Project Finance and Risk Advisor
- Employer
- Sightsavers
- Location
- Tanzania, Malawi
- Salary
- Local terms and conditions apply
- Closing date
- 14 Mar 2021
View more
- Function
- Finance & Legal
- Sector
- International
- Hours
- Full Time
- Contract Type
- Contract
Job Details
Sightsavers implements projects in over 30 countries in Africa and South Asia working to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities. We are looking for three new Project Finance and Risk Advisors to work closely with country office staff and other support teams to ensure that projects funded by donors run smoothly.
Location: Cote D’Ivoire (Abidjan), Nigeria (Abuja), Ghana (Accra), Malawi (Lilongwe), Zambia, Tanzania
Contract: Two-year fixed term
Salary: Local terms and conditions apply
About the role
The Project Finance and Risk Advisor will work on targeted capacity building initiatives and special objectives/ projects to enhance the status of project financial management and donor compliance within Sightsavers’ financial management processes.
A typical day could include:
- Calling the country office finance manager of the Senegal Eye Health project to discuss pending issues in the financial report
- Noticing an area for improvement in our review process. Making a note of it to bring up in our team meeting next week
- Dealing with ad-hoc requests about exchange rates and budget flexibility from your various country office and global contacts
- Attending a meeting with stakeholders across the organisation to kick-start the Inclusive Employment proposal application for a £1mn European Commission grant in Mali
- Working on a payroll journal that charges staff time to donors for this month
- Pausing your work on the payroll journal to review and sign-off that Senegal Eye Health project financial report that just came in your inbox. You send it to the Institutional Funding team who then submit it to the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Job done.
About you
This job may be for you if:
- You are proactive by nature and have initiative.
- You are comfortable taking decisions and have a good sense of when to escalate issues.
- You are quick to notice irregularities, yet you do not lose sight of the bigger picture.
- You enjoy solving problems and have a keen eye for improvement.
- You communicate clearly. You adapt your language and pace to suit your listeners.
- You are confident holding close working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
Last but not least, you are comfortable travelling to the countries we work in if necessary.
Jobholder Requirements
Essential:
- Able to demonstrate finance and accountancy experience or excellent numerical skills
- Advanced Proficiency with Microsoft Excel
- Experience of working for an international (INGO)
- Proven experience of institutional donor project financial management
- Willing and able to travel on average twice a year if required (1-2 week trips)
- Good English language skills and experience working in English
- Good communication and stakeholder management skills
- Strong attention to detail with a willingness to follow issues through to resolution
- Continuous improvement mindset, seeking ways to improve processes and mitigate risk
Desirable:
- Proven experience of USAID, EC and FCDO project financial management
- Proven experience of financial training to finance staff
- Able to explain financial issues and procedures to a non-financial audience.
- Experience of a computer-based accounting system
- Any knowledge of languages in addition to English (French, Portuguese, Wolof, or Swahili would be particularly useful)
- High level of programmatic and financial understanding of the project cycle
This is an involved role and please see the job description for full details.
Local terms and conditions apply to each location and can be confirmed prior to interview.
We anticipate that remote interviews will take place from 29 March 2021 onwards and the evaluation process will include a one hour Excel assessment.
As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people living with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.
Closing date: 14 March 2021
Company
Sightsavers Head Office
35 Perrymount Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex RH16 3BW
Postal Address
Bumpers Way,
Bumpers Farm,
Chippenham SN14 6NG
Sightsavers is an international charity that works in more than 30 countries around the world to eliminate avoidable blindness and support people with visual impairments to live independently. Sightsavers is headquartered in the UK and has over 400 employees. It also has branches in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, India, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Sightsavers works with partners in order to provide a comprehensive range of eye care services. In 2013, Sightsavers' projects provided eye health examinations for nearly 14 million people, performed 300,000 eye operations, and treated over 100 million people for neglected tropical diseases.
People are also referred for treatment to prevent blindness or restore sight. Through community volunteers in developing countries, Sightsavers distributes medication to prevent blinding diseases. The charity also trains eye care workers and surgeons and funds operations.
Of the 30 countries Sightsavers works in, 23 are in Africa. These include Mozambique, Mali, Liberia and Kenya. Sightsavers is also present in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Caribbean.
In addition to its medical work, Sightsavers works with partners in order to train specialist teaching staff and supply glasses, Braille kits and other learning tools. The charity aims to educate communities and reduce stigma around visual impairment and blindness. Through its work, people with visual impairments and other disabilities are supported to live independently, get an education and earn an income.
Sightsavers is also a campaigning organisation, working with national governments to tackle the root causes of avoidable blindness, such as lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities. The charity’s ‘Put us in the Picture’ campaign calls on the international community to make global development inclusive of the world’s 800m people with disabilities. The campaign’s vision is for all people to have equal access to employment, education, healthcare and participation in society.
Backing up Sightsavers’ work around the world is a strong research capability. Research and policy work revolves around three priorities – health, education and social inclusion. Gathering and disseminating sound research evidence helps to ensure the charity’s programmes meet the needs of the people they are designed to serve. Research evidence is also a strong tool when advocating for policy changes with governments.
Sightsavers has many partners that assist with its aim of eliminating avoidable blindness and may also provide funding. Partners include the UK government’s Department for International Development, the European Union and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Read our latest article on Third Sector: Sightsavers: Work for an award-winning charity tackling blindness worldwide
- Website
- http://jobs.sightsavers.org/
- Telephone
- 01444 446600
- Location
-
35 Perrymount Road,
Haywards Heath,
West Sussex
RH16 3BW
GB
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