Finance Manager

MANAGEMENT

Line-manages Finance Officers (2x). 

Works closely with operations, procurement, Human Resources (HR),  Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL), programme  teams, district teams, implementing partners and the Alliance for  Transforming African Education (ATAE) support functions to ensure  accurate, timely and compliant financial management across Lɛ Wi Lan  (LWL) and the Leaders in Teaching (LiT) Sierra Leone programme.

Lɛ Wi Lan (LWL) is a Sierra Leonean-led organisation committed to  advancing education transformation nationally through technical  assistance in close partnership with government. 

The Finance Manager is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of  LWL’s financial management function, ensuring that budgeting,  accounting, payments, payroll support, statutory deductions, tax  compliance, grant management, partner financial monitoring, financial  reporting and audit documentation are accurate, timely, compliant and  aligned with approved workplans and donor requirements. 

The post-holder will support the Finance and Operations Director to  maintain strong financial controls, value-for-money systems, Enterprise  Resource Planning (ERP) and digital finance records, budget monitoring,  partner fund retirement, cashflow management and audit readiness  across the organisation and across Leaders in Teaching (LiT) Sierra Leone’s  LEAD, TRAIN, RECRUIT and MOTIVATE pillars. 

The role will also help ensure that finance systems support safe,  accessible and inclusive programme delivery. This includes supporting  budgets, payments, partner reporting and financial monitoring that  reflect safeguarding, gender equality, disability inclusion and school safety  commitments, so that resources are used responsibly to benefit girls,  children with disabilities, women, persons with disabilities and other  marginalised groups.

RESPONSIBILITIES (Will  include but not limited  to-)

• Lead day-to-day budgeting, budget monitoring and expenditure  tracking for organisational and programme budgets, ensuring  spending is aligned with approved workplans, donor budget lines  and value-for-money principles. 

• Prepare and update budget trackers, forecasts, cashflow  projections and variance analyses, raising potential overspends,  underspends and coding issues promptly to the Finance and  Operations Director. 

• Support budget planning across LiT pillars, districts, partners,  activities and cost centres, ensuring that financial information is  available to support timely programme and management  decisions. 

• Ensure budgets and financial records make visible, where  applicable, the resources allocated to gender equality, disability  inclusion, safeguarding, school safety and inclusive delivery. PAYMENTS, ACCOUNTING AND RECORD KEEPING 

• Manage payment processing, accounting entries, bank  reconciliations, petty cash, advance management and retirement  processes in line with LWL policies, donor requirements and  approval thresholds. 

• Ensure all financial transactions are accurately coded, fully  supported, properly authorised, securely filed and recorded in the  ERP/accounting system on a timely basis. 

• Maintain complete, accessible and audit-ready financial records,  including payment files, invoices, contracts, payroll support  documentation, tax records, bank statements, reconciliations and  partner financial documentation. 

• Support month-end and year-end closing processes, ensuring  accurate balances, timely reconciliations and clear explanations  for outstanding items. 

DONOR, GRANT AND PARTNER FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT • Support preparation of donor financial reports, grant financial  statements, budget narratives and supporting schedules, ensuring  accuracy, completeness and consistency with approved budgets  and donor rules. 

• Review partner financial reports, fund retirements and supporting  documentation, identifying ineligible expenditure, weak documentation, compliance gaps and actions required before  further disbursement.   

• Maintain partner advance trackers, grant expenditure records and  reporting timetables, following up with partners and programme  teams to ensure timely submission and retirement of funds. 

• Support partner capacity strengthening on financial reporting,  documentation, procurement compliance, safeguarding-related  financial controls and value-for-money expectations.

• Ensure compliance with Government of Sierra Leone tax,  statutory and financial regulations, as well as LWL policies, donor  requirements and grant conditions. 

• Support implementation of internal controls, segregation of  duties, approval limits, documentation standards, conflict-of interest procedures, anti-fraud controls and audit-trail requirements. 

• Prepare schedules and supporting documentation for internal  audits, organisational audits, donor audits, spot checks and  financial verifications, and support timely implementation of  agreed audit actions. 

• Identify financial, compliance and fiduciary risks, and escalate  issues to the Finance and Operations Director with practical  recommendations for resolution. 

ERP, DATA, REPORTING AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION • Use the ERP/accounting system, SharePoint and approved digital  tools to maintain accurate finance records, document control, version control and real-time visibility of expenditure,  

• Prepare clear financial dashboards, trackers and management  reports for the Finance and Operations Director, Senior  

Leadership Team, pillar coordinators and programme teams. • Work with operations, procurement, HR, MERL and programme  colleagues to ensure financial data supports planning, reporting,  delivery tracking and evidence-based decision-making. 

• Contribute to continuous improvement of finance templates,  workflows, checklists and filing systems so that LWL’s finance  function remains efficient, transparent and audit ready. 

SAFEGUARDING, GENDER EQUALITY, DISABILITY INCLUSION AND VALUE  FOR MONEY 

• Support finance processes that uphold LWL’s safeguarding  commitments, survivor-centred approach, code of conduct,  vetting requirements, confidentiality standards and incident related financial controls. 

• Ensure payments, budgets, partner reporting and financial  monitoring support inclusive delivery, including reasonable  accommodation, accessible venues, safe travel, inclusive participation and school-safety activities were approved in  workplans.  

• Apply value-for-money principles to expenditure review, partner  financial monitoring, procurement documentation and budget  tracking, preventing waste, duplication, weak documentation and  ineligible costs.

• Line-manage, coach and support the Finance Officers, ensuring  clear task allocation, quality assurance, timely processing,  accurate filing and professional development. 

• Work closely with the Operations Manager, procurement staff,  HR staff, technical teams, MERL, district teams and implementing  partners to ensure finance support is responsive to delivery needs  while maintaining compliance standards. 

• Prepare concise finance updates, action trackers, meeting notes  and follow-up schedules for finance, operations, donor reporting,  audit and partner-management processes. 

• Undertake any other finance, compliance, grant-management or  organisational duties that may reasonably be required by the  Finance and Operations Director or senior management.

SPECIFICATION 

• At least 10 years’ experience in finance, budgeting, accounting,  grant management, donor reporting and compliance in organisations managing large-scale grants or contracts.  

• Strong experience preparing budgets, forecasts, bank  reconciliations, payments, financial reports, donor schedules,  partner advance trackers and audit documentation. 

• Experience reviewing partner financial reports, fund retirements  and supporting documentation, including identifying ineligible  expenditure, weak documentation and compliance gaps. 

• Good understanding of Government of Sierra Leone tax, statutory  and financial requirements, and experience supporting organisational and donor audits.   

• Strong understanding of internal controls, segregation of duties,  fraud prevention, conflict-of-interest management, value for  money and ethical financial practice. 

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word and  PowerPoint, and confidence using ERP/accounting systems,  SharePoint and digital collaboration tools. 

• Ability to interpret financial and operational data, prepare clear  trackers and reports, and communicate financial information  effectively to non-finance colleagues. 

• Practical understanding of safeguarding, gender equality,  disability inclusion and school safety, with the ability to apply  these principles to budgeting, payments, reporting and partner  financial monitoring.

• Line-management experience and ability to support, coach and  quality-assure the work of Finance Officers. 

• Commitment to Lɛ Wi Lan’s safeguarding of children and  vulnerable adults, including its mandatory code of conduct,  vetting and background checks, survivor-centred response  approach, and values of gender equity, disability inclusion,  integrity and accountability. 

• Willingness to be based in Freetown and to undertake travel to  districts, partner offices, schools and government institutions as  required by the role. 

• Any other duties that may be required from time to time.