Summary Information

Position Overview

The Finance and Operations Assistant role is to support the Finance and Operations Manager:

1. To manage financial and operational activity of the MTIP project, including logistics, payments, procurement, assets, tax, controls, forecasting and reporting.
2. To seek for Value for Money in all project operations.

Tasks

For the inception period, the adviser, shall support the Finance and Operations Manager (FOM) to:

1. Make all Malawi Kwacha payments in line with the Business Process Manual for MTIP, including preparing cheques for payment and obtaining the appropriate signatures per the approval mandate.
2. Ensure that all procurement follows the procedures stipulated by the MTIP Business Process Manual.
3. Ensure compliance with all Malawi Revenue Authority’ (MRA) requirements for the MTIP operations, ensuring accurate and timely deductions, payments and submissions.
4. Support the FOM to Identify and calculate amounts due to MRA for withholding tax and fringe benefit tax.
5. Identify purchases where VAT can be claimed for and obtain accurate claimable VAT payment receipts on all relevant transactions.
6. Enter all transactions into the cashbook/Sage each day, checking for accuracy and completeness, and submit the cashbook daily to the FOM for checking.
7. Support the FOM in preparation of monthly and quarterly financial reports.
8. Support the FOM and Programme Manager to set up and enforce internal controls and policies for MTIP.
9. Take a lead in managing the MTIP vehicle fleet ensuring that all vehicles are maintained in good condition and enforcing vehicle management policies with staff, per the SoPs, such as checking vehicle logs are accurately completed.
10. Ensuring the accurate and timely filing of all documentation within the FOA’s area of responsibility in a retrievable manner and ensuring that all files are clearly labelled and accessible during internal and external audits
11. Ensure all payments bank transfers and deposits for FCDA and MWK accounts are accurate and made in a timely manner.
12. Ensure the petty cash system is managed according to the MTIP Business process Manaual.
13. Support the FOM to ensure all expenditure verification and audit activities are completed, including preparation of necessary documentation for internal and external audit processes.
14. Support the FOM for external financial and/or statutory audits, ensuring all documents and information is prepared and that the audit process is successfully completed.
15. Other tasks as reasonably assigned by the FOM or PM.

Deliverables:

The deliverables for the inception are the outputs of the above, which in summary are:

1. A well-functioning finance and operations system, with high accuracy and timely delivery, to meet ASI, and FCDO requirements.
2. Compliance with the MTIP Business Process manual in the FOA’s area of responsibility.
3. Inputs to financial reports for the inception period.
4. Complete set of records for finance and operations transactions.

REQUIREMENTS and EXPERTISE

• The candidate must have minimum of (05) years of experience in Finance and operations fields.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, Accounting, Management, or another relevant field.
• Level 2 ACCA, or other relevant logistics/ supply chain certification completed.
• Significant experience in accounting, Supply chain management or another relevant fields.
• Previous experience of finance and operations for development projects.
• Significant Knowledge of FCDO/UK Government cost accounting and procurement procedures.
• Significant experience of undertaking due diligence for organisations.
• Significant experience of undertaking financial verifications, spot checks, or audits.
• Strong Budgeting, Forecasting, and Financial Management Skills.
• Ability to independently plan and execute complex tasks while addressing daily management details and remaining organised and focused on long-term deadlines and strategy.
• Ability to strategize and focus on the overall and overarching goals and objectives, as well as specific targets.
• Ability to be results-focused, and able to manage and deliver results.
• Able to work independently and be proactive.
• Excellent administrative and organisational skills.
• Proficient in excel.
• Excellent numeracy skills.
• Possess excellent written and oral English skills.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should send their CV and a short cover letter to Elizabeth.shelley@adamsmithinternational.com by 1 June 2023. Please include “Finance and Operations Assistant” in the email subject line. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Due to the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.