Processes all bank payments (cheques, transfers, provision of funds and assignments) from suppliers in a strict, but timely manner in accordance with WCF procurement and payment procedures and ensures that payments are received by the recipients (stamp, signature...)
· Plans the supply of the cash box in order not to be short of cash
· Verification and control of the data entry log
· Preparation of monthly summary statements: journals, general and analytical ledgers, general and analytical balance, and analysis of accounts before transmission to the WCF Director of Administration and Finance
· Preparation of monthly bank reconciliation statements and transmission to the WCF Director of Administration and Finance for validation
· Carries out the analysis of accounts
· Develops the financial statement production program and closes the monthly and annual accounts
· Manages the day-to-day cash flow of the project and monitors the application of banking conditions
· Administrative, financial and accounting preparation of audit operations
· Ensures the quality of the project's accounting documentation
· Ensures the proper use of the mission's Chart of Accounts in accordance with the Financial Procedures Manual
· Verifies and submits the accounting package (reconciliation, list of authorized signatories, inventories, incident reports, etc.) to his/her superior on a monthly basis.
ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT
· Participation in the definition of the job profile to be filled and in the recruitment process from the preparation of the call for applications to the preparation of the employment contract
· Supervises the management of personnel files, including absences, attendance, sick leave, etc.
· Verify and control and proceed to the payment of monthly salaries including the edition of monthly pay slips
· Ensures the payment of tax and social security declarations within the deadlines and in accordance with the legislation in force
BUDGET MANAGEMENT
· Participates in the preparation of the budgets in collaboration with the OKKPS Project Manager, and both in Guinea the WCF Operations Director and WCF Director of Administration and Finance, with TCS Development Manager and Head of Finance Operations as our close partner in Sierra Leone, as well as the WCF and TCS heads of the operational departments, as well as the different budget allocation proposals
· Implement the decisions of the WCF governance bodies
· Ensures budget allocation and follow-up
RULES TO BE RESPECTED
· Confidentiality is an absolute rule for this position, it is strictly forbidden to divulge information and any breach of this rule will be considered as a serious fault and sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of the Internal Regulations
· He/She must report to his/her superior any important difficulty that an employee may encounter
· He/She must treat all employees equally, without favouritism or preferential treatment granted for any reason whatsoever
· Respects the rules and customs of the local population (politeness and propriety) and ensures that the reputation of WCF is maintained
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
· Master1/ Master's degree in management sciences, (BAC +3) accounting, financial management
· At least 3 years successful field experience in financial and administrative management on complex programmes (multi-donor context) in a similar position
· Successful experience of at least 3 years on an EU funded project
· Successful experience in sub-Saharan Africa
· Fluency in English is required (comprehension, written and oral expression)
· Knowledge of traditional accounting software (Sage, Navision, QuickBooks) AND payroll software (Sage, Homere)
· Thorough knowledge of general office software (Office suite)
· At least 2 years of successful administrative experience and skills.
Required qualities:
· Thoroughness
· Ability to work independently
· Initiative-taking
· Analytical and critical thinking skills
· Sense of organization
· Ability to work in a team and sense of responsibility
In all areas of his/her activity, he/she must be proactive, i.e. be a force for improvement or adaptation. His/her supervisor may ask him/her to perform additional tasks if necessary.
This job description includes the main responsibilities inherent to this position. However, he/she may be asked to perform other tasks than those listed above as well as a great flexibility in the management of his/her function without this being considered as a modification of the contract.
Application: CV and cover letter to WCF Guinea Country Director and TSC Development Manager;
· Working hours: From 08:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:30 from Monday to Friday.
Type of contract: 1 year renewable
To apply: please send your CV and cover letter to gui...@wildchimps.org , with the job reference: "Administrative and Financial Manager OKKPS SIERRA LEONE".
- Deadline for applications: August 01, 2021
NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted by the administration for a test and interview.