The post holder will directly manage the finance function, and lead and set professional financial standards.  This role will manage other finance staff in the same country or region.   It will be responsible for effective financial management including the preparation of financial plans and production of financial reports, managing the financial aspects of donor funded programmes and appeal funding, supporting and building the financial capacity of Christian Aid staff in the same country or region and facilitating external, internal and donor audits. The Finance Manager is a member of the Senior Management Team in country and has overall responsibility for ensuring the compliance of office and programme finance with donor regulations and statutory requirements. The role is line managed by the Country Director.

About you

You will be an accountant with a strong background knowledge of financial principles and practices; considerable experience in financial management and budgeting; management of audits and familiarity with local government regulations and procedures.  You will have considerable experience in working for INGO.  You will have a demonstrated capacity to manage large institutional funded grants and possess skills in budget preparation, analysis and training, consolidated financial reporting and presentation.  Experience of capacity building work of national organizations is desirable.

Competency questions 

As part of your application you will be asked to demonstrate your suitability by giving answers to the following questions:

Build Partnership

Give us an example of a time when you had to influence other people and persuade them to work in a collaborative way when there were different personal or organisational agendas

• What was the context? Who had to be influenced or persuaded?
• What was your task?
• What action(s) did you take? Why?  How?
• What was the outcome(s)? If you were successful, how did you know?

Communicate Effectively 

Give us an example of when you demonstrated an understanding of how personal and external factors affect other people’s communication needs and styles and how you managed those differences to ensure that everyone was heard

• What was the context? Who were the different people and what different needs and styles did they represent?
• What was your task?
• What actions did you take to ensure that everyone was heard and felt heard?
• How successful were you? How did you know?

Deliver Result

Please tell us about a time when you took a decision or made recommendations when the situation was difficult or ambiguous?

What was the context? What made the situation either difficult or ambiguous?

What was your task or responsibility?

What actions did you take to clarify the difficulty/ambiguity? Why did you decide what you decided?

What were the results? Was the outcome successful?  How did you know?

Applied skills/knowledge and expertise
Essential
• Masters/post graduate qualification in Finance, Accounting, Business Management or related
discipline/ Qualified IFAC accountant (ACCA, CPA, CIMA)
• 10years and above relevant experience in INGOs.
• Substantial experience of preparing complex budgets and financial reports
• Ability to contribute to local Senior Management’s strategy and plans.
• Experience of leading a finance function and of managing a small team
• Ability to apply logical thinking and common sense to gathering and analysing information and
designing and testing solutions to problems.
• Ability to implement and evaluate financial control.
• Verbal and written fluency in English
• Experience of using computerized financial reporting tools and advance use of Excel
• Experience of managing audit
Desirable
• Experience of dealing with institutional donor funding accounting
• Demonstrate leadership.
• Ability to resolve and be solution oriented
• SUN System Accounting application

Further information

At Christian Aid we strive to be an inclusive and diverse employer and recognise the value that this brings in helping to build strong, creative and high performing teams.

We are actively encouraging racialised minorities, people with disabilities, returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people with caring responsibilities, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, women, and older workers to apply. This is because these groups are under-represented within our teams, especially at senior level, and we recognise and value the contributions members of these groups make to strong, creative and high performing teams. To discuss this role in greater detail, please contact Eyerusalem Begashaw with EBegashaw@christian-aid.org

We have a strong Christian ethos and we encourage applications from all faiths and none (with the exception of Director positions where there is a genuine occupational requirement to be a practicing Christian – Exempted under the Equality Act 2010).

All successful candidates will require a DBS/police check appropriate to the role and location and a Counter Terrorism Sanction check as part of your clearance for commencing your role with us. We also participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information as part of the referencing process from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Christian Aid is committed to providing a safe and trusted environment for every person connected to the work we do; and to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour including sexual harassment and exploitation, abuse, and financial misconduct. Any candidate offered a job with Christian Aid is expected to share and demonstrate our values and adhere to Christian Aid’s Safeguarding policy and sign Christian Aid’s Code of Conduct.

You can expect a wide range of rewards and benefits, including a generous holiday allowance and flexibility that will ensure you enjoy a good work/life balance