Job title
Senior Finance Officer
Location
Parktown, Johannesburg
Direct Reports:
2
Reports to
Managing Director
Type of employment
Contract
Contract length
Temp
Department
Finance & Operations
Summary of the general roles and responsibilities of the position
To effectively provide comprehensive finance and operations support to GRS-SA programmes under the guidance of Managing Director including accounting for all financial transactions, cash management, process payments, budgeting support to assisting technical team, month-end reporting. This role is responsible for supervising the South Africa (SA) Finance Officer performing the accounting tasks of the SA organization reviewing their work to ensure quality and timeliness.
Detailed look at the Key Performance Areas
Budgeting & Financial Planning:
Lead in the development of the organization’s annual budget.
Assist in linking the budget to the work plan and recommend budget re-allocation on a quarterly basis as spending often varies from the budget and new grants are awarded.
Assist to produce financial information to be reported to SA Senior Management Team.
Evaluate finance reporting and system to make recommendations to Managing Director to streamline current processes and cost recovery across budgets and funders
Banking & Advance Payment Process:
Manage GRS-SA bank account in liaison with Managing Director
Review all payments for approval and load for processing on the bank App.
Review and post E-wallet site monthly cash reports and payment process
Manage the cash advance process – Ensure controls are followed and advances are fully reconciled, properly supported, and prepared in a timely manner.
Assist to manage cash balance and requests from Headquarters (HQ) and prepare monthly bank reconciliations.
Prepare and or review monthly allocations – (Examples include Vehicle fuel, repairs and maintenance, insurance, telephone, office supplies, etc.).
Accounting and Financial Reporting:
Ensure correct coding of all payments before positing into PASTEL Accounting System
Maintain accounting policy and procedures manual, chart of accounts and forms.
Manage and maintain accounting system.
Review monthly journal entries and account coding and data entry of Finance Officers, checking receipts and informing staff of variances and mistakes.
Reconcile all balance sheet accounts and maintain subsidiary ledgers on a monthly basis
Prepare and submit monthly Financial Statements to Global Finance for review and approval.
Work with and support the global accounting team under the guidance of Managing Director to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Prepare for donor audits/financial reviews and GRS-SA annual audit. Ensure the financial statements are in compliance with International Accounting Standards, the account balances are reconciled and supported. And support Managing Director to ensure audit work is coordinated with the global finance team.
Ensure compliance with GRS policies and procedures, internal controls and employment laws.
Manage and ensure financial record keeping (vendor files, consultant files, purchasing documents, fixed asset support & subsidiary ledgers) is appropriate and efficient.
Lead in preparing monthly financial budget vs actual (BvA) reports for Senior Management Team (SMT) & Board of Directors meetings.
General Operations & Administration
Oversee all GRS South Africa operations manuals, policies, and procedures, including the organization’s travel policy.
Maintain GRS South Africa’s fraud management and reporting system and ensure that staff are routinely trained on how and when to report fraud.
Provide supervisory oversight of all GRS South Africa operations staff (procurement officer, office assistants and site operations representative).
Ensure GRS is properly insured and assist in coordinating insurance renewals and claims.
Manage and oversee all regulatory reporting and liaise with relevant government ministries and agencies related to organizational registration.
Oversee general office administration, including office repairs/upgrades, IT connectivity, office security, vehicle use and tracking, etc.
Oversee GRS South Africa’s asset management system to ensure assets are tracked, properly maintained and safeguarded.
Grants Management
Prepare donor financial reports and maintain individual grant monthly file is up to date
Assist in managing and maintaining SA grant files. Ensure we have signed agreements, proposals, and approved budget for each grant.
Attend and participate in monthly budget vs. actual (BvA) calls with donors.
Assist the global team in budget variance analysis and grant reporting as needed.
Review and report to the SMT budget variances.
People Management
Supervise the Finance Officer to ensure timely and accurate reporting.
Identify financial training needs for all GRS SA staff members and advise the Managing Director
Act as a liaison between the finance department and the other departments to ensure an efficient and accurate flow of information.
Handle or delegate staff inquiries as appropriate and offer advice to ensure expenditures are in accordance with audit requirements.
Evaluate Finance & Operations staff skills set are aligned to GRS expectations, and they interact with other staff members to improve financial reporting, coding, workflow, policies, procedures, and budget management.
Key relationships
Managing Director GRS SA
Senior Management Team GRS SA
Global HQ departments (Finance, Operations)
Educational requirements
Degree or Diploma in business management, finance, accounting, or other related discipline.
At least 3 to 5 years’ experience in different aspects of project accounting
2 years’ experience required in accounting and reporting for USAID-funded project or program
Demonstrated capacity to manage operational staff
Understanding of USAID rules and regulations regarding accounting, reporting, and auditing
MS Office tools (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
Pastel Accounting software knowledge
Senior Management experience
Skills and Experience required
Superb knowledge and application of all relevant South Africa legislation
Superb knowledge and application of accounting and reporting
Excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.
Excellent attention to detail
Consummate professionalism and discretion.
Excellent planning, organisational skills.
Excellent English verbal and written communication skills.
Honesty and integrity.
Good team player.
Responsible and accountable.
Good work ethic.
Personal qualities required
Confident, assertive communicator who can work comfortably with diverse groups of people and across all levels
Excellent writing skills in English and preferably, but not required, another SA language
Attention to detail
Able to prioritize work and manage deadlines
Innovative and creative, able to see new opportunities
Planning and time management – meets deadlines
Reflective and open to learning
Personal qualities required
Successful leaders at Grassroot Soccer are bold, yet humble. They are passionate about the mission of Grassroot Soccer and understand their role on the Grassroot Soccer team to achieve its mission.
Proactive: can anticipate both opportunities and obstacles and take action
Professional: level-headed; ability to de-escalate difficult situations, behave exceptionally, and manage/minimize distractions
Problem Solvers: comfortable with ambiguity, can creatively unlock bottlenecks and turn problems into opportunities
…they demonstrate lots of…
Common Sense: prioritizing the right things at the right time; making good, quick, informed decisions balancing multiple issues and points of view
Self-awareness: know where one’s blind spots are, recognize differences, and build a team to complement one’s skills and weaknesses
…and a strong bias for…
Follow-through and outcomes: deliver results, not just create lots of activity
Treating people well: empathetic, kind, great listener, yet can make tough decisions and hold oneself/others accountable