With a focus on supporting ZOA Ethiopia’s country office  and operations, the  Finance Officer ensures quality and timely internal and external (donor) financial reporting. He/she is responsible for ensuring ZOA’s financial compliance with local laws, regulations, internal and donor policies and procedures, consolidating and monitoring regional activities, performing quality financial management analysis for decision support and providing gap filling for key finance positions in country offices. S/he will proactively work with ZOA colleagues on key issues and opportunities and find and implement solutions at the country and regional level.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Perform quality reviews and analysis of monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports related to specific projects and ZOA Ethiopia’s Regional Offices;

Perform comprehensive reviews of Project and Regional Office financial reports to include performance analysis in the following areas: balance sheet, income statement, cash, grants/contracts, unrestricted and general contributions, actual expenses vs. budget, forecasting and budgeting, adequacy of adherence to generally accepted accounting principles and ZOA’s financial procedures;

Provide ongoing feedback to the Director of Operations, Head of Finance, Compliance Coordinator to improve effectiveness in ZOA Ethiopia’s financial management, particularly at regional office and project level;

In collaboration with colleagues in ZOA Ethiopia’s Finance and Operations Department identify and implement preventive and corrective actions to address issues found during the reviews;

Support the Regional Offices in financial management of projects, including cash management, budgeting and forecasting, as well as implementing responses to audit findings and trouble shooting in finance and accounting;

Ensure management of budget is consolidated by Regional Offices according to ZOA’s internal processes, and ensure that overviews of the Regional Office financial outlook are provided in a timely and accurate manner to ZOA Ethiopia’s country office;

Provide assistance to Regional Offices in the preparation of their operational and donor budget and forecasting;

Provide support to the Regional Office to ensure that all financial records and backup documentation are archived according to ZOA’s procedures and readily available for audits;

Assist in preparation and review donor financial reports for submission;

Provide support for statutory and project-based audits;

Perform periodic analysis in capacity of finance staff in Regional Offices in finance and accounting and recommend appropriate actions to address any gap in skills;

Assess Regional Office staffs’ ability to perform satisfactorily in financial management and to meet ZOA performance standards;

Ensure all Regional Offices have updated copies of ZOA policy and procedures.

Responsible for Grant coding and compliance assurance.

Prepare indirect cost allocation and pass the necessary journal entries.

Communicate transaction list to grant leads.

Prepare Cash flow request and communicate to country office within set deadline

Directly lead, manage, and motivate the finance officer and ensure that she/he have clear work plans & performance management is integrated into day-to-day work activities. 

Ensure that systems are put in place to assure document security and ease of retrieval for a complete audit trail from the System Accounts records to supporting documentation and vice versa. 

Provide Orientation to newly hired staff and training on ERP financial policy rules and procedures.

Assist the HoF in ensuring smooth implementation of robust and adequate financial systems and procedures in line with ZOA finance policies and good accounting practices. 

Contacts:

External Contacts 

Partner organization, Doners etc.

Internal Contacts

Program and Support staffs,

CO Finance team 

Operations Team (Finance, Logistics & IT)

Job Requirements

Educational Qualification and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business management or similar and advanced university degree in Finance required;

A minimum of 5 years’ experience as finance officer and 3 years with international non–profit agencies.

Excellent financial and analytical skills;

Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting on program financial performance;

Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;

Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;

The candidate must be detail-oriented and able to work independently;

Strong interpersonal and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data, including presentations.

Fluency in English required - ability to communicate in various local languages (Oromifa and Somali) a strong asset.

Sufficient knowledge and proven skills of using financial computer system software & programs

How to Apply

ZOA operates with an equal opportunities policy and is committed to diversity in the workplace. Qualified women and men, people of all nationalities, and cultural backgrounds, and candidates with disabilities are welcome to apply.

 If you are interested in this position, please apply directly via THIS LINK

CV’s of no more than 3 pages in length are appreciated.

Please provide at least 3 references related to your previous employment listed in the application. References of previous positions held should not be older than five years.

Only selected candidates will be contacted and invited to participate in the process of recruitment. It is our aim to inform all other candidates of their status in the recruitment process within 4 weeks after the vacancy has closed. An assessment may be part of the recruitment procedure. Documents that do not match the profile above will not be considered. Internal candidates will have priority, in case of similar results.

Please note that, as part of its recruitment process, ZOA carries out background and reference checks for all candidates. As ZOA participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a written questionnaire: the “Statement of Conduct”, which will be sent to past employers regarding Misconduct (such as sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment). 

"Women are highly encouraged to apply for the position"

Also we reserve the right to stop accepting applications before the end date if we find a suitable candidate.