The Finance and Administration Coordinator will provide appropriate finance, human resource, and administrative support to effectively implement programme activities, as outlined below.

 Core Functions:

• Coordinating financial mgmt. for the country office: budgeting, accounting, financial reporting

• Verifying project expenses and partners’ financial management practices and internal controls

• Supporting partners in financial management (budgeting, reporting, procurement, compliance with ISF policies etc.)

• Office administration, including supporting Country Director in starting ISF programme in Ethiopia

Finance:

• Keep financial records and perform financial procedures (e.g, accounting, receipts, payments requests, petty cash). Ensure the accuracy and completeness of ledgers and all supporting documentation and compliance with finance and procurement regulations

• Prepare financial reports and provide financial analysis for financial planning.

• Verify project financial reports to ensure that project expenses comply with ISF and donor requirements. Coordinate with Thematic Field Coordinators to ensure that narrative and finance reports are coherent.

• Support partners in financial management, including through capacity building and periodic visits to partner offices.  

• Assist in internal and external audits and follow up on recommendations.

• Support the Country Manager and partners in budgeting and budget revisions.

 Administration:

• Develop and maintain effective office systems (e.g., office maintenance, fixed assets, supplier contact) and act as the ICT focal point for the Country Team.

• Support the efficient running of ISF offices.

• Support logistics for ISF programme activities.

• Support travel arrangements for ISF staff, consultants, and other stakeholders, including act as the contact person to ISF travel agency.

• Support Country Manager in organizing security arrangement for field trips.

• Maintain a good filing system for the Country Team, including archiving relevant documents and supporting partners and ISF colleagues in filing.  

• Management of office supplies.

• Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor

Human Resources:

• Advise on HR policies to ensure these comply with country statutory regulations.

• Maintain personnel records and up-to-date leave plans.

• Process salary payments for staff.

• Support recruitment and induction of new staff in line with ISF policies. 

International Solidarity Foundation

The International Solidarity Foundation (ISF) is a Finnish development NGO established in 1970. ISF aims at creating a world where women and girls are empowered to build their own future, their self-determination is fully realised, and their right to bodily integrity is respected. Its vision is to “be a pathfinder in empowering women and girls in East Africa by 2030”.

The goal of ISF’s 2022 – 2025 programme is to strengthen the bodily integrity and livelihood resilience of women and girls in Kenya, Somaliland, Puntland, and Ethiopia. It has five expected outcomes

• Judicial and moral duty bearers take action to mitigate violence against    women and girls 

• Women and girls collectively claim their rights

• Women's sphere of influence has expanded

• Women benefit from services and networks that support livelihood reform 

• Improved capacity of farm systems to mitigate and adapt to climate change 

The programme consists of long-term development projects that are implemented by local partners. Partners are local civil society actors such as NGOs, community-based organizations, and women’s own businesses. Partners have the primary responsibility to plan, implement, and monitor the projects. ISF works closely with partners to find solutions to local problems in a systemic way. It strengthens their capacity to learn and innovate and supports them to mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment in their work. ISF monitors projects closely to ensure that funds are used for their intended purpose and necessary adjustments made.

 ISF’s operating model is designed to strengthen local civil societies by empowering women and their organizations, capacitating judicial and moral duty bearers, and strengthening local CSOs. Learning and innovation are at the heart of the model.

ISF’s annual budget in 2023 will be some 4 million euros. Its main donor is the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland. Other current key donors include the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Somaliland) and the EU (Kenya), as well as thousands of Finnish private individuals. Country offices are closely involved in institutional fundraising. 

ISF headquarters is in Helsinki, Finland, where in addition to the programme team, the communications and fundraising teams operate. ISF has country offices in each programme country. 

Ethiopia is a new programme country for ISF. The Somali region was selected as ISF’s target area. Initially, ISF wanted to start operations in 2022 but the plans were delayed because of the armed conflict and delays with the registration process. Finally in October 2022, ISF received a formal approval to start operations in the country. It is now preparing for the recruitment of a local team. The team will be led by a locally recruited Country Director and include a Finance and Admin Coordinator (both based in Addis Ababa) and two thematic coordinators based in the Somali region.

ISF will publish a call for local partners in early 2023 to implement projects in the Somali region. The preliminary country programme includes four projects, which will be planned with the newly selected partners during 2023. The projects will address the above-mentioned five programme outcomes with a particular focus on the prevention of FGM. The implementation of the projects will begin in 2024. The indicative country budget is 430,000 euros in 2023, gradually increasing to 800,000 euros by the end of the current programme period in 2025.  

More information about the requirements of the job

ISF has no presence or experience of operating in Ethiopia, and therefore no office nor existing partners or projects in the country. The Country Director together with the Finance and Admin Coordinator will start operations from scratch, including recruitment of a local team and selecting local implementing partners in the Somali region, and taking care of all administrative arrangements for starting a country operation, such as finding offices, setting up banking and accounting systems, acquiring necessary equipment (laptops, telephones) etc., as well as taking care of all requirements with the local authorities. This requires a great capacity to take initiative and work independently with limited support from HQs, good problem-solving skills, and an ability to tolerate incompleteness. Previous experience from similar situations and good networks are an advantage

The Finance and Administration Coordinator plays a key role in initiating money transfers as well as in HR administration. Supporting the Country Director in starting operations is an extremely important responsibility. Initiative and the ability to lead one's own work is an advantage, although ISF headquarters and other country offices will provide constant support in the process, including visits to Ethiopia. Basic guidelines, regulations and templates are in place, but they need to be applied to Ethiopian legislation and practices. 

Job Requirements

Education:

• Diploma/Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Management, Accounting or Finance.

 General:

• At least 3 years’ experience in finance, HR, and office administration, preferably from (international) NGOs

• Ability to work well in a team, as well as independently

• Ability to take initiative

• Good planning and organizational skills

• Good skills in Office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

 Finance:

• Experience in book-keeping and computerized accounting systems.

• Experience in financial reporting.

• Experience in developing financial systems.

• Ability to train and support staff and partners in finance processes.

HR/Administration:

• Experience in HR and administration processes.

• Experience in running office routines

 Language Requirements:

• Fluent English and local language 

How to Apply

Interested and qualified applicant can send their CV: isf@ethiojobs.net