COHRE Director of Finance PD

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COHRE POSITION DESCRIPTION

Title: Director of Finance

Unit: International Secretariat

Reports to: Executive Director

Level: Senior Management

Position Summary

The Director of Finance (DF) directs and manages the financial affairs of COHRE. The DF is responsible for all aspects of finances, including the treasury, accounting, payroll administration, taxes and reporting functions.

The DF prepares financial analyses of operations, including monthly and annual financial statements with supporting reports for the guidance of management. The DF is responsible for COHRE’s financial plans and policies, its accounting practices, the maintenance of its fiscal records and the preparation of financial statements and reports, including those to be audited.

The position involves supervision over general accounting, internal auditing, costs accounting and budgetary controls.

The DF reports directly to the Executive Director and works in close partnership with the Regional Directors and their finance staff, Senior Experts, and the Senior Management team.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

1. Directs and performs COHRE’s daily financial management functions and provides the financial information and analysis necessary to inform the overall planning and operations of the organisation. This encompasses the Treasury, Accounting, Payroll administration, Tax management and Reporting functions.

• Treasury: The DF organizes payments to employees, consultants, suppliers, field offices, partner NGOs; manages accounts receivable and accounts payable; and cash flow and forecasting processes, performing monthly cash reconciliations.

• Accounting: The DF directs and performs the posting of all headquarter and field office expenses (including reviewing the expense reporting submitted by field offices); and oversees the monthly accounting closing, and the annual budgeting process. Also maintains and updates as necessary, the COHRE accounting policies and procedures.

• Payroll administration: The DF is responsible for administration of payroll tax payments in Switzerland and periodic reporting to authorities in Switzerland, and assisting with any payroll matters requiring attention in field office countries.

• Taxes: The DF is responsible for preparing any required tax documentation required by authorities in countries where COHRE operates, and to meet any reporting requirements necessary to maintain COHRE’s tax exemption status • Reporting: The DF is responsible for preparing all financial reports within the organization.

These include all financial reports to donors; monthly internal financial reports (balance sheet, statement of activities, budget-­‐to-­‐actual, revenues and expense by grant, and cash-­‐ flow projections), and any statutory reporting due to government regulatory agencies wherever we work.

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2. The DF leads COHRE’s financial planning and budget management functions assisting the Executive Director with the preparation of the annual operating budget. In addition to producing the monthly reports, S/he monitors and analyzes the monthly operating results against budget and other matters bearing on the fiscal soundness and operating effectiveness of the organization. The DF recommends benchmarks for measuring the financial and operating performance of COHRE regional programs against budgets.

3. The DF is responsible for developing and implementing accounting, finance and budget policies, financial controls and operating procedures in line with best practices for the organization and ensuring compliance with national accounting practices in all regional offices.

The DF also prepares COHRE for financial audits.

4. The DF is responsible for recruitment, orientation, training, supervision and evaluation of all department staff.

5. As part of the Senior Management Team, the DF participates in the corporate management of COHRE, including by contributing to: • the development of strategic and operational plans; • the identification and solution of corporate management issues; • the development and implementation of plans for the training and continuing education of staff, particularly in financial management; • the development of a knowledge-­‐sharing and learning culture within COHRE; and • the understanding of the contribution of financial management to achieving COHRE's goals.

Scope of Responsibility: The DF has overall responsibility for the financial administration of the all units of the organization. This includes implementing all finance functions as well as developing improvements to the financial systems and performance of the organization. The DF is also responsible for ensuring that staff are provided with clear and current information about COHRE’s financial policies and procedures.

Supervision Exercised: Titles of Immediate Subordinates: Direct supervision of accounting/bookkeeping staff in the International Secretariat.

Indirect supervision of staff in the field offices responsible for the bookkeeping, reporting and forecasting processes and the management of cash flow and monthly cash reconciliations.

Total number of employees supervised: 4-­‐5

Qualifications:

Education: B.A. and/or M.A. in Finance, Business Administration, Management or Accounting.

Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.

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Experience: At least five to ten years of experience in the not-­‐for-­‐profit sector, responsible for financial management and accounting in an international context. Certified Public Accounting qualifications are desirable.

Other requirements:

1. Knowledge of COHRE’s accounting software (WinEur), including analytical, budgeting and reporting modules.

2. Knowledge of Swiss financial regulations, including laws related to social benefits, taxes and salaries, and familiarity with the same for other countries.

3. Professional written and verbal communication in English and French.

4. Ability to motivate staff broadly dispersed throughout the world to produce quality and accurate reports within tight timeframes and simultaneously manage several projects.

5. Excellent interpersonal skills.

Physical Demands:

The Director of Finance may have to travel to COHRE's project offices to oversee training of staff and implementation of financial policies and procedures.

Work Environment: The Director of Finance must be able to:

• Demonstrate integrity; • Promote the vision and strategic goals of COHRE, within and outside the organization; • Be able to work under pressure and to meet deadlines; • Have excellent organizational capacities; and • Be able to work in a multicultural environment and display sensitivity and adaptability to issues of culture, gender, religion, race and ethnicity.