Introduction

CARE is a leading humanitarian and development organization fighting global poverty. We seek a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE International aims to be a global force and a partner of choice within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty.  CARE International has been working in Uganda since 1969 managing a diversified portfolio of gender transformative development and emergency interventions both through direct implementation as well as with a large number of local partners. 

Overview of the Role

Job Purpose Statement

The Head of Finance is responsible for supporting CARE Uganda’s financial health and viability  by ensuring good financial planning and management as well as overall compliance with CARE, donor and government rules and regulations at the Country Office level. The Head of Finance is responsible for the day to day financial operations at the Country Office level; implementing CARE International’s financial systems to provide effective support to the Country Office. He/she plans, directs, and is responsible for providing quality financial services to all projects, units and staff in the CO. The Head of Finance reports to the Operations Director, works closely with the Country Director and Senior Management to ensure that partnership is developed between finance, programs and administration.

Reports To:       Operations Director         

Location:             Kampala

Supervises:         Grants & Contract Manager & Accounts Manager              Grade:  xxx

Key Responsibilities

 1.           Team Leadership and Functional Management   Level of Effort:   15%

Lead the Finance Department in effective and efficient financial planning and management of resources Ensure proper staffing/recruitment to enable the Finance Team to manage CARE Uganda’s resources efficiently; work with the Program Management Team (PMT) to deploy finance department staff to support each project appropriately;

                Manage the Finance Team towards high standards of performance through clear roles and responsibilities, on-going feedback and appraisals. Proactively address performance issues through timely constructive feedback and coaching.

                Notice talent and maximize the use of available talent through on-going staff development, succession planning, career management and utilization of a leadership style that will drive employee engagement and motivation

                Develop and implement the annual work plan and budget for the Finance department; carefully managing expenditure and safeguarding CARE's resources by following accountability procedures before signing approvals

                Through supervision of the Grants and Contracts Team, ensure that CARE’s investments achieve the desired impact and that finances are managed in accordance with CARE, GoU and Donor requirements, rules and regulations;  Provide analysis to SMT and PMT on efficiency and value for money achieved with our financial resourc

                Through supervision of the Accounts Payable staff, ensure good practice in treasury and cash management, promoting the use of wire and digital transfers, timely and efficient process for making payments;  and always maintaining appropriate levels of cash in country to keep operations going;  This includes supporting project managers and heads of departments with accurate and timely cash forecasts; Always maintaining a healthy level of cash in country to maintain operations going; 

2.            Strategic Management and Planning       Level of Effort:   20%

Ensure that CARE Uganda is provided with the financial management, analysis and support necessary to accomplish its strategic objectives.        As a senior manager, ensure effective collaboration with all department/unit heads and support them with their financial planning processes. 

Participate in strategic & operational planning at CO level, contributing personal expertise in financial management; and contributing to regional level discussions on CARE’s financial management practices, operating model, etc

                Contribute to the development, implementation and achievement of CARE’s  strategies and approaches (e.g. One Program, Partnership, Great Lakes Impact Growth Strategy)

                Lead the financial planning for CARE Uganda ensuring a good match between plans, ambitions and the availability of financial resources at all times;

Building & nurturing strategic relationships with CARE International Member Partners (CMPs), Heard Quarters and RMU, Shared Services Center, Donors and other stakeholders (Banks and Financial Service Providers with whom we work, peers in other INGOs with whom we collaborate, etc

                Ensure the development and implementation of appropriate financial risk management mechanisms; including risk prevention, identification, assessment, response and reporting, with particular emphasis on the risk of fraud and corruption; If required, be prepared to conduct investigation into allegations of fraud;  Ensure internal controls and segregation of duties reduce the risk of fraud.

3.            Policies, Procedures & Systems  Level of Effort:   20%

Develop and implement policies, procedures and operational systems that will ensure smooth running of CARE Uganda finances and the delivery of  a good standard of customer service by the finance team.   Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant CARE, donors and Government of Uganda (GOU) policies, procedures and statutory requirements, including keeping abreast of any changes (e.g. in tax laws, labour laws, etc), and ensuring they are strictly adhered to;

                Monitor the relevance  of existing policies, procedures and systems in order to identify areas for improvement, striving for greater efficiency; take corrective actions as appropriate, referring to Accountable Managers, CO SMT, RMU  or CMPsif necessary

                Ensure the day to day financial operations of CARE Uganda are run smoothly, and that financial operations are properly and accurately recorded, documented, controlled, monitored and reported, according to organizational, donors and GOU policies and best practice;

                Ensure that the Country Office finance system operates correctly and is being used effectively by CARE staff (both finance team and customers)

                Ensure that all required internal controls are in place and followed and continuously identify ways of tightening them in the light of the high risks for fraud in Uganda

4.            Budgeting and Forecasting           Level of Effort:   15%

Oversee the development and implementation of CARE Uganda country-wide budgets    Establish the processes by which the country budget will be developed, adhering to CARE USA annual budgeting timeline, guidelines and policies and holding staff country-wide accountable for doing their part.

                Ensure that accountable managers are equipped and empowered to carry out budgeting activities according to best practice

                Ensure that mechanisms for monitoring, control and review of budget implementation are in place, including quarterly “health check” reviews of CO cost recovery efforts, continuously analysing the extent to which the CO is recovering its costs (Shared Program Costs, Sub & Field Office Costs);

                Forecast to confirm the availability of financial resources and maintain CO Master Budget updated in order to anticipate shortages and propose timely corrective actions to CO SMT (e.g. downsizing, restructuring, etc); 

Carry out strategic level risk assessment and analyse trends to identify and manage issues that might impact on the financial health  or viability of CARE Uganda

 Develop systems, take actions and behave in a way which will generate and maintain relationships of mutual trust with donors; liaising with donors to ensure that they are provided with all required information

 Ensure statutory audits, internal and donor audits are conducted in a timely and professional manner; Cooperating with external audits and leading the implementation of recommendations

5.            Awards & Sub Awards Management        Level of Effort:   15%

Ensure effective end-to-end Awards & Sub-Awards management is carried out; ensuring full compliance with Donor requirements, CARE International policies & the laws of Uganda Keep up to date with changes to CARE USA policies and Procedures as well as CARE International requirements and any developments in donor requirements and relevant legislation

                Ensure that all budgets and contracts are comprehensive and accurate and comply with Donor agreements and requirements, CARE International policies and the laws of the Country.   Ensure budgets are prepared in line with CARE International Shared Program Costs policy and cover their fair share of SPC;

Ensure that all grants; reports are made on time and accurately and that Shared Program costs are allocated as per CARE USA Policy

                Proactively review Contract Aging reports in order to note breaches of contract, forthcoming expiries and any other problems or concerns

                Provide CARE Accountable Managers with quality financial information and advice in order to aid their decision making concerning the grants and sub grants they manage;

                Ensure that comprehensive  Due Dilligence and organizational capacity assessments of partners’ , including their financial capacity, have been carried out for all of CARE Uganda’s potential partners according to policy;

                Ensure that CARE’s policies and procedures for Sub Awards management are carried out; liaising with accountable managers to trouble-shoot any problems.  Specifically, ensure the CO Decision Making Committee (DMC) that makes key decisions on sub awards and partners’ selection performs as per policy;

6.            Capacity Building              Level of Effort:   15%

Build the capacity of CARE Staff and Implementing Partners to manage financial resources according to good accounting practice and in compliance with Donor & CARE International standards

                Support the development and implementation of strategies for bridging the partner capacity gaps that are identified during partner assessments

                Liaise with Department Heads and the HR staff to understand financial capacity building needs of CARE staff; ensuring the development and roll-out of any required professional development initiatives;

                Ensure that CARE Staff and Partners fully understand what is expected of them and are equipped to manage awards and sub-awards according to best practice, policies and procedures.

                Deploy the team of Awards & Sub-Awards Staff to the project  teams; ensuring that they provide all necessary support, and carry out monitoring visits according to the project plan

Additional General Responsibilities

•             Keep up-to-date with CARE’s emerging strategies and approaches and contribute proactively towards implementation. Take responsibility for ensuring personal safety and security; giving due care and consideration to the impact of personal decisions on the safety and security of others

•             Be proactive in ensuring that CARE’s core values, code of conduct and ethics, and principles of gender equity and diversity (GED) are upheld throughout area of responsibility and provide leadership to others

•             Take responsibility for personal performance, be accountable for own actions and decisions and be answerable for resulting consequences

•             Carry out other duties as requested by the Country Director

•             Up to 60% travel locally to support operations and capacity building in Sub and Field Offices

Important Relationships

Internal:               Country Director, CO Senior Management Team, Other Finance Directors, Program Coordinators, Project Managers, Accountant, Global Controller, Regional Management Staff, Shared Service Centre

External:              External auditors, Donors, Local government agencies as appropriate, Bank

Requirements for the Role

Minimum Educational Qualifications:

•             Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, Finance or Business Management or related field

•             Fully Certified Public Accountant (CPA and / or ACCA) is a must,

•             A master’s degree in Accounting, Finance or Business management or a related field is desirable 

Job related experience:

•             At least five years as a Head of Finance/Finance Manager or equivalent experience

•             At least 8 to ten years’ experience working in the developmental and / or humanitarian sector specific technical experience in budgeting, accounting, financial reporting, grants/contracts management and business management

•             Demonstrated experience with financial troubleshooting and audit

Technical skills and person specifications:

•             Thorough understanding of financial accounting, reporting, and grants and contracts management processes

•             Relevant donor policies and procedures

•             Facilitation skills to conduct training for small, medium and large sized groups

•             Solid analytical skills and problem solving

•             Ability to maintain customer focus while handling multiple priorities

•             Ability to learn quickly new systems, processes and procedures and accept local practices to global standards

•             Excellent leadership, coaching and negotiation skills

•             Ability to both lead teams and work with  teams,

•             Ability to work at detailed level while understanding the larger picture

•             Strong English oral and written communication skills

•             Proficiency in Microsoft office and financial software applications

•             Good communication skills both oral and written in English