Director of Finance

Position Description

Director of Finance

Zambia Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistance Activity (SUN TA)

DAI works at the cutting edge of international development, combining technical excellence, professional project management, and exceptional customer service to solve our clients’ most complex problems. Since 1970, DAI has worked in 150 developing and transition countries, providing comprehensive development solutions in areas including crisis mitigation and stability operations, democratic governance and public sector management, agriculture and agribusiness, health and nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene, private sector development and financial services, economics and trade, HIV/AIDS, avian influenza control, water and natural resources management, and energy and climate change. Clients include international development agencies, international lending institutions, private corporations and philanthropies, and host-country governments.

Project Background:

The Scaling Up Nutrition Program is a cross-ministry and multi-donor program to reduce stunting in Zambia through implementation of the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) 1,000 Most Critical Days Program. SUN TA provides support and direct technical assistance to sub-national local government departments in target districts to plan, implement, coordinate, and monitor integrated nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific activities to reduce the rate of stunting among Zambian children under two and improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating mothers. USAID has identified two main objectives that address stunting, including (1) Adequate Quantity and Quality of Dietary Intake among Target Groups; and (2) Adequate Health Conditions for Biological Utilization of Nutrients. SUN TA interventions increase access and availability of safe, diverse, nutritious food; adoption of better child feeding and household hygiene practices; and access to improved health, water and sanitation services. The project prioritizes sustainability by improving intra-household joint decision making and building the capacity of local government and their stakeholders to ensure coordination, accountability, and learning, following the Scaling Up Nutrition model.

Salary Grade: 12

Purpose:

The Director of Finance, using existing DAI finance systems and procedures, will provide leadership for all financial aspects of the project in accordance with United States Government (USG) and USAID regulation and policies including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). The Director of Finance will manage finance personnel to ensure efficient and effective financial management of the project. The Director of Finance will be based in Lusaka, Zambia and will report to the Team Lead, Operations.

Responsibilities and Key Tasks:

Financial Reports

• Ensures full and timely compliance with all DAI finance reporting requirements.
• Develops and maintains reports of status of financial management activities (i.e. monthly and quarterly reporting).
• Monitors and submits advance, commitment, and grant reports as applicable.
• Responsible for ensuring that any/all contractual financial reporting requirements are identified and compiled in a timely and accurate manner.
• Develops and submits other project reports necessary and based on registration requirements to local authorities.

Financial Management

• Conducts regular cash flow analyses to ensure availability of funds and the accurate maintaining of bank balances.
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of invoices, advances and reimbursements and wire transfer payments.
• Manages banking relationships and coordinates periodic updates for bank signatories.
• Reviews and approves bank reconciliations performed by the finance staff.
• Reviews project cost data prior to submitting Oracle data reports to DAI Washington.
• Directs the schedule of financial activities to ensure the timely preparation of reports.
• Ensures non-billable expenses are thoroughly reviewed and are kept to a minimum.
• Ensure the project is in compliance with all tax liabilities and statutory remittances
• Manages and supervises the process for field expense extracts and coordinates with the Project Associate to complete field office to home office expense bi-weekly reporting.
• Responsible for ensuring project assets/inventory report is balanced against the general ledger/FAS prior to submission to USAID.
• Monitors the use of Field Accounting System (FAS) to record DAIly financial transactions and electronic project filing system and structure on the project server to save all finance documentation
• Conduct review of all transactions entered into field accounting system (FAS) for proper allocation of billable expenses
• Oversee maintenance of hard copy file management systems and uses DAI’s operations system (TAMIS) and Oracle to complete finance functions as required
• Oversee voucher uploads to DAI’s repository for the electronic archival of financial documentation
• Communicate with the Team Lead-Operations on troubleshooting technical issues as well as Home office backstop
• Conduct periodic reviews of backup documentation using the finance checklists to ensure completeness, accuracy, and full compliance with DAI policies and procedures
• Perform and oversee regular spot audits of project files
• Provide monitoring and oversight function on district accountants to ensure that the overall project implementation complies with USAID and DAI regulations and policies.
• Manages information inputs for any financial reporting requirements, or internal reports as necessary

Payroll

• Ensures the timely and accurate processing and review of all payroll transactions, assuring compliance with established employment agreements and modifications.

Staff Management

• Responsible for providing direction, coaching, and mentoring to project Accounting/Finance staff in Lusaka, regions and districts to ensure compliance with the DAI FOM.

Audit

• Managers preparation of internal and external audits
• Supports responses and actions to internal and external audit findings
• Conducts periodic reviews of backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy and full compliance with all regulations and the FOM
• Performs regular spot audits on project files
• Ensures adequate backup documentation is uploaded to relevant system according to set deadlines

Other duties

• Escalate any delays or vendor/other issues to the Team Lead, Operations
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the Team Lead

Reporting and Supervision:

The Finance Director directly reports to the Team Lead, Operations. Direct report: Finance Manager. Indirect reports: Lusaka, Regional and District finance staff.

Qualifications:

• ACCA, ZICA, CIMA, CPA or equivalent is required
• Fellow member of ZICA
• 8 years’ experience in financial management of large-scale, complex, international development assistance programs.
• 4 years USAID contact experience is required
• Proven experience in supervisor work that involved direct leadership of professional and support staff, oversight and evaluation of staff performance and deliverables.
• High level of knowledge regarding USG and USAID rules and regulations for grants and contracts is required.
• Leadership in capacity development.
• Demonstrated high professional conduct