Director, Finance and Operations 

Job Description

Internal/External Vacancy 

Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with The Johns Hopkins University.  For 40 years and in over 155 countries, Jhpiego has worked to prevent the needless deaths of women and  their families. 

Jhpiego Corporation has been providing technical support to the Ministries of Health in partner countries  across the globe for the past 40 years in a variety of technical areas including cervical cancer treatment  and prevention, community health, HIV and AIDS, maternal and newborn health, health workforce  capacity development (both pre-service and in-service), family planning, malaria, and IPC/WASH. 

The following vacant position is available for immediate filling: 

Position: Director, Finance and Operations 

Location: Freetown, Sierra Leone 

Report To: Country Director, Sierra Leone 

Position Supervises Finance, Procurement, IT,  

Administrative & Logistics  

Job Overview: 

Jhpiego seeks a Director – Finance and Operations to provide financial and, operational management for the Jhpiego Sierra Leone country program. The Jhpiego country program has multiple projects that work  to accelerate reductions in maternal, newborn, and child mortality and morbidity by increasing the  capacity of the Government of Sierra Leone institutions and local organizations to introduce, deliver, scale  up, and sustain the use of evidence-based, quality maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services,  malaria, voluntary family planning (FP), reproductive health (RH) care for adults and the youth, and HIV  prevention and treatment.  

The Director – Finance and Operations (DFO) will oversee financial, operational, and administrative  matters within Jhpiego Sierra Leone. The DFO will supervise financial staff and ensure adherence to  Jhpiego and funder policies and procedures. They will be accountable for performing and ensuring the  management of financial systems, developing budgets for country office operations, generating financial  reports, administering subawards, use of information technology, and procurement, including  management of vendors, monitoring project supply chain and inventory systems, and supervising supporting finance staff in remote offices. The position will play a key role in directing program 

operations, working with local partners to build their capacity, and providing expert sub-grant  management.  

The Director – Finance and Operations (DFO) will ensure compliance with Jhpiego and Johns Hopkins  University operational policies and regulations, as well as compliance with all donor rules and regulations  for financial management and reporting. They will ensure all staff follow United States Government (USG)  cost principles, including GAAP accounting rules and grants contract management. The DFO will serve  as the primary finance and operations liaison with the Jhpiego Baltimore office and other partners in the  Sierra Leone country program. As a member of the senior management team the Finance and Operations  Director will contribute to the Country Office’s strategic leadership. Additionally, the Finance and  Operations Director will develop, implement, and strengthen Jhpiego’s in-country financial and  operational processes. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Oversee overall financial system implementation including controls and standards. Review and  maintain strong system of internal controls to ensure accurate financial reporting. Monitor and  adapt in-country financial system to optimize financial transaction processing and required  financial reporting. Supervise Finance Manager on financial/accounting aspects of his/her work.  Review monthly financial reports submitted to Baltimore office.  
• Monitor burn rates and expenses for all programs in collaboration with Jhpiego Baltimore staff.  Responsible for verifying all in-country expenditures and developing projections and other  financial reports for management decision making.  
• Ensure financial integrity of the data, QBE due diligence review and follow-up.
•  Ensure timely, accurate and complete documentation which support financial transactions, to be  uploaded and maintained in a financial accounting and bookkeeping system (QuickBooks)
•  Assure the integrity and effective performance of financial operations, and prepare monthly  reports.  
• Manage all sub-grants, ensuring compliance with Jhpiego policies and procedures and reporting  of sub-awardees, and building their capacity as needed. 
• Collaborate with the Jhpiego Sierra Leone Country Director to support program staff in developing  work plans and annual budgets for program activities and local office costs. 
• Support assessment and capacity building strategies for local civil society organizations in the  areas of finance and operations.  
• In accordance with Sierra Leone DOA, reviews all in-country Jhpiego-issued contracts, leases and  MOUs. Reviews and provides feedback on award documents, modification and other binding  documents issued by others to Jhpiego. 
• Ensure adherence to all financial, personnel and administrative policies and procedures, including  conformity to local laws and requirement across all projects. 
• Oversee project’s day-to-day cash needs, petty cash payments, procurement, salaries, contracts,  sub-grants, district offices start-up, IT systems, consultant payments for the country program.
•  Review/process invoices and policies and procedures not part of cash management.
•  Overall responsible for smooth functioning of district offices. Work with staff to oversee safety  and security aspects of Jhpiego’s operations. Establish good communications and emergency  response systems for all offices and staff. Work with the HR office to ensure that Jhpiego is  compliant with all local safety regulations. 
• Works with the Country Director and other senior staff to ensure compliance with local laws and  requirements especially related to payroll and income tax, VAT, social security, registration of  Jhpiego in Sierra Leone with various statutory bodies.
• Provide guidance to all project teams regarding the financial requirements of the project and office  operations in compliance with the donor, Johns Hopkins University, and Jhpiego procedures and  policies. 
• Ensure appropriate and adequate vendor management practices by conforming to and applying  the guidance provided as per the Jhpiego Procurement Manual and Finance and Operations  Manual 
• Review monthly payroll reports to ensure accuracy, completeness and validity of staff Level of  Effort, Gross Salaries and Deductions. 
• Ensure appropriate Finance Managers lead the development, monitoring, and review of all project  budgets; review monthly financial analysis and budget vs. expense reports to determine  reasonableness of variances and take appropriate actions, as required. 
• Provide guidance, monitoring and support to project teams, including procurement for goods and  services, logistical support for local and international travel (including expense reports) for staff  and consultants, contracts development and management and maintenance of office inventory. 
• Facilitate the work of internal reviews and external audits and ensure that financial records are  properly maintained and readily available during audits. 
• Ensure Jhpiego SL registrations and all in-country technical services contracts are tracked properly,  are valid, up to date and renewed on timely manner when needed.  
• Provide financial reports, including pipeline analysis and quarterly project reports, as requested  by the donors. 
• Mentor, support, supervise and manage a team of highly qualified staff and align their efforts with  project goals to ensure rapid and sustainable results. 

Required Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Experiences: 

• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Accounting, or  relevant field and ten years of finance and administrative experience  
• Full or part professional Accounting qualification e.g. ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent 
•  At least 10 years of experience managing finances with a focus on financial analysis, financial  reporting, cash flow analysis, budget development, and forecasting, preferably on international  health projects  
• At least seven years of experience providing financial planning and management, human  resources, and procurement for projects, preferably in Sierra Leone. 
• Five or more years of senior-level work experience with USG or other donor-funded projects
• Previous direct supervisory experience of professional and support staff in finance, procurement,  IT, operations 
• Demonstrated experience organizing resources and establishing priorities 
• Subcontract or sub-agreement financial management experience 
• Knowledge of financing mechanisms – Fixed Amount Awards (FAA), contracts and grants, and  their relevant terms and conditions 
• Experience developing and/or implementing finance and accounting policies, procedures, and  systems 
• Experience hiring and supervising personnel  
• Excellent diplomacy skills and a proven ability to establish and maintain interpersonal and  professional relationships with USG donors, host-country counterparts, and representatives from  other key stakeholders such as NGOs, CSOs, and the private sector 
• Excellent skills in facilitation, team building, and coordination 
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop the financial and administrative capacity of project staff
• In-depth knowledge of financial software applications, databases, and spreadsheets, including  QuickBooks Enterprise, and Microsoft Office 
• Ability to travel nationally 

Qualified persons are required to send their updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) and application letter to: sl recruitment@jhpiego.org 

Kindly state in the subject area the position and location you are applying for. CVs without proper  labeling will not be considered. 

The deadline for the submission of applications is 28th January 2024. Given the likely high number of  applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.