Job Purpose:

Country Financial Controller will be responsible for managing all aspects of the finance function of the Concern Worldwide, Bangladesh programme to achieve our objectives in line with Concern Worldwide policies, procedures and standards. S/He is a member of the Senior Management Team and will actively engage and provide leadership in the development and management of all programmes in accordance with organizational policies and the Country Strategic Plan. S/he will work closely with all Concern staff, tax authorities, NGO/AB, auditors, partners & donor finance staff.

Main duties & responsibilities:
Financial Systems and Controls

• Ensure that country financial management systems and records are adequate in order to identify and protect the assets and interest of the organization.
• Ensure that the systems and procedures in place enhance, as far as possible, the efficiency and effectiveness of the manner in which assets are utilized.
• Maintaining and monitoring an effective and efficient system of internal controls (i.e. ledger, cashbooks, balance sheet reconciliations, cash and bank management etc.) which comply with Concern Worldwide’s financial guidelines and minimise the risk of fraud or misappropriation.
• Ensuring financial systems of the country programme are operating in line with standard Concern procedures and they meet the monitoring and reporting requirements of the Country Management Team, Donors and National Authorities
• Ensure that the country financial operations comply with legal and statutory requirements e.g. audit and financial reporting to all relevant national authorities.
• With the support of the finance team, keep up to date with donor regulations and ensure that all controls are in place to meet donor compliance.
• Support the Systems Director and team in ensuring there is a complete record of capital assets and that they are adequately safeguarded
• Organising and supporting financial assessments, reviews, monitoring and training of local partner organisations;
• Undertaking regular field visits to assess the financial systems in place & implement improvements wherever needed
• Closely monitor all financial activities, and keep the CD/Senior Management Team advised of all situations that have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial management performance.
• Accepting, advancing and pursuing any new objectives or responsibilities that may be assigned by the Country Director including transfer of existing duties and/or re-assignment to other responsibilities should the organisation so require
• Ensure that the global accounting package (Microsoft Great Plains) is maintained in a proper manner, and utilized in an appropriate and effective manner

Financial Reporting and Donor Reporting

• Assist the CD and budget-holders in preparing budgets and revisions in line with strategic plans and organisational objectives. This involves supporting, facilitating and consolidating the financial budgets.
• Ensure proper recording of income and expenditure to comply with Concern and donor regulations.
• Producing monthly management accounts (budget vs. actual) and working with the programme teams and department managers to understand their expenditure reports (management accounts) and budgets and advise for effective management of budgets
• Overseeing the accurate preparation of financial reports and ensuring both organisational and donor requirements are met within agreed timeframes
• Overseeing the process of for new project/programme budgets and reviews
• Maintaining a donor financial management system in order to optimize funding and to ensure efficient and accurate reporting to donors, including donor compliance
• Ensuring timely and accurate preparation of financial reports for Concern’s Head Office (Financial Reporting Pack (i.e. FRP)
• Ensure all balance sheet items are reconciled on a timely basis, in accordance with Concern Worldwide policies & procedures
• Finalise year end accounts for the external auditors and provide any ad-hoc finance reports for Concern’s Head Office
• Provide financial analysis where necessary especially on maximizing available funds and advice to CD.

Staff Management and Capacity Building

• Providing leadership and direction for the in-country Finance Team
• Develop a second layer of staff who can fill the gap whenever any position is vacant in the finance team
• Undertake specific training, capacity building and other relevant initiatives to ensure national staff perform their roles and responsibilities with accuracy and professionalism and also create the space for national staff to develop into credible candidates to fill vacant positions in the finance team and to provide strong cover for leave.
• Providing training and support to financial and non-financial staff regarding Concern’s financial procedures and internal controls
•  Undertake financial training of budget-holders, to assist them in enforcing financial controls and making decisions based on financial reports.
• Ensuring Concern’s values and policy commitments, including accountability and equality, are reflected in the work of the Finance Team/Department;
• Ensure that Job Descriptions of field finance are up to date
• Ensure that PDRs are completed for all country finance staff at least annually

Donor Management

• Ensure that necessary donor reporting deadlines are met
• Ensure that donor reports tie back to the general ledger from GP and donor original budgets
• Ensure staff positions are mapped to donor funding, ensuring that gaps are identified and included in future donor proposals, with decisions made on eliminating positions if there isn’t sufficient funding for the role in consultation with SMT
• Ensure all relevant donor guidelines, policies, proposals, periodic reports and other communications are readily available, categorized by grant, and documented in soft and hard copy filing
• Review of prepared donor budgets
• Ensure regular update all information in GMS applicable for finance department.

Senior Management Team (SMT)

• Provides strategic analysis on the overall financial health of the country program to the CD and SMT in making business decisions in line with Concern’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and Annual Budgets
• Assist in the development and implementation of the Country’s Strategic Plan 2021 - 2025
• Contribute to the development of the country’s strategic direction and to the overall leadership of the country programme
• Provide finance updates at the SMT monthly meetings and provide technical advice and expertise to all SMT members

Other Duties

• Facilitate internal, external and donor audits and associated reviews of field systems
• Ensure that all statutory deductions & taxes in respect of national staff are complied with & to liaise with relevant authorities in this respect.
• Ensure the VAT and tax compliance and submit the report to authority in time
• Review and established an effective monitoring system for the donations in Kind (DIK) so that all items received from donor as DIK and distribute to beneficiaries are recording properly and a reconciliation procedures need to develop  to pass the audit trail.
• Assist Country Director to update the delegation of authority document in line with new fundamental changes (New project/ closed project/ staff structure/emergency response/ etc.)
• Implement the finance systems related feedback provided by Regional Accountant or internal auditors.

NGOAB Financial Management and other government compliance

• Review and approve the FD-6 and FD-7 budget in consultation with the field team and grants team
• Ensure  all FD-6 and FD-7 and communication with NGOAB in respective file
• Provide  audit support for each project of FD-6 and FD-7 to complete the report timely
• Review and Finalize the FD-4 report with auditor in time to avoid any further delays of NGOAB fund clearance
• Review the NGOAB fund analysis for each FD-6 and FD-7 and give advance information to CD.
• Review the analysis for international staff related to NGOAB compliance
• Keep liaison with the Government Compliance Advisor and other Directors to ensure the NGOAB Compliance
• Review the FD-6/7 from the donor budget and mapping the NGOAB budget with Donor Budget.
• Ensuring the timely release of the fund as per approval of NGOAB and communicate with the respective person to get the fund clearance letter and project approval of NGOAB. Also finalize the NGOAB required explanation and statement.
• Ensure all legal compliance for the provident fund and gratuity  fund and financial reporting authority in Bangladesh

Partnership Management:

• Assign focal person (s) from finance department to closely work with Concern’s programme teams and partners to perform finance specific requirement including contribute in partnership assessments (CILPATs), support plans and joint monitoring visits 
• Lead capacity development of partners based on the findings from initial financial assessment of partners as well as regular capacity need assessments / finance monitoring visits
• Ensure timely disbursement and liquidation of funds to Concern’s partners after thorough review of finance reports and donor & legal compliances
• Be proactive to flag potential concerns / risks to CD and other internal stakeholders with regards to partners’ finance management

Concern Code of Conduct and Associated Policies

Accountability 

• Promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria 
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern's Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern's commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities 
• Ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes' locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns 
• Ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritised at all stages. 

Confidentiality

• Ensure the non-disclosure of any information whatsoever acquired in the course of duty, relating to the practices and business of Concern Worldwide, to any other person or Organization without authority, except in normal execution of the above duties
• Ensure strict guardianship and security of financial data and documents at all times, including secure storage, accurate & complete filing and limiting access to the finance office to authorised personnel only

Key Requirements:

• Qualified Professional Accountants (e.g. CA/CMA/ACCA)
• At least 10 years (for females 8 years) of professional work experience of which at least 05 years( for females 4 years) in a senior finance management position within an international development / humanitarian organization/INGO in a similar role.

• Solid understanding and experience of dealing with financial compliances of UN and non UN grants (e.g. UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, EU, ECHO, UK, US, Ireland etc.)
• Solid understanding and experience of dealing with relevant GoB compliances for INGOs in Bangladesh including but not limited to FD6, FD7, VAT, taxes etc.
• Solid understanding and experience of dealing with partners’ (local and international NGOs) finance management including robust capacity development of partners.
• Sound leadership skills and ability to demonstrate and promote cross function collaboration
• Requires to be comfortable in being a proactive member of the senior management team
• Requires to have a proven track-record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions
• Demonstrated skills and experience of strategic and analytical thinking and solution oriented
• Required to be able to function effectively in a complex work environment, setting appropriate priorities and manage competing priorities and pressure
• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support
• Requires to have excellent interpersonal communication skills and professional patience and be able to interact, partner and thrive in a diverse environment
• Committed towards empowering team members through capacity development, motivation and delegation,
• Good written and verbal skills in the English and Bangla language
• Experience to manage partners and consortium

Other  preferred competencies :

• Knowledge of development issues and concepts.
• Academic background of or strong practical experience in macro-economic and/or fiscal policy.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines
• English speaking
• Good team worker
• Good Communication and negotiation skills
• A good understanding of computer applications i.e. Microsoft word, Excel, communications systems and basic trouble shooting skills.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, protection and participation
• Good communication and training / capacity building skills
• Proven organization, planning and management skills
• Ability to work on own initiative and lead diverse teams
• Flexible and adaptable to a changing environment

Job Description: Click here to download                   Job Application Form: Click here to download

If you feel that your qualification and experience match our requirements, and you have a shared commitment to Concern’s values, please email the completed Job Application Form, with photograph, National ID and TIN Certificate to recruitment.bgd@concern.net.

Please mark the position applied in the email subject line.

Closing Date of Application: 8 April 2023

Candidates over 60 years of age are discouraged to apply.

Concern Worldwide encourages all qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, ethnicity and origin, disability, political beliefs, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status to apply to become a part of the organisation.  Concern is against all forms of discrimination and unequal power relations, and is committed to promoting equality. Concern follows an equal opportunity policy and actively encourages diversity welcoming applications from all especially women and people living with disability and other diverse group.Concern promotes gender friendly work environment placing staff welfare and wellbeing at the core.

Safeguarding at Concern: Code of Conduct and its Associated Policies:

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct (CCoC) with three Associated Policies; the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4), the Child Safeguarding Policy and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisation, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of vulnerable adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with vulnerable adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Subsequently, working or volunteering with Concern is subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.