Senior Finance and Operations Officer

Financial Management and Accounting

• Design and/or update and implement systems and procedures following Pact and US Government standards to ensure operational effectiveness and internal control.
• Make timely payments to suppliers (petty cash, checks, and electronic payments) and check accuracy of the transactions.
• Manage cash through in-country bank account(s) including monitoring the cash levels in the bank accounts and requesting funds on a monthly or as need basis from Pact DC.
• Maintain accurate cashbooks, bank reconciliation and transactions recorded in journals entries and in Serenic financial system
• Compile a monthly financial report for approval by the head of the Pact Zambia office and submit to Pact DC.
• Reconcile local financial records with specified financial reports provided by Head Office and submit findings on discrepancies.
• Liaise with the Senior Finance Specialist based at Pact DC to ensure that financial reports are in compliance with Pact policies and desired standards.
• Review monthly Project Status Reports (PSRs) received from headquarters, and provide the head of the Pact Zambia office with up-to date financial status information and pipeline projections to ensure that project spending is in line with the budget and work plan and trigger actions for additional funding requirements.
• Ensure that the Pact Zambia office compiles accurate and complete VAT reimbursement submissions;

Compliance

• Ensure that all financial procedures, files, accounting practices and procurement of goods and services are in compliance with Pact, Government of Zambia, and US Government regulations.
• Ensure compliance with Zambia laws for payment of statutory employee benefits, registration fees, tax submissions, etc and keep abreast with changes in the Labor / related Acts for the same purpose.
• Update the inventory register with all required financial data and ensure that an inventory of assets is recorded with this data.
• As needed, assist grantees to meet special award conditions and conduct on-going reviews of grantees financial systems to identify and address issues relating to (non-) compliance.
• Interact with grantees in ensuring compliance with Pact’s financial regulations.
• Oversee proper and routine filing of financial documents, electronically and paper copies.

Grant Management, Sub-grant Monitoring and Capacity Building (future projects only)

• In coordination with those responsible for grants and contracts and the program team in country and in Pact DC, manage the all aspects of the grants cycle.
• Review monthly financial reports, supporting documents and cash advance requests by selected grantees and approve requests reviewed by program team.
• As requested by the programs team, assist in reviewing and compiling budgets for sub agreements or obligations.
• Oversee grantee financial close outs by reviewing financial books and reports, checking compliance with own policies, and calculating and booking final exchange gain/loss on awards.

Operations, Administration, Human Resources

• Procure goods and services as requested by programs staff and according to available budget to support program implementation.
• Maintain service agreements with vendors and partners to ensure smooth operation of the office.
• Execute Pact’s procurement policies and procedures, and ensure sufficient competition for efficient use of project funds and strong internal controls.
• Maintain fixed asset inventory of Pact Zambia Office as per Pact fixed asset policy and USG rules and regulation
• Oversee the preparation of payroll, pay slips and all personnel reports on a monthly basis and present these to the head of office for final approval.
• Develop and supervise compliance with a Pact Zambia HR policy in compliance with local labor law.
• Facilitate recruitment of local staff as needed and according to available budget to support program implementation.
• Facilitate HR performance management systems in coordination with Pact DC.
• Liaise with counterparts at partner organizations to ensure effective and efficient collaboration on all matters related to operations, human resources, administration and logistics, including when space and resources are shared.

Basic
Requirements

• ’s in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field.
• 6 of relevant experience in finance, accounting, operations.
• Sound knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP).
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint and complex accounting software systems.