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Nigeria: Resident Director of Finance and Administration

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) seeks a Resident Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) to manage the financial, administrative and logistical aspects of NDI’s program in Nigeria, as well as to oversee the Institute’s multiple subgrant awards. The DFA will be supported by finance, subgrants, administration, and logistics staff. The DFA will be based in Abuja, Nigeria and will report to the Resident Director, with close communication with DC-based finance and administrative teams.

Finance

  • Provide oversight of financial operations in the field for a multi-million-dollar USAID-funded program;
  • Manage all aspects of accounting for the Nigeria field office, including the direct supervision of accounting staff;
  • Monitor program expenditures, including monthly field expenses in the range of $150,000 to $300,000, and report on financial results and cost projections to senior management in Nigeria and Washington, DC;
  • Improve existing accounting and financial systems in consultation with the management teams in Nigeria and Washington, DC;
  • Oversee the disbursement of over $1.5 million in subgrants to local civil society organizations;
  • Train and mentor NDI’s Abuja-based accountants on NDI’s policies and procedures, donor grant compliance requirements, and internal controls;
  • Oversee compliance with internal controls and accounting procedures;
  • Ensure that all financial and accounting reports are prepared and submitted in a timely manner;
  • Provide recommendations for budget realignments and no-cost extensions; and
  • Review and account for procurement transactions to ensure adequate supporting documents and fairness in costings.

Administration

  • Support the Resident Director in coordinating day-to-day internal operations of the NDI-Nigeria office;
  • Liaise with NDI’s DC-based Central and West Africa and administrative teams to ensure all significant administrative issues are addressed and resolved in a timely manner;
  • Provide guidance and counsel to international and local staff on administrative and human resource matters in consultation with DC-based human resources staff;
  • Ensure compliance with national laws and NDI and donor administrative and reporting requirements, as well as appropriate implementation of field office policies;
  • Improve and implement administrative and human resources systems, in consultation with Abuja-based senior management and relevant DC-based staff;
  • Supervise administrative and support personnel;
  • Regularly review security plans and adapt NDI’s practices and profile as necessary;
  • Serve as a point of contact for security issues for NDI-Nigeria;
  • Work with Abuja-based senior management to determine current and projected recruitment needs and assist in hiring, training and supervising local staff;
  • Contribute to the appraisal of employee performance, address complaints, and resolve problems; and
  • Act as back-up to the Resident Director in her/his absence.

Subgrants Management

  • Review subgrant budgets and proposals and evaluate subgrantees’ financial systems and internal controls to assess risks and develop appropriate monitoring procedures, in consultation with DC-based subgrant staff;
  • Monitor and ensure timely submission of accurate reports by the subgrant recipients; and
  • Determine needs and design training modules for training subgrant recipients in record keeping, donor compliance, and generally accepted accounting principles.

Experience Required

  • Bachelors Degree in finance, accounting, business administration, and/or a related field;
  • Minimum of fourteen (14) years’ experience in financial management, accounting, grant management, and administration, preferably for an international NGO working with USAID funding;
  • Thorough knowledge of budgeting, budget oversight, generally accepted accounting principles, and the practical application of financial systems;
  • Previous experience with international grants administration preferred;
  • Proven ability to design and implement accounting systems suitable to a challenging and volatile environment with unreliable and sometimes nonexistent infrastructure;
  • High level of attention to detail in all aspects of work;
  • Cultural sensitivity in working with US and international staff;
  • Ability to train and mentor the professional development of local staff;
  • Strong written and verbal communications skills in English;
  • Ability to work collaboratively with Washington-based program, accounting and HR staff as well as program staff in Nigeria;
  • Experience with accounting software such as Quicken, word processing, and spreadsheet (Microsoft Word and Excel preferred). Experience with database creation and management;
  • Ability to apply discretion and maintain confidential information;
  • Ability to analyze and interpret governmental and organizational rules and regulations, including OMB Circulars A-110, A-122 and A-133; and
  • Experience working outside the US preferred.