Finance Manager

CARE in Vietnam is a Non-Government Organization representing the CARE International network. CARE in Vietnam is a creative and dynamic organization, working with Vietnamese partners in the sectors of health, rural development and disaster mitigation and preparedness.

CARE in Vietnam is looking for an experienced and qualified Vietnamese to fill in Finance Manager.

Position information:
Position title:            Finance Manager
Reporting to:            Deputy Country Director: Finance & Admin (DCD F&A)
Contract:                 2 years contract with high potential for extension
Base in:                  Hanoi with travel to project sites as required

Summary of Job:
- To lead the CARE Finance Team, ensuring that all financial tasks deemed necessary to meet CARE International, Donor and Government of Vietnam reporting requirements are carried out appropriately. To ensure that all CARE Vietnam staff are aware of and comply with Finance policies and procedures. To propose amendments and roll out changes to Finance policies and procedures when these are required. The Finance Manager is a member of the Senior Management Team.

Duties:
Ensure Finance Department meets its objectives & reporting requirements in a timely and professional manner:
- Provide direction and guidance to all finance staff by clearly identifying key roles and responsibilities, setting individual target and objectives and providing constructive performance feedback on a timely basis
- Ensure a robust system is in place to identify and comply with all reporting requirements
- Ensure that staff are fully aware of deadlines and are able to meet them
- Ensure that appropriate accounting procedures are in place, are understood and are complied with by all Finance staff
- Ensure that all proposal budgets, costed workplans and budget amendments are accurate and complete prior to submitting to the DCD F&A for signature
- Review all donor reports for accuracy and compliance with reporting requirements prior to submitting to the DCD F&A for signature
- Develop a good relationship with CARE Australia and other relevant CARE International staff to ensure that information flow is timely and positive

- Support the preparation and management of project and Country Office budgets
- Ensure appropriate finance input and support is provided to programme staff (for projects) and the DCD F&A (for the CO) during the preparation of their budgets and costed workplans (CWP)
- Provide reliable and efficient tools (spreadsheet templates, standard rates for common costs such as staff, overheads, etc) to assist with budget and CWP preparation and to ensure accuracy and consistency across all programmes
- Provide information required in preparing budgets and understanding how to apply this
- Ensure that accurate CWP are uploaded into SUN on a timely basis
- Work closely with program staff and accountants to review monthly financial reports prepared for comparison against CWP
- Ensure that explanations for variances are received and followed up

Ensure appropriate implementation of financial controls across CARE Vietnam:
- Review finance policies and procedures regularly to ensure they remain appropriate and in line with the organisation’s requirements, CARE International’s own policies and the laws and regulations of the Government of Vietnam
- Liaise with staff to ensure that they fully understand the procedures and are in compliance with them
- Maintain an up to date and clear finance manual and ensure that all relevant staff have a copy
- Implement appropriate internal audit and internal review procedures to monitor compliance with all relevant donor regulations and take appropriate action where necessary to ensure that non-compliance is rectified swiftly
- Ensure that there are regular visits to field offices and to partner organisation offices by Finance team members to provide support and to review processes and procedures on a regular basis
- Work closely with external Auditors to ensure that all information is provided to them on a timely basis and to resolve any potential issues so as to minimise any negative findings
- Implement appropriate steps to address and correct the conditions that give rise to any negative findings

Foresee risk factors and propose innovative and practical solutions:
- Work with Deputy Country Director (DCD) Programmes, Coordinators and Project Managers on monitoring of project finances
- Work with the Country Director (CD) and DCD F&A on monitoring the CO budget
- Review reconciliations of all balance sheet accounts on a monthly basis and investigate any discrepancies
- Monitor the Country Office financial position (eg projected recoveries) and provide warning to the CD and CARE Australia of any potential risks
- Monitor the CARE Vietnam cash balances and ensure that funds transfers are requested from the appropriate CARE International members or donors on a timely basis

Provide skills enhancement and learning opportunities to CARE staff and partners:
- Identify areas that require improvement in the skills of finance staff and determine suitable courses to improve skills
- Provide mentoring to staff to assist in their capacity development
- Provide training and support to finance staff, program staff and partners related to policy, procedures and technical requirements

Play active role in extending financial support and solutions to the senior management team:
- Contribute actively to Senior Management Team (SMT) meetings and take ownership of all SMT decisions, rolling them out in the Finance department as required
- Liaise with senior management to discuss potential areas of concern relating to finance processes and procedures
- Participate in Quality Program Meeting (QPM) and other meetings

Finance Support in Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Participate as a senior member on every Emergency Response Management Team
- Assist with the development of budgets for donor proposals
- Ensure that appropriate Finance team resources are allocated to supporting the emergency response including taking all necessary steps to increase the team on a temporary basis if required
- Assist in the recruitment of field finance & admin staff and ensure that they are properly briefed and trained on all relevant finance policies and procedures before starting
- Ensure that all new emergency response personnel receive appropriate levels of finance induction and training as soon as possible after they are employed
- Identify whether new banking arrangements are needed and take all necessary steps to set this up
- Work closely with the Emergency Coordinator to ensure that expenditure is being allocated to the appropriate donor throughout the intervention
- Ensure that all donor and other financial reports are prepared on a timely basis

Selection Criteria:
1. BA in Accounting, Finance or relevant education background
2. Partial or complete qualification in an accredited Accounting body (ACA, CIMA, ACCA, etc)
3. Minimum 8 years work experience in Finance, at least 4 of which at a Manager level
4. Experience working at a senior level in a multi-donor, multi-programme international NGO
5. Experience using IT-based general ledger systems (SUN preferred)
6. Professional demeanour and ability to communicate with a wide range of colleagues
7. Strong people management and communication skills
8. Strong leadership skills
9. Fluent in written and spoken English

Child Protection:
CARE International in Vietnam is committed to protecting the rights of children in all areas we work around the world. Applicants are advised that CARE International in Vietnam reserves the right to screen candidates to ensure a child-safe environment. Further information can be found in the CARE Vietnam child protection policy.

Interested candidates should send a full CV in English and stating the position title to email: [email protected]. Closing date to apply for this position: 4 November 2011. The short-listed applicants will be contacted for interviews. Please no telephone contact after submitting the application.