JOB DESCRIPTION
Position: Head of Finance
Reports to: Director of Finance & Operations
Location: London
Salary: Circa £47,000
Hours: 37.5 hours
BACKGROUND
Over the past 80 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.
The International Rescue Committee UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its headquarters in New York and London. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster. Through 22 regional offices in cities across the United States, the IRC also helps refugees resettle in the US and become self-sufficient.
The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.
IRC-UK
Our European headquarters, IRC-UK, were established in London in 1997 to support the organisation’s global activities and particularly to diversify its donor base and be able to better advocate with European policy-makers on behalf of the people we serve. Since its establishment IRC-UK has grown rapidly and is now acknowledged for its high quality project management, technical expertise in governance and rights and economic recovery, and innovative thinking on early recovery and gender based violence. The IRC also has offices in Brussels and Geneva.
IRC-UK comprises approximately 90 staff across five departments.
Team Chart
The Purpose of the Role
· To provide high-quality business support services to IRC-UK, leading on financial management for the UK office.
· To lead on a range of financial processes, from supporting financial planning to leading on preparation of year end accounts, month-end processes and management reporting.
· To oversee the financial accounting, supplier payments, grant accounting
Scope and Authority
Authority:
· Managing the Finance department to ensure timely and accurate payments are made for staff payroll and expenses, supplier invoices, and grant transfers to country office/Head Office
· Responsible for the integrity and efficiency of the accounting processes and system, and ensuring effective internal controls are maintained
· Treasury management and ensuring funds are invested to maximise returns for the organisation
· Responsible for maintaining the delegation of Authority/Bank Mandates
Responsibility for Resources:
· Responsible for the Annual accounts and monthly/quarterly management accounts
· Responsible for the payment runs
Key Working Relationships
Internal: All staff in the UK office; IRC Finance (based in New York)
External: Auditors, banks, outsourced partners: payroll consultant, Sun systems support and development
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
1. Supervision of financial processes (10%)
· Supervise two Finance Officers, one Project Officer on financial processes, providing support and one-to-one training where required and ensuring financial controls are maintained;
· Advise colleagues on the application of IRC financial policy.
2. Month end (20%):
· Manage the month-end process, ensuring supplier payments are processed before month- end close, monthly accruals adjustments are processed, all journals (credit card expenditure, petty cash, bank charges, fundraising income, salary costs etc) are accurate and posted in Sun accounts by the fifth working day of the month
· Manage the payroll process with HR, ensuring all changes are received from HR and preparing the schedule for the payroll consultant and the bank; ensuring the Finance Officers posts payroll journal; reviewing payroll balance sheet accounts on a monthly basis
· Ensure bank reconciliations are completed by the Finance Officer on a regular basis; review reconciling items and support resolution where necessary
· Prepare monthly expenditure reports for the IRC (New York) using Vision Q&A by sixth working day of the month:
o UK-based Technical Unit expenditure;
o Inter-Company expenditure
· Review monthly Fundraising income reconciliation with SUN accounts and fundraising system
· Review monthly Grant reconciliation balances between New York and UK and appropriate explanations for differences, as well as Grant reconciliation between SUN accounts and the grant management system
3. Management Reporting (15%)
· Run Management Accounts using Vision Q&A, reviewing data to ensure accuracy of reports
· Produce a detailed monthly Management/Quarterly Pack report for review with Director of Finance & Operations and individual reports for each department, carrying out analysis of month-end results and providing a brief commentary for managers on key variances against budget and available for presentation to the Senior Management Team by 15th of the month
· Develop new Management Reports as required to support decision-making
· Provide analysis of financial trends to support strategic planning and decision-making
4. Statutory Accounts and External Audit (20%):
· Lead in the preparation of annual accounts:
o Produce a year end timetable and communicate the plan to all stakeholders
o Produce a detailed year end file with schedules and all supporting backup documents
o Prepare spreadsheet model: roll forward balances and import full set of transactional data for grants and for operational income and expenditure
o Carry out reconciliation of inter-company account and grant balances with IRC Inc Finance;
· Liaise with the external auditors ensuring all queries are dealt with promptly to work towards a positive audit rating and that the management points in the auditors management letter are addressed
5. Financial Planning (10%):
· Support the Director of Finance & Operations in the preparation of annual budgets and in-year re-forecasts
o Prepare detailed budgets for IRC UK;
o Apply HR policy to provide new salary scales;
o Review year-to-date income and expenditure, and consult with departments to prepare re-forecasts;
· Maintain and develop an excel-based financial planning model;
· Load agreed budgets into Sun (budget ledger) for inclusion in management reports.
· Support the Director of Finance & Operations in preparation of Investment requests & submission to IRC inc.
6. Fundraising Income (5%)
· To review the reconciliation of fundraising income with SUN.
· To support the development of the fundraising system and improvements in processes.
· To provide technical support to the fundraising team on Tax and Inland Revenue matters.
7. Bank and treasury management (5%)
· Monitor bank balances to ensure cash requirements for the UK office can be met; manage investment of unrestricted allocation to maximise interest earned
· Manage the relationship with Standard Chartered and NatWest banks, monitoring issue resolution and ensuring service provided remains appropriate
· Manage the addition/removal of bank signatories and issue/cancellation of credit cards on instruction from Executive Director and Director of Finance & Operations
· Manage & Review systems & processes for transfers done through brokers
8. Development of processes & systems (15%)
· Review current processes & systems and develop more efficient processes
· Ensure all processes are well documented, both for internal finance team, and clear process guidance for staff
· Provide training to staff on finance processes
· Review of the Data Management System
· Participation in and implementation of the IRC Inc & Europe Strategy
· Implementation of latest developments in Finance Regulations, such as SORP 2015
9. IT support to the UK office (to be determined)
The current Head of Finance leads on the management of IT for IRC-UK and procurement of IT equipment for the UK Office. It is intended to recruit a separate IT Technician role to report to the Director of Finance & Operations from 1st October 2016, but this is subject to budget availability.
Should the separation not go ahead, then the management will revert to the Head of Finance, with the following key accountabilities:
· Lead the UK in the proactive use and development of technology: manage IT development projects, coordinating with IRC IT;
· Ensure IRC-UK’s IT Policy is kept up to date and in line with IRC-wide policy
· Oversee the provision of IT support to the UK office
· Ensure network queries assigned to IRC IT (New York) by users are resolved;
· Manage referral of IT support issues to external supplier for technical support;
· Monitor key indicators (mailbox and folder sizes) in order to provide optimum IT services to staff
· Ensure PC/laptops are configured and ready for use for new starters
· Brief new staff on IT policy and security
· Unlock user accounts and reset passwords
· Train IT Superusers on all IT aspects, to provide IT support to IRC-UK office
· Ensure latest technology rolled out from IRC Inc is available to IRC-UK office and training provided
· Manage IT replacement strategy, ensuring inclusion in budget, and manage procurement and set-up of IT and other equipment in compliance with IRC policy
· Maintain good relationship with IRC Inc IT through regular telephone meetings and remote team working
· Support the Director of Finance & Operations to address IT needs in case of a move to a new office in the UK
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:
· Qualified Accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA)
· Knowledge of financial accounting for charities including accounting for restricted funds/grants
· Able to explain, to non-finance staff, the impact of financial transactions on statutory and management reporting.
· Advanced Excel: dealing with large volumes of data; linking and consolidating data; pivot tables; financial and logical functions; basic macros
· Analysis of financial data: Ability to review and analyse financial data, identify variances, and highlight risks and opportunities with managers
· IT skills (required level will depend on the revised structure): good IT awareness; ability to support users and troubleshoot IT problems; understanding of Windows networking and IT infrastructure; ability to work with technical teams (IRC IT and technical support)
· Communication and influencing skills: ability to communicate clearly and use professional confidence to influence internal and external stakeholders to achieve a positive outcome;
· Excellent time management skills, ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
· Team-working: ability to work effectively within and across teams, and build relationships with remote teams
Experience:
· Experience of managing a Finance department and staff management
· Ability to produce financial accounts and apply relevant Accounting Standards, Appreciation of charity accounting;
· Extensive experience of using SUN and Vision/other reporting tools;
· Experience of financial management
To Apply
Please send a CV (two pages maximum) and cover page (two pages maximum) to:
Please state clearly in your cover letter:
· Your reasons for applying
· How you meet each the points in the person specification
· Where you saw the job advertised
· Current salary
The closing date for this position is 10am 22nd August 2016.
Interviews will take place on w/c 30th August 2016.
In order to minimise administrative costs, IRC-UK will only contact short-listed candidates. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
IRC-UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC-UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.