DRC: Emergency Ebola WASH Program Manager

Oct 10, 2018 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action — helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps has been operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since August 2007, with a staff of around 300 people working in North and South Kivu, with the overall country goal to support vulnerable communities through crises, while fostering programs that build resilience and promote long-term change. Mercy Corps’ national office is in Goma with sub-field offices in North Kivu and South Kivu.

Mercy Corps’ key programming areas include a combination of longer-term development and immediate humanitarian response programs in order to:  1) Improve water service delivery and ensuring equitable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services, in urban and rural areas; 2) Improve food security and nutrition; 3) Promote diversified livelihoods, economic recovery and development.

Mercy Corps DRC’s humanitarian programs aim specifically to assist populations affected by the conflict and crisis in Eastern Congo. With funding from humanitarian donors including ECHO, OFDA and UN-donors, the humanitarian portfolio continues to expand in order to provide multi-purpose cash assistance and emergency WASH to displaced and host populations. An Ebola virus outbreak has recently been confirmed in Beni area of North-Kivu province. Mercy Corps is working in close coordination with other actors and is getting ready to prepare a WASH response should the Health Division requests more support from partners. All Mercy Corps interventions in DRC are implemented in a conflict and gender sensitive manner.

General Position Summary

Working under the Finance Director based in Goma, the Ebola Response Finance Manager will be based in Goma and will be the financial focal point for the Ebola response. S/he will ensure timely budget/spending reports, compliance tracking, oversight and will be responsible for finance functions. In addition, the Ebola Response Finance Manager will support the reporting of financial information and assist the Country Office in ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps policies and procedures and donors’ grants and contracts requirements. The incumbent of this position will assist the Finance Director in the overall management of the country-wide accounting, capacity building of the national team members in support of the country finance strategy, and will play a coordinating role with the different departments and functions within the country office.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Finance and Compliance management

  • Monitor and update compliance items for Ebola Emergency Projects, coordinating with the Finance Director, Ebola /Emergency Program Managers, Ebola /Emergency Programs Director, and Mercy Corps headquarters as necessary.
  • Subgrant tracking, monitoring and compliance.
  • Perform financial review of documents to ensure compliance with MC policies and procedures and donors grants and contracts requirements.
  • Provide advice, training, and consultation on compliance with MC policies and procedures as well as donor compliance requirements.
  • Train finance, sub office, and other national staff on MC and donor compliance policies and procedures.
  • Ensure all Ebola /Emergency Projects are compliant with relevant donor rules and regulations.
  • Lead in preparation and review of annual budgets, proposal budgets, and budget revisions for Ebola projects and assist in other proposals, revisions as needed.

Reporting

  • Preparation and consolidation of quarterly and final financial reports for all Ebola /Emergency Projects.
  • Prepare and update the monthly grant spending reports (BvAs), including administrative & staffing projections, work with program managers to ensure program projections are updated, and set monthly meetings with relevant program managers and staff to review BvAs and projections, to ensure program implementation is on budget.
  • Prepare HQ required reports including but not limited to subgrantee reporting, etc.

 Accounting

  • Oversee the finance officers in the process of timely monthly standard accounting package submissions to Mercy Corps Goma.
  • Timely and accurate review and posting of North Kivu (Beni/Butembo) transactions throughout the month.
  • Monthly and quarterly subgrantee reporting as required.
  • Other duties as assigned an appropriate.

 Team Management

  • Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
  • Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
  • Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their rolls and assist with career development.
  • Hire and orient new team members in North Kivu as necessary.

Representation

  • Communicate effectively with partners counterparts to ensure overall project targets and donor obligations are met.

 Security

  • Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country

Organizational Learning 

  • As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

  • Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Supervisory Responsibility

  • 1-3 staff in Goma as necessary.

Accountability

  • Reports Directly To: Finance Director

Works Directly With: All MC DRC team members including: Emergency Programs Director, Ebola /Emergency Program Managers, Heads of Field Offices, and headquarters team members at MCE and MC PDX, as appropriate.

Knowledge and Experience

  • Advanced knowledge of excel and experience in financial analysis is required.
  • Knowledge of UNICEF, ECHO, OFDA and SDC is preferred.
  • 2 to 5 years of finance experience, including budgeting and grant management;
  • A university degree in finance, accounting or a related business field is required;
  • Strong accounting skills and experience including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables and balance sheet;
  • Basic Knowledge of compliance and donor regulations (USAID, UN and European donors),
  • Knowledge of accounting software, knowledge of Navigator is preferred;
  • Fluent written and oral communication in French and English.