Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries. 

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.  In line with this Scheme, we will request information 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 his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.OUR WORK IN ETHIOPIA

Since the early 1970s, we have been working to address the underlying causes of poverty and marginalization by focusing on developing sustainable livelihoods, providing water and sanitation, agriculture, climate research, gender, and humanitarian issues.Job details

DIVISION: Finance

TEAM: Finance and System   

LOCATION: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed Term contract 

GRADE: C1 National

JOB FAMILY:  Finance system 

SALARY: As per the Oxfam Benefit Package

HOURS: 37.5 hours per week

FLEXIBLE WORKING

We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you. This is a full-time role; however, Oxfam offers various flexible arrangements which candidates can discuss with the Recruiting Manager at the interview stage

TEAM PURPOSE:

The Finance and Systems team provides a professional, business-focused finance and IT service, delivering a proactive solution-based approach for resolving issues and ensuring that the operational business requirements are effectively managed to deliver organizational results and support the achievement of program outcomes.  

JOB PURPOSE:

The Head of Finance and Systems has overall responsibility and control for all financial aspects of the country’s strategy. This includes quality financial management and planning in the Country program, ensuring timely and quality financial reports as required both internally or externally, being accountable for the implementation of defined areas of work within the Finance function including people management, and ensuring compliance to all relevant Government, Donor and Oxfam policies, procedures and guidelines.  

POST HOLDER REPORTS TO Country Director 

JOBS REPORTING TO THIS POST Finance Coordinators and Senior IT Officer. Matrix management of the Field Finance teams

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY Yes

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leadership and Management  

  • Provide leadership to the finance and systems unit, ensuring the best possible support to the program and advice to the country management team

  • Ensuring all finance and system functions operate in an effective manner, complying with all Oxfam requirements and procedures.

  • Liaising with the managers in the country in order to resolve problems related to the effective functioning of program function with finance and system support.

  • Provide strategic advice to the operations management team.

  • Provide direct support to the Country Director, and the Programme Managers in the field on all matters of program and grants management with a view to ensuring quality program development and implementation standards are met

  • Financial Management

    • Provide leadership to the financial strategy development, to optimize the organization’s financial performance and strategic positio

    • Contribute fully to the development of organization strategy across all areas of the business, challenging assumptions and decision-making as appropriate and providing financial analysis and guidance on all activities, plans, targets, and projects.

    • Lead internal audits to guarantee the proper quality of the office’s financial information. 

• Ensure that organization financial systems are robust, compliant, and support current activities and future growth.

  • Work with senior teams to grow the business, formulating strategies and plans including corporate budgeting processes.

  • Establish a high level of credibility and manage strong working relationships with external parties including government and donors.

  • Ensure budget deadlines are met and that the budget approval process is completed on a timely basis

  • Ensure the management of budget review meetings to ensure that there is the correct information available to make allocation decisions

  • Manage the review of the monthly financial reconciliations from programs and ensure that a risk-based approach to the level of reviews and checks is done and that feedback is given and followed up promptly

  • Manage the foreign exchange policy for Oxfam including monitoring its impact throughout the year

  • With programs, ensure Oxfam is operating legally and any new issues are highlighted early

  •  Responsible for liaising with the funding team to ensure that all donor reporting requirements are met, including proposals, budgets, and donor reporting liaising as required with HECA Regional Funding unit, Oxford, and donors as required.  

  • Ensure that all proposals and contracts are developed with sound, reliable, and achievable financial inputs for all aspects of costs: indirect, direct, program, support, and all other costs.

  •  Ensure that country and program finances remain healthy by having a clear view shared with the Leadership Team of both funding pipeline, structural costs, and restricted costs to complete grants/programs.

  • Maintain risk oversight of country activities, ensuring that monthly financial & non-financial reports are produced and shared with the Leadership Team that lead to meaningful actions to improve and progress the country's activities.

  • Month-End and Year-End Procedures

  • Ensure Oxfam month-end procedures are performed in a timely manner i.e. month-end balance sheet, month-end financial report, funding report, ledger soft, and hard close.

  • Provide financial reporting to the regional platform monthly

  •  Ensure the completion of year-end consolidation review including restricted funding calculations on a timely and accurate basis

  • Work with the finance teams to ensure any issues found during the audit process are managed effectively

  Information Systems

  • Responsible for the delivery within the program of the organizational information systems strategy, working within organizational parameters, to facilitate communications, information flow, and management information, ensuring appropriate use of information technology-based systems

  •  Ensures that there is good and efficient communication with the Information Systems team in the country ensuring an appropriate level of coordination and collaborative ways of working.

  •  Provide continuous follow-up to IS process and day-by-day operation ensuring compliance with minimum standards and policies.

  • Manage and oversee the IT function by monitoring IT infrastructure and making recommendations for improvements

  Compliance 

  •  Maintain an overview of Oxfam policy, systems, and procedures relevant to finance and systems and ensure that developments are communicated and implemented appropriately through regular reviews. 

  • Advise program management of any changes/developments in government policies, statutory and legal requirements in Ethiopia about the finance function.

  • Ensure the program meets system requirements such as PeopleSoft Goal, OPAL, and CRIMSON.

  • Take the lead in preparing for audits, sourcing external auditors, and supporting program staff in preparing for external and internal audits.

  • Ensure asset management is in line with organizational/donor requirements as well as generally accepted accounting principles. 

  • In collaboration with the CMT, prepare and submit the annual report and other statutory documents

  People development and Management

  • Motivate and support the Finance and systems Team, providing leadership, inspiration, capacity building, and guidance and ensuring that the management of the team is in line with Oxfam’s HR policies and procedures. 

  • Lead and develop finance and systems teams across Oxfam Ethiopia locations.

  • ·Establish effective relations with program managers and other managers at all levels for the application of matrix management responsibility of finance staff based in operating locations. 

  •  Ensures that team members have access to staff development opportunities, identifies and addresses capacity gaps, and provides ongoing counseling and support team members

  •  With support from Human Resources, manage the life cycle of individuals within the team from prerecruitment to exit, including performance management processes, people’s development, and working with HR on issues such as disciplinary matters among others.

  • Oversee the adherence to Oxfam's minimum financial standards including anti-bribery, anti-fraud, and safeguarding policies

  • Set annual staff performance goals and perform quarterly and annual staff performance appraisals – Let’s talk process.  

Job Requirements

Person specification

Most importantly, every individual at Oxfam GB needs to be able to:

Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, SOLIDARITY, COURAGE AND EQUALITY

Our Values

• Equality: We believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have the same rights and opportunities.

• Empowerment: We acknowledge and seek to expand people’s agency over their lives and the decisions that impact them.

• Solidarity: We join hands, support, and collaborate across boundaries in working towards a just and sustainable world.

• Inclusiveness: We embrace diversity and difference and value the perspectives and contributions of all people and communities in their fight against poverty and injustice.

• Accountability: We take responsibility for our actions and inaction and hold ourselves accountable to the people we work with and for.

• Courage: We speak truth to power and act with conviction on the justice of our causes.

Ensure you commit to our THREE ORGANISATIONAL ATTRIBUTES:1. Be committed to equal opportunities: demonstrating sensitivity to cultural differences and gender equality. 2. Be willing to learn and apply gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity and inclusion across all aspects of your work. 3. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.

 Ensure you actively ADOPT OXFAM’S FEMINIST LEADERSHIP APPROACH and applying the principles and twelve practices in your work. Read more about this here:

Read this guide to find out more about what our values, organisational attributes and feminist leadership approach mean for how we workFor this role, we have selected two of the most relevant feminist Leadership practices for this role (which you can read more about here:1 Self-Awareness2 Mutual accountability3 Strategic Thinking and Judgment

SKILS, Experience, Knowledge & Competencies:

Essential 

Post-graduate academic qualification in MA in Accounting or Business Administration or related discipline with relevant experience, with 10 years of international NGO managerial experience out of which 5 years should be supervisory/managerial experience.

Demonstrated experience of successfully leading the implementation of operational improvements and the persistence to achieve change in a challenging environment

Good understanding of information systems and information technology with a sound knowledge of their development and capabilitiesLeadership, management, negotiation, and coordination skills (of people and projects) in a complex multi-stakeholder, networked, global, and largely virtual environment

Development of customer service attitude within the program team and a focus on integrated teamwork.Proactively address the interface between different functions and program teams in-country to ensure efficiency and accountability

Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English, with high-impact influencing and persuasive skills.

Able to use different approaches to achieve followershipDemonstrated organizational awareness and understanding of knowledge management

Strong analytical and conceptual thinking skills; able to understand complex issues and translate them into simple, workable actions and plans

Persuasive influencing, motivation, team building, and facilitation skills 

Good understanding of management roles and dynamics in organizations

Developing organizational strategies and plans for financial management effectiveness and measuring the effectiveness 

Demonstrate leadership behaviors and ways of working within the program team that promote value addition, non-duplication of roles across functions, empowerment and role enrichment of the team, and a culture of cost-effectiveness by all functional managers.

How to Apply

As part of your online application, please upload your up-to-date CV and Cover Letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile online using THIS LINK and using Oxfam's application portal using THIS LINK on or before April 09,2024.

Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.