Finance & Operations Director

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

The five-year (2020-2025) USAID Local Impact Governance Activity (Local Impact) will help Zambia build up a sub-national system of governance for devolved service delivery more responsive to citizen needs. The program will engage national and sub-national authorities to expand the capabilities of district-level governance bodies to deliver sustainable development outcomes, increase effective citizen and private-sector involvement in development planning and monitoring, and improve public financial management and domestic revenue generation.

The activity will work toward three objectives:

• Objective 1: Citizens improve their collective skills to effectively assess service-delivery needs and performance and constructively engage with government.
• Objective 2: The sub-national governance system becomes more responsive to citizen needs, generates, and accountably expends revenue, and improves service-delivery outcomes.
• Objective 3: The program generates learning and facilitates problem solving that supports the development of an effective, financially viable sub-national governance system for devolved services, capable of being scaled up throughout Zambia.

PURPOSE

The Finance and Operations Director will oversee the finance and administration team and be responsible for ensuring operational quality in areas such as grants, procurement, project HR, finance and accounting, contract management, cost control, and management systems. S/he will work closely with COP, DCOP, and technical staff to ensure that the project’s operational capacity is effectively leveraged to support achievement of Local Impact results.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality Assurance and Compliance:

• Serve as the Local Impact advisor on finance and administrative issues with USAID and local government officials and service providers.
• Ensure that strong relationships are established with service providers in Zambia.
• Monitor finance, administrative, procurement, logistics, IT and HR actions, assessing operational risks and proposing mitigation strategies.
• Ensure that DAI is compliant with local laws, USAID regulations, and DAI policies and procedures at all times
• Ensure that appropriate checks and balances (separation of duties) are maintained, and that staff carry out responsibilities in line with the latest Project Schedule of Authorities
• Ensure that financial transactions, including payroll and remittances to local authorities, are carried out and documented in compliance with DAI policies and procedures
• Review all biweekly field finance reports prepared by the Accountant/Finance Manager before they are submitted to the home office for approval
• Ensure that procurement of goods and services is carried out and documented in compliance with DAI policies and procedures
• Communicate regularly with operations colleagues in Local Impact provincial offices to highlight challenges and propose solutions.
• Establish strong systems and procedures to guide operations in-country, and ensure they are adapted and maintained throughout the program period of performance.
• Highlight the need for any adjustments to the Field Operations Manual, TAMIS workflows, and other guidance documents.
• Ensure that staff in the project office follow best practices for file management across the areas of finance, administration, procurement, and HR.
• Assist the local impact technical team with activity budget planning

Personnel Management and Cross-team Coordination

• Oversee daily administrative operations of the projects, including human resources, procurement, inventory management, and reporting.
• Ensure strong relationships are maintained between staff in the Lusaka and regional offices.
• Monitor HR issues such as poor performance, employee dissatisfaction, or staff learning and professional development needs, escalating issues and suggesting solutions.
• Serve as a member of activity teams as needed and serve as a member of other temporary cross-project teams such as during startup and closedown.
• Contribute finance and operational inputs during activity work planning exercises
• Communicate regularly with the home office team and other operations colleagues to promote smooth, effective project operations.
• Design and implement project management systems, policies, and tools for effective and efficient operations
• Oversee implementation of grants, ensuring timely deployment of technical assistance in a compliant manner
• Identify issues and risks related to program implementation and suggest appropriate program adjustments
• Recruit, train, and manage finance, administration, procurement, and grants personnel
• Work with local partners and grantees to build capacity and ensure they are successfully achieving their SOWs
• Oversee implementation and maintenance of IT systems
• Train staff in the use of TAMIS and monitor TAMIS utilization by staff particularly for MEL, procurement, finance and project administration
• Manage the annual performance assessment process
• Identify short-term operational consulting requirements and draft SOWs as needed
• Serve as principle liaison with DAI home office project management team and security focal point
• Coordinate closely with provincial staff to ensure technical activities are implemented in accordance with finance and procurement protocols, as well as that financial transactions and banking systems are coordinated

Procurement and Grants Management

• Establish systems and policies for local procurement to promote expediency, accountability, and transparency while minimizing risk
• Manage local procurement and grants in collaboration with dedicated project procurement and grants teams
• Ensure that procurement and grants are at all times conducted in accordance with USAID regulations and DAI policies and documented clearly and accurately

Financial Management

• Oversee the daily financial operations and management of the program, manage the strategic programming of funds and provide recommendations on the overall financial management of the project.
• Maintain, regularly update, and analyze the project budget and oversee regular and accurate reporting to USAID and DAI
• Contribute to project pipeline analysis, providing input into the quarterly ETC review process and budget realignments
• Direct and monitor the management of cash and other assets to ensure integrity and efficiency in the use of financial resources
• Ensure the project is in compliance with all tax liabilities
• Establish and implement a sound internal control system to ensure all the reliable, timely and accurate financial data
• Conduct regular internal audit of financial transactions, make recommendations, and implement follow-up actions

Logistics

• Ensure that administrative and logistics staff are coordinating travel and events logistics effectively
• Ensure fleet management and fuel reporting and management is handled according to DAI policies
• Conduct spot-checks on fleet, and fuel and maintenance records

Other duties

• Provides leave of absence cover for staff as required
• Escalates any issues to his/her supervisor immediately
• Prepared to travel to project provincial offices as required
• Performs any other duties as assigned

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE AND REPORTING

• The position will be based in the Local Impact Activity’s main office in Lusaka, Zambia and will report to the Chief of Party.
• There may be some travel to provincial offices
• The position will directly manage the Finance and Operations team comprising finance, grants, procurement, human resources, IT and administrative staff.

QUALIFICATIONS

• University degree in relevant field required, masters preferred.
• 12+ years of relevant experience
• Experience in finance and operations management on USAID-funded projects required.
• Demonstrated knowledge/skills in financial planning and management, human resources, and procurement, among other management support areas/functions.
• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive demands & inquiries
• Demonstrated exceptional customer relations (both internally & externally)
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive
• Ability to work on multiple concurrent procurements
• An energetic, forward-thinking and creative individual with high ethical standards and appropriate professional image
• Fluency in English is required

APPLICATION

• Use the URL provided in the advertisement to apply
• Applications must be received before the closing date
• Only short-listed candidates will be notified
• No phone inquiries