Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.
Program/Department Summary
The International Finance (IF) Department plays a key role in supporting financial operations in Mercy Corpsโ country programs throughout the world by working collaboratively with country finance staff and providing guidance in grant management, budgeting, accounting and other financial functions in accordance with Mercy Corpsโ internal policies and procedures as well as donor regulations. The IF Department supports the timely, complete and accurate reporting of financial information from Mercy Corpsโ Country offices and is responsible for ensuring that all financial reporting requirements to donors are met in a timely and accurate way. The IF Department also works closely and collaboratively with the Headquarters (HQ) Regional Program Team members (RPT) in support of country program objectives as well as the HQ Corporate Finance department in support of agency financial functions.
General Position Summary
The Regional Finance Manager will work closely with the Director of International Finance, Europe, to provide strategic financial support to a specific region including ensuring that the financial reporting and financial compliance standards are met throughout the region. The Manager is the primary focal point for European representation at a regional level. The Manager will lead the Regional Support team for Europe and provide oversight and management supervision to the Analysts and Senior Analysts. The Manager will provide review of donor financial reports for the region. The manager will participate in SoP development processes and dissemination, and will participate in relevant working groups as a subject matter expert for European donor finance. The Manager will also support a country portfolio within the region as primary focal point for Europe IF. The manager will support the Director of IF, Europe by deputising for them as applicable. The Manager will recognise opportunities to innovate on current processes and create an environment where alternative viewpoints are shared and welcomed.
Essential Responsibilities
STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP
- Support the department and regional/country strategy actions and contribute and support the agency strategy.
โ Directly supervise regional International Finance Analysts/Senior Analysts in their activities, setting goals and objectives.
โ Lead recruitment and onboarding for new regional European IF team members within their region.
โ Manage portfolio coverage within their region, including leave planning and coverage support during team member absences.
โ Encourage team members to identify process improvements and to establish means for moving ideas to solutions.
โ Partner with Director of IF for Europe and deputise as applicable.
STRATEGIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING
โ Primary European International Finance representative for the region of responsibility.
โ Participate in cross-regional initiatives/proposal processes.
โ Represent European IF team and proactively lead in regional efforts to streamline processes to achieve efficiencies.
โ Mobilise/coordinate with others on wider initiatives, as a subject matter expert on European donor finance.
โ Responsible for ensuring timely submission of donor financial reports for their region of responsibility.
โ Responsible for reviewing donor financial reports for their region.
โ Participate in the review and implementation of policies, procedures, and systems to comply with all the applicable financial and accounting regulations.
โ Coordinate with peers to share knowledge and develop best practices for IF and country finance teams.
โ Support with recruitment and technical vetting of senior country finance staff.
โ Travel to region to provide financial support and training.
PORTFOLIO AWARD MANAGEMENT
- Proposal Development - provide guidance on donor templates and cost eligibility, and review proposal budgets to ensure they are fully costed and competitive in a manageable format for implementation. Assist with donor queries and due diligence as required.
- Award set-up - review donor agreements and advise on financial matters as required. Design and develop coded budgets to meet grant and internal management needs. Using financial system reporting tools, design and construct Budget versus Actual (BvA) reports suitable for all stakeholders.
- Project Financial Management - provide ongoing monitoring of grants through production of BvA reports, and coordinate with the project team to ensure issues are being addressed on a timely basis. Prepare donor financial reports and related supporting schedules. Review budget modifications, ensuring any amendments are in accordance with donor requirements. In conjunction with the Compliance team, support country teams with application of donor regulations, providing advice and training. Monitor grant-level cash flow and submit funding requests to donor agencies on a timely basis as required by the grant agreement and internal procedures.
- Audit Assistance โ support with donor-specific audits, including providing requested information and responses to audit queries and management letters. Assist in preparation for the MCinE annual statutory audit and provide any required inputs to country statutory audits.
HUMAN RESOURCES, SAFEGUARDING AND DIVERSITY
โ Support Mercy Corps global initiatives for human resources, including safeguarding and diversity, and talent development;
โ Collaborate with the people team to promote staff access to high quality learning opportunities,
โ Assist with the on-boarding of team members, ensuring they are set up for success and familiar with agency systems, procedures, and protocols.
Supervisory Responsibility
- Audit Assistance โ support with donor-specific audits, including providing requested information and responses to audit queries and management letters. Assist in preparation for the MCinE annual statutory audit and provide any required inputs to country statutory audits.
- Project Financial Management - provide ongoing monitoring of grants through production of BvA reports, and coordinate with the project team to ensure issues are being addressed on a timely basis. Prepare donor financial reports and related supporting schedules. Review budget modifications, ensuring any amendments are in accordance with donor requirements. In conjunction with the Compliance team, support country teams with application of donor regulations, providing advice and training. Monitor grant-level cash flow and submit funding requests to donor agencies on a timely basis as required by the grant agreement and internal procedures.