The Organisation
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances childrenโs rights and equality for girls. Plan has gained vast experience since 1937 when it was established, and it works in more than 75 countries across the world. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters, partners and host governments. Our work supports marginalised children and youth, especially adolescent girls, to grow up physically and mentally healthy and ready to shape their future. We create an enabling environment and empower girls to be active drivers of change in realising their rights. Plan International has been working in Malawi since 1994 in 14 districts, and its current strategy aims to reach 3.5 million adolescent girls and young women between 2022-2027 through different interventions.
Role Purpose
Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organisation committed to children living a life free of poverty, violence and injustice. We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in childrenโs and young peopleโs lives. We support children to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries. In Malawi, Plan International has been operational since 1994.
The realisation of our global strategy 2023-2027 โAll girls standing strong creating global changeโ requires minimisation of risks and protection of assets, ensuring accuracy of records, promoting operational efficiency, and encouraging adherence to policies, rules, regulations, and laws. This role will be central to supporting the Plan International Malawi Office in maintaining a healthy internal controls environment, and compliance to key Government of Malawi regulations and policies (i.e. taxation, registration, etc.).
Dimensions of the Role
The role reports to the Country Director, and may line manage one Internal Compliance staff depending on structure adjustments in accordance with the approved organisational chart of Plan International Malawi. This position has no delegated financial authority, however, the incumbent is a budget holder of approximately $30,000 annually to enable running of activities and travel.
Accountabilities
Internal Control Framework
- Facilitate translation and understanding of global Plan International Inc. internal controls and management standards among leadership team members
- Support functional leaders in developing and strengthening departmental local policies, controls, and actions for their effectiveness and appropriateness
- Support functional leaders to implement and monitor compliance to policies and controls
- Stay abreast of external global trends and practices and advise the leadership team where necessary to continuously improve or introduce new changes to the internal control environment
- Identify areas of business operations where there is a risk of non-compliance and facilitate processes for heads of departments to develop risk mitigation measures
- Ensure a system and process is in place and is followed to regularly identify, analyse and manage risks
- Support the leadership team to strengthen risk management in line with Plan International requirements, ensuring the team works through its country risk management plans of action, and updates and monitors the country risk register
Internal Control Reviews
- Prepare an annual workplan within the first month of the fiscal year, of planned internal & external audits, and internal reviews of compliance with Planโs management standards and controls in place across all functions and geographical locations
- Conduct regular reviews to assess compliance of departments and individual employees to policies and controls
- Review existing local internal procedures and processes for their effectiveness and appropriateness to achieve the organisational objectives
- Investigate complex or sensitive incidents when directed to do so, and recommend actions in accordance with findings
- Monitor implementation and closure of actions taken by the leadership in response to audits or internal control reviews
- Support the audit committee in its duties of ensuring that all agreed audit actions and recommendations are accurate and implemented timely
Reporting
- Maintain complete records of compliance reviews and investigations
- Compile and submit reports from all reviews timely, highlighting any areas of potential risk and with clear recommendations on areas of improvement, good practice for scaling up, and priority management action
- Maintain a tracker of all actions from findings of Global Assurance and external audits, and provide analysis at least twice a year of recurring issues and lessons for the leadership team to learn from and ensure continuous improvement
- Support the filing of key reports with regulatory agencies to demonstrate compliance with appropriate procedures
- Support the leadership team to report any breach of regulations to the proper regulatory authority
- Ensure an early start to mandatory global quarterly or annual reporting on risks and related controls and actions by supporting department heads complete necessary tasks within the global online system
- Contribute to quarterly management reporting sections on audit actions and updating the country risk register
Training and Development
- Develop communication and training programmes, and conduct training & orientation sessions to help staff and partner organisations understand their roles in compliance, particularly around fraud, corruption, bribery, and management of risks
- Support and work in conjunction with functional heads to address specific training and development needs to fill compliance gaps in various policy areas
- Advise the leadership team on necessary training to bring Plan International Malawi, a department, or particular staff (in Plan International or partner NGOs) up to speed on compliance standards
Audit & Legal Liaison
- Act as the go-between of Plan International Malawi and Global Assurance, external audit firms or government departments on compliance requirements
- The Post Holder is the focal point person for all legal issues and coordinator for all compliance requirements of Plan Malawi including internal compliances as well as external compliances to donors, registration of Plan Malawi requirements and governments laws and regulations etc.
- Ensure all audits are carried out based on donor requirements and comprehensive annual audit plan
- Facilitate internal (Global Assurance) and external audit missions across various Malawi locations
- Remain abreast of changes in external audit procedures to ensure Plan International is complying
- Communicate with relevant governmental departments or legal professionals with insights into changing regulations, standard compliance practices and other changes that may impact the merit of current policies and internal controls.
Managing People
- Hire, develop and retain qualified people within the Risk & Compliance Unit
- Supervise, coach, mentor, manage performance and talent, and ensure accountability of staff in the Unit
- Develop, agree and communicate annual Risk & Compliance Unit goal, objectives, key performance indicators, and ensure team deliverables are timely and of high quality