WCS
Reports to the Regional Director of Sudano-Sahel Region. Secondary report
to the Deputy Director of Finance & Administration of the Africa
Program. This position will involve regular travel to WCS Country Offices
within the region (including Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African
Republic, South Sudan, Ethiopia)) approximately 30% of time. It is
preferred that the position is based out of the WCS office in Nairobi,
Kenya.
SUMMARY OF POSITION FUNCTION:
The main purpose of this role will be to oversee the budget and finances of
the region, and to provide direct support to the Regional Director in
managing the operations of the Regional Program. The Regional Business
Manager will continually assess and document the financial health of the
Regional Program, develop both short and long term financial plans for the
Region, and work with the Regional Director and associated Country Program
staff on grant management and fundraising. S/he regularly provides reports
for management in the region and headquarters.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Financial Management and Planning: Ensure Regional
Director has the financial information they require to manage and fundraise
for the Region; Provide monthly key performance indicators for each country
and all multi-country grants; Work with Regional Controller to resolve any
issues with finances in the Region; Annual presentation of short and long
term financial plans for each country with detailed variance analysis on
prior plans; Report regularly to headquarters about the financial state of
the Region.
• Budget Leadership: Manage and maintain the Regional
Program budget; Lead the annual WCS budgeting process for all countries in
the Region; Responsible for working with Country Finance teams to
understand and report on full program costs; Serve as the budget lead for
regional grants; Review country budget adjustments, budget to actual
reports, and ensure regular and timely budget updates.
• Proposal Review: Working in coordination with NY grant
departments, contribute to the development of and approve
all proposal budgets from the Region – ensure budgets are covering costs
and are contributing to strengthening the Regional Program; ensure budgets
are in line with long-term financial plan for the Region; ensure budgets
are developed in compliance with WCS policies and undergo appropriate
reviews.
• Grant Management: Ensure regional grant administration
is on track; Coordinate preparation of financial reports for regional
grants; Review and approve grant financial reports prepared by Country
Programs; Support Country Programs in understanding WCS grant management
processes, systems, tools and donor compliance requirements.
• People Management: Work with Regional Director to manage
regional staffing; Oversee HR issues in the Region; Support the recruitment
and training of grant/finance/administration staff as needed.
• Fund Raising: Work with the Regional Director and
Country Directors in the region to design, develop and implement
fundraising strategy for the region.
• Perform other duties as determined by the Regional Director.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
The successful candidate must have strong interpersonal skills and display
evidence of good leadership, business partnering and influencing skills.
S/He must have excellent written and oral communication skills and be
comfortable participating both as an effective contributor, leader and
listener in group settings. S/He must be well organized, self-motivated,
resourceful, effective and efficient at coordinating multiple resources to
get things done, with attention to detail; can work on multiple tasks at
multiple levels and switch between them; can foresee and plan around
obstacles.
· Bachelor degree required, MBA preferred. Related program of study such as
finance, accounting, economics or business highly preferred.
· Proven financial management experience in an international organization
(5+ years) including staff management experience.
· Effective “roll up the sleeves” work ethic; Demonstrated ability to work
with a diverse team. Must be solution-oriented, and have strong problem
solving and analytical skills.
· English fluency and a strong working knowledge of French are required
· Excellent computer and systems skills required with respect to MS Office
applications (advanced skills in MS Excel required) and major financial
accounting and reporting software (SAP or equivalent)
· Experience with grants management and grant reporting in a multi-funder
environment required (experience with USAID, USFWS, EU, KfW, GEF and others
a benefit).
· Strong problem solving and analytical skills and the ability to
creatively contribute to thinking on regional issues
· Self-motivated and organized with attention to detail
· Must be solution oriented with excellent leadership and interpersonal
skills
· Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse team, with attention to
mentorship and professional development of finance staff
Interested candidates, who meet the above qualifications, should apply by
sending an application letter and CV together with the names and contact
information of three references to the addresses below not later than
December 31, 2017. Please include “Sudano Sahel Business Manager” in the
subject line of your email. Send to:sclark@wcs.org and pelkan@wcs.org. Candidates must also
apply online via the WCS career portal by searching job title at:
http://www.wcs.org/about-us/careers
. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.