Finance Manager

We are hiring a Finance Manager- Malawi

ABOUT SPARK MICROGRANTS

Spark MicroGrants believes in a world where everyone lives with dignity and determines their own positive future. For nearly ten years, Spark MicroGrants has been pioneering a new approach to international aid. We believe in local solutions and catalyzing rural villages facing poverty into action.

At the heart of Spark’s model, the Facilitated Collective Action Process (FCAP), are ‘town-hall’ style meetings, in which women and men plan together for their community’s future. Each village democratically elects a leadership committee, establishes a village savings account, and launches a project of their choice. Members receive training on financial management and transparency, accountable leadership, village planning, and advocacy. Each village receives US$8,000 in seed funds to turn project ideas into reality and receives additional management support.

Spark is now active in 320+ villages in 6 countries, benefiting over 230,000 lives. In the next three years, we seek to accelerate the growth of this approach, through i) establishing a global Community of Practice based on cutting edge facilitation and training design, and ii) establishing a national scale program in Rwanda – our flagship program – in partnership with the Government of Rwanda.

Our team of 50+ people is spread across 4 countries in East Africa and the US, sharing a common vision and value system. These are:

1. Facilitators. We don’t impose; we enable others to generate impact.
2. Community-driven. We are motivated by what is best for the community.
3. Process-centered. The how of what we do is just as important as the what.
4. Authentic. Our vision and values live in everything we do.
5. Dynamic. We seek opportunities and are willing to take risks to serve our community partners better

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Finance Manager provides leadership in financial planning, operational, budgeting, internal controls and financial reporting to achieve outstanding performance and growth. The Finance Manager is responsible for implementing effective systems and processes to safeguard financial resources and to provide accurate and complete financial information and analysis to the Head of Finance and Senior Management to aid decision making. Critical to the role will be developing and managing partner finance systems for new and existing partners in alignment with the partner context

Responsibilities:

1. Financial Planning and Analysis:
   • Develop and manage financial plans, budgets, and forecasts.
   • Analyze financial data and trends to provide insights for decision-making.
   • Ensure financial OKRs and targets are met.
   • Lead the development and implementation of systems, policies and procedures to ensure all financial transactions are monitored for conformity with internal controls and in line with the approved governance and financial risk management guidelines
2. Financial Reporting:
   • Organize and submit monthly finance reports
   • Prepare quarterly presentations on progress against financial goals, and donor reporting for a range of different stakeholders
   • Prepare and present accurate and monthly financial reports to management.
   • Ensure compliance with local financial reporting standards and regulations.
   • Prepare donor reports and ensure compliance with terms and conditions of donor agreements and MOU’s
   • Ensure the development of sufficient partner tools and systems, auditing the same to ensure completeness and compliance with Spark policies and procedures
3. Financial Operations:
   • Review and approve expense reports per guidelines of the Organization
   • Conduct finance training sessions at team meetings
   • Manage country spending and updates on progress against budget goals, and communicate new policies and procedures to the Team
   • Implement and maintain effective financial controls and processes.
   • Ensure compliance with all relevant statutory and legal requirements
4. Bookkeeping and Accounting
   • Ensure quality of bookkeeping done by the field team and conduct internal audits and spot checks
   • Manage financial reporting in line with IFRS and ensure accuracy and completeness of financial data
5. Cash Management:
   • Manage cash flow to meet the organization’s operational needs.
   • Ensure cost efficiency and value for money through appropriate vendor selection procedures
6. Risk Management:
   • Identify financial risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.
   • Train staff and implementing partners on financial processes and procedures and conduct regular audit reports on this
   • Manage company assets efficiently and effectively.
   • Ensure compliance with Rwanda tax laws and regulatory requirements.
7. Team Management:

– Supervise and lead a team of finance professionals, providing guidance and support. – Ensure the finance department’s performance and productivity.

8. Partner Management & Microgrants support:

• Regularly review partner finance performance and reports for accuracy and adherence to Spark policies and procedures
• Review Partner file audits and follow up with implementation of agreed action plans
• Review MicroGrant proposals, both implementation and operating budgets, for consistency, accuracy, and alignment to the Organization’s policy and guidelines.
• Create and execute financial management skills training to internal teams and partner communities as per needed.
• Verify MicroGrant          disbursement    request and         disburse                funds     to         Community         Bank, Accounts/SACCO accounts.
• Ensure all community files are compliant, including required documentation and work with Partner facilitators to document any variance explanations.
• Manage community audits by the field team and conduct file audits per internal

Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field is typically required. An MBA or a relevant professional qualification (e.g., ACCA, CPA) is often preferred.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in finance, with a significant portion in a managerial or supervisory role.
• Strong knowledge of financial and accounting principles, including Rwanda accounting standards and tax regulations.
• Proficiency in Excel and Accounting software; experience with Oracle Netsuite is an added advantage
• Professional standard of finance ethics as well as the ability and willingness to enforce adherence to Spark Microgrants and donor policies and procedures Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and collaborate with other departments.
• Knowledge of the INGOs industry or sector in which the organization operates may be advantageous.

OTHER INFORMATION

Job Location: the candidate will be based in Lilongwe Malawi, with ~50% travel within the communities in Malawi where Spark operates.

Estimated start date: May 2024

Application closing Date: On a rolling basis, we reserve the right to close this recruitment process at any time

TO APPLY

Follow the Link to apply: https://sparkmicrogrants.bamboohr.com/careers/102

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Spark Microgrants provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals. Employment decisions at Spark are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. Spark does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, age, disability, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by the law. Spark will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship to daily operations.