Director of Finance and Operations, USAID/Pakistan Foundational Learning Activity

Summary

Save the Children is seeking a Director of Finance and Operations (DFO) for the anticipated five-year USAID/Pakistan Foundational Learning Activity. The purpose of the Activity is to enhance student learning outcomes in reading and math and to prevent school dropout by enabling teachers, head teachers, and local education administrators to improve the quality of education.

The DFO is responsible for overseeing the financial and compliance delivery of the program. This position is contingent upon donor approval and funding.

What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

Management & Oversight

• Provide day-to-day leadership, management, and oversight of the project’s finance team.
• Review and consolidate monthly financial reports to ensure accuracy and to provide regular feedback to senior management.
• Ensure all financial plans, invoices, reports, and other financial documents and transactions are accurate, timely, and consistent with Save the Children and USAID guidelines and regulations.
• Verify that appropriate segregation of duties exists to ensure effective support of field operations and to protect the integrity of the country office financial and administrative operations.
• Has in-depth technical and administrative knowledge and is able to connect financial and non-financial information to generate insights and recommendations for program effectiveness.
• Encourage a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Budget Management

• Prepare and monitor budgets to ascertain that spending occurs as planned and that variances are anticipated, noted, and corrected; ensure that key program personnel are aware of budgetary resources and are able to monitor their budgets respectively.
• Perform financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with Save the Children’s policies and procedures and the donor’s grants and contracts requirements.
• Oversee subgrant monitoring and compliance including organizational assessments, review of financial reports/advance requests, and financial tracking; develop subgrant monitoring plans; and perform and document compliance visits.
• Supervise the finance and administrative staff, conducting performance appraisals and revising job descriptions as necessary. Providing capacity development and training opportunities for the team and facilitate their professional growth.
• Monitor burn rates, advise on spend projections and maintain and update the status of obligated funds.
• Work with operations, budget holders and other business partners to develop realistic and accurate phased budgets in line with the project implementation plans.
• Analyze budget variances between planned budgets and actual expenses on monthly basis and report any notable deviations to the Chief of Party.

Financial Reporting

• Prepare and revise finance and operations guidelines in order that they adhere to SC and USAID requirements.
• Prepare quarterly reports, consolidated annual fiscal report, cumulative life of project report, and any other required donor submissions.
• Manage the reporting component of the award including reconciling timesheets with financial reports; oversee administrative duties as needed.
• Provide analytical and sound financial advice to the Chief of Party, area management and members of the Country SMT as necessary.
• Prepare the monthly pipeline report for the project based on the planned program activities and in collaboration with the Chief of Party and program team.
• Ensure audits being conducted are handled smoothly and all issues arising are communicated with the relevant teams on time.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in finance, business, accounting or other relevant field from an accredited, recognized university; professional qualification in accounting desired.
• At least seven years of experience managing finances for large development programs including working with large donors.
• Extensive experience with project operations and financial management, including financial controls, accounting, and audits, as well as reporting on accruals, pipeline, and expense validation and reimbursement to service providers.
• Knowledge of USAID policies and business practices and with direct experience managing the finances and administration of a USAID-funded project is highly preferred.
• Strong analytical, leadership and interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to lead and work effectively in team situations.
• Experience as a coach/mentor to train staff and develop financial skills of colleagues.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, Urdu, and/or other languages spoken in Pakistan.
• Expert computer skills in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Ability and willingness to be very flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes dangerous working circumstances.
• Personal commitment to gender equality, child rights, and social inclusion.

Qualified Pakistani and female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

About Save the Children

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.

Our work for children and their families requires that we commit—at every opportunity—to work together to identify and dismantle persistent systemic and structural racism, inequality, and any other forms of discrimination in this country and beyond. As an anti-racist organization, Save the Children will not tolerate discrimination in any form—in our employment practices, amongst our staff, in our leadership or toward the people we serve. We stand in solidarity with all people to fight for equal rights, justice, inclusion, and belonging.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.