POSITION DESCRIPTION

POSITION:Finance and Administration Manager

REPORTS TO:Country Representative

FULL TIME/PART TIME:Full time

HOURS PER WEEK:37.5

LOCATION:Papua New Guinea

AUTHORISED BY:Head of Human Resources

DATE FIRST ISSUED:21July 2015

DATE REVISED:March 2017

Organisational Environment

Caritas Australia (CA) is the Catholic agency for international humanitarian relief and development in Australia. Through effective relationships with the Church, partners and communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Australia, Caritas Australia helps to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. Our programs promote the good of every person and of the whole person, regardless of people’s religious, political or cultural beliefs. We envisage a world in which children, women and men most vulnerable to extreme poverty and injustice are agents of their own change and architects of their own development.

Caritas Australia has been present in Papua New Guinea (PNG) since 2007 but has been supporting local grassroots community organisations across the country on a wide range of issues including peacebuilding and reconciliation, climate change adaptation, food and water security, sustainable agriculture and institutional strengthening of many community-based organisations for a much longer period. The finance and operations team structure and capacity have been assessed and reviewed in 2014 to ensure Caritas Australia in Papua New Guineahave the skills and capacity to support the new programs work.

With significant experience in finance and administration operations and knowledge of development work, the Finance and Administration Manager will support the Country Representativeand local program teamsof Caritas Australia in PNG, and contribute towards the decision making process and the financial management aspects to ensure that adequate financial and administrative systems and processes are in place for prudent planning and budgeting, financial reporting, risk management and control.

Position Impact

The position is responsible for reviewing and overseeing an operational budget of K4 million per financial year.

The position is responsible for the supervision of:

  • The Finance Officer/AdministrationOfficer in Port Moresby.
  • The Support Officer in Bougainville (functional supervision by this position / direct management by Bougainville Program Manager).
Primary Objectives

The position will support the Country Representativein effectively managing and running the overall support operations in Papua New Guinea by providing sound financial and administrative support and analysisin a timely and efficient manner to enable informed decision-making and effective use of resources in the services of the poor and marginalised.

The position will be the key contact between the NationalOffice Finance team and the PNG operations, to maximise the quality of service provided to the country, and the effectiveness and efficiency of the use of that service. It will work in close consultation with the Chief Operations and Finance Officer (CFO)in the National Office to ensure transparency, accountability and consistency of financial and program management of Caritas Australia in Papua New Guinea. The position will also liaise with the HR Business Partner - Internationalin the National Office, to facilitate effective implementation of key human resources frameworks that relate to payroll and finance.

Major Accountabilities
  • Manage the financial function of Caritas Australia in Papua New Guinea according to Caritas Australia policies and procedures and maintain an appropriate and effective financial system.
  • Act as an internal consultant within the PNG operations, identifying and implementing process improvements as required.
  • Communicate and explain policies and procedures, including the reasons for, and benefits of, those policies and procedures.
  • Critically evaluate and analyse financial data and reports for trends, variation explanations and risksand provide monthly updates to CFO and the Country Representative.
  • Review partner performance reports and discuss variances and discrepancies with the Country Representative and program staff.
  • Manage the annual budget and planning preparation process for the country and critically analyse the budget for completeness and accuracy.
  • Provide relevant training and support according to guidelines and timeline.
  • Ensure that Caritas Australia operations in Papua New Guinea are in accordance with Caritas Australia’s Strategic Directions.
  • Maintain relationships with external auditors, financial institutions and agencies.
  • Provide advice, solutions and assistance to Country Representative and staff in relation to financial matters to enable them to more effectively operate and to ensure that financial control is exercised.
  • Manage and oversee the development of the general ledger and interfaces to and from source systems.
  • Work with CFO on project management of PNG operational improvement projects by identifying process or system issues.
  • Oversee other aspects of the Corporate Services role such as procurement, payroll, vendor and supplier management.
  • Participate in Corporate Services management and team meeting.
  • Manage staff payroll, and provide advice and guidance on all finance-related elements of the employment framework.
  • Support implementation of Caritas Australia’s human resources policies and procedures which relate to the Corporate Services function.
Key Tasks/Activities

Financial Management

  • Ensure effective financial management of Caritas Australia in Papua New Guineathrough cash flow reporting, budgeting, expenditure and forecasting.
  • Ensure adequate control systems are in place and financial risk managed and reviewed on a regular basis.
  • Ensure financial data is accurate, reliable and relevant.
  • Ensure that monthly financial reports are produced in a timely manner.
  • Oversee financial activities and smooth operation of finance function.
  • Provide mentoring support to admin and program staff to enhance the accounting knowledge and financial management capacity.
  • Plan and organise monitoring visits to partners’ organisations on financial management practice, capacity building and mentoring support.
  • Responsible for maintaining bank accounts registers and setting up clear guidelines and procedures on cash management in both offices.
  • Assist the CFO to roll out new systems and policies across PNG.
  • Provide general finance training and education across best practices.
  • Liaise with Finance NationalOffice and CFO on Finance issues and seek support.
  • Seek innovative solutions to financial, administrative and procedural problems.
  • Provide sound recommendations to the Country Representative and the National Office teams for the improvement of financial management systems.

Planning and Management

  • Support the Country Representative to ensure Caritas Australia resources are responsibly and efficiently used in accordance with Caritas Australia policies and procedures.
  • Support the Country Representative to lead in the development of realistic and focused activity plans for each financial year.
  • Regularly review the chart of accounts and systems for recording data so that local financial data can be incorporated into the Sydney office accounts and vice versa.
  • Work in close collaboration with the Country Representative and the Programs Team to ensure the Finance team is supporting the programs needs.
  • Be an active member of and contribute to the development of policy and strategy.
  • Advise the Country Representativeand the CFO of any relevant laws and regulations which Caritas Australia in Papua New Guinea must comply with and provide update on changes.
  • Establish and maintain networking with other International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs), Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on sharing finance operations issue, learnings and exchanging knowledge.

Strengthening Staff and Partners Capacity in Financial Management

  • Work closely with the Finance Administrative Assistant and Support Officers:
  • Assist program staff to better understand good financial practice and adhere to CA financial procedures on a day to day basis.
  • Assist program staff to learn how to read and interpret program financial reports and manage program budgets to ensure each team’s expenditure is monitored against budget.
  • Assist Program staff to develop financial mentoring and financial supervision to local partners, conduct monitoring and evaluation visit when required.
  • Assess partners’ and staff’ program financial management capacity, plan for trainings and capacity building activities when needed;
  • Contribute to performance assessment and performance improvement plans of the wider team when financial management is involved.

Humanitarian Response

  • Working closely with the Country Representative to ensure plan and financial resources are in place for responding to emergencies as set out in the Disaster Risk Reduction policies and procedures.
Key Working Communications
  • Country Representative.
  • Program Officer forPNGand ProgramFinance NationalOffice team – providing reports and responding to queries.
  • Papua New Guineaall staff – providing support and capacity building as required and agreed.
  • Other Caritas Australia departments.
  • Chief Operations and Finance Officer in National Office – regular update and reports.
  • HR Business Partner - International in National Office.
  • External relationships

-Papua New GuineaDepartment of Finance and other relevant Departments

-External Auditors.

-Banks.

-Other INGOs and NGOs.

Decision Making / Reasoning

The Finance and Administration Manageris responsible for operationaldecisions related to fulfilling the major accountabilities outlined above.The position requiresinitiative and highly developed skills of analysis, interpretation, evaluation, reasoning and judgment,and especially the ability to help build the capacity of other staff and partner organisations in financial management.

The Finance and Administration Managerwill work in close consultation with program coordinatorsand the Country Representative to ensure consistency in organisational approach to financial and administrative management.

Strategic decisionmaking is to be made in consultation with the Country Representative. Decisions are to be made in accordance with parameters set out in:
  • Caritas Australia Strategic Directions 2013–2018
  • Caritas Australia Strategic Plan in Papua New Guinea 2015-2017
  • Principles of Catholic Social Teachings
  • Relevant ACBC and Agency policies, guidelines and codes of practice applicable to the sector
Knowledge, Skills and Experience (selection criteria)

The successful candidate must demonstrate and provide examples from their professional experience of the following essential skills:

Essential

  • Demonstrated minimum of three years financial management experience, in key facets of financial management and reporting such as developing and maintaining budgets, cash flows and statutory compliance and reporting.
  • Proven supervisory skills within a diverse team with the ability to give direction and set goals and priorities, taking into consideration resources, constraints, sustainability and organisational values.
  • Experience managing staff payroll and associated functions
  • Formal qualifications in Accounting or Financial Management – Diploma or above.
  • ExcellentMicrosoft Officeskills with strong knowledge of Excel and Word and proficiency in accounting packages such as MYOB.
  • Ability to work confidentially, with tact and discretion.
  • Strong decision-making, analytical, planning and organisational skills toestablish priorities, set and achieve work goals.
  • Ability to ensure financial risk management is in place such as identifying its sources, measuring it, and plans to address them.
  • Fluent oral and written communication skills in English and Tok Pisin.
  • Capacity to travel in-country at least 25% of the time.
  • An understanding of the principles and values of Catholic Social Teachingand a willingness to work within the Catholic ethos.

Desirable

  • Experience working with Church agencies or faith based organizations.
  • Familiarity with the Not-For-Profit and the Catholic sector.
  • Understanding of strategies for working with the poorest, marginalized and most vulnerable.
  • Experience supporting HR and administrative functions in an office environment.
Risk and Work Health and Safety

The incumbent must:

  • Observe safe work practices in accordance with training and instruction given and report any risk to your immediate supervisor. Risks arising in the workplace may be financial, site, task or person specific or related to safety.
  • Promote and implement work health and safety and risk mitigation processes within your workgroup.
  • Identify, report and where appropriate, action risks/hazards in order to eliminate or mitigate against the risk recurring.
  • Participate in the consultative processes provided by the organisation.
Additional Information
  • The successful candidate must show an understanding of Child Protection
  • Ongoing appointment to this position is dependent upon successful completion of a relevant criminal record check.
  • Adherence to Caritas Australia guidelines, policies and procedures is required.
  • Awareness of EEO and equity issues in international development as well as Caritas Australia.
  • Commitment to participate in initiatives that foster workplace relations (e.g.Performance and Development Reviews, KPIs, staff meetings).

Date Position Description agreed __/__/__

Occupant:
(Print name) / Date:
Signature
Supervisor:
(Print name) / Date:
Signature
Senior Manager, People & Culture: / Date:
Signature

Review History: issued July 2015 / revised March 2017

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