Finance Specialist

The Danish Refugee Council/Danish Demining Group (DRC/DDG) is one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, working in more than 40 countries to provide adequate assistance with a rights-based approach to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees, and migrants.

**Overall purpose of the role**:
The National Finance Specialist functions as the financial controller within the country on the projects assigned to him/her. He/She has the overall responsibility for the projects monthly closing and updating the Budget Follow Up tools, meetings and reporting. Providing overall advice, coordination and technical support to the Finance and Program teams across the country and ensuring compliance with the finance chapter’s of DRC’s Operations Handbook, the Donor’s Guidelines and ensure financial information quality and correct allocation.

**Geographic scope: Country (Colombia)**
- This role has a country focus and ensures compliance to DRC procedures and Donors guidelines within the country. The role contributes to the development of country strategies over the provision of financial information, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to country operations while overseeing country activities.

**Responsibilities**:
**General Technical Support**:

- Provide technical support and advice to the Finance teams, Support and Program Teams on financial, budgeting and budget follow up.
- Provide technical support in the ERP System (Microsoft Dynamics) on the Finance & Accounting modules when needed.
- Support the development and implementation of Dynamics financial modules and ensure capacity building of staff.
- Provide support to field finance teams and regularly travel to make sure financial procedures are respected in each office
- Identify training gaps among DRC / DDG finance staff.

**Accounting/Financial Planning and Analysis**:

- Proceed to the creation of projects in Dynamics according to the budget structures approved by Donors, in conformity with budget holding policies, resource scheduling and use of cost categories.
- Proceed to the creation of co-funding parameters between projects and those cost entries are correctly registered as co-funding in Dynamics.
- Ensure cost allocation of salaries and timesheets are posted on time and correctly.
- Proceed to the offset of intercompany accounts monthly.
- Ensure that BFU tool is updated monthly, including accounting and previsions.
- Proceed to the implementing partner reports supervision, request for corrections, and consolidation of their accounting in Dynamics.
- Projects implementation leading. (e.g., Dynamics Master Budget, Forecasts, and other required).
- Build budget proposals, including budgeting for support costs for the Country Office, collaboration with the programme managers and support services functions.
- Ensure monthly meetings are held with project managers to discuss key variances, reasons for these, and any remedial action that is required.
- Support timely delivery of quality financial reports to donors and internal reports to colleagues and HQ.
- Contribute the country programme in designing relevant financial KPIs.
- Ensure capacity building to finance team in the country

**Financial compliance tools**:

- Ensure that all financial compliance tools are in place, used and understood in each office.
- Ensure that finance tools are adequately developed for implementing partners and shared with them, and that implementing partners are trained.
- Ensure that the Internal Financial Review is updated on a quarterly basis in coordination with management, and that failing processes are answered and corrected.

**Auditoria**:

- Ensure all required documentation for financial internal and external audits are reviewed and organized by project when an audit takes place.
- Follow up on internal and external audit recommendations in collaboration with management and each office.

**Required experience and competencies**
- Minimum 3 years of international practical experience in Accounting & Finance.
- Proven experience working with an ERP system (Dynamics a plus)
- Competence in providing technical guidance and training
- Proven experience in working with national and international partners, local/government authorities
- Working experience with relevant donors (e.g. UNHCR, ECHO, OFDA, WFP, DFID or BPRM guidelines)
- Advanced proficiency in Excel
- Full professional proficiency in English

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:

- Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes.
- Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.
- Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
- Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly.

**Education**:

- University degree in Finance or Accounting, or equivalent professiona