Description

The Uganda Red Cross Society is hiring a Finance Director responsible for the financial health of URCS. By combining strategic and operational goals, the Director will provide leadership in financial management of URCS by effective planning, budgeting, accurate financial record keeping, contributing to initiatives that optimize revenues and providing accurate and timely financial information and reports to Management and the Board.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide clear focus and direction into the role and function of the organization.
• Understands and shares URCS Vision, Mission & Values with the directorate’s senior staff and ensures understanding of the same by all Directorate’s staff.
• Lead the organization’s financial planning and budgeting Processes.
• Align financial strategy to the organisation’s strategic plan.
• Take the lead in reviewing and developing the financial policies and procedures.
• Prepare short and long-term financial forecasts of financial performance for use with internal management and external parties.
• Provide to Management and the Board with technical expertise in finance and its impact on the success of the organization.
• Prepare and present medium to long-term financial plans based on the Organization’s Strategic Plan.
• Manage the cash flows of the organisation and ensure that the organisation does not get into liquidity problems.
• Advise senior management on financial investment decisions
• Initiate and implement pricing strategies to achieve the organization’s revenue and surplus objectives.
• Provide oversight on the accurate and timely processing of payments including staff salaries and benefits.
• Lead and initiate the budgeting and approval processes.
• Ensure that all the budgets are reviewed and corrective actions are undertaken timely and within the organization’s financial frameworks.
• Provide oversight to ensure that departments adhere to their budgets by not exceeding budget limits or spending funds on disallowable/non- budgeted items.
• Supervise the process of budget modifications and ensure that it is done in compliance with the organisation’s and donors’ requirements.
• Track budget performance and notify budget holders when their department’s or project’s budget performance starts to lag behind expected utilisation or burn rate.
• Prepare and present budget variance reports to the Board.
• Create and maintain relationships with service providers and contractors, including banking institutions and accountants.
• Enforce compliance with financial policies and procedures
• Implement, and enforce effective Management Accounting Policies Procedures and Processes that ensure achievement of set financial targets including cost control.
• Leads and guides the timely preparation presentation of financial and management accounts to management and the Board.
• Ensure timely production and presentation of financial reports that inform the organization’s performance to Management & Board.
• Initiate and put in place methods to measure the financial performance of the operations and ensures that these measures are understood and integrated in the organization’s planning and management process.
• Provide technical financial advice to the operations and facilitates in the operational financial review process.
• Advise the Management and/or the Board on all Financial Reports -Statutory and Managerial.
• Set the Directorate’s standards for work performance that highlight quality, quantity, timeliness and strict adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Practices and Standards.
• Ensure enforcement of internal control procedures.
• Lead the budgeting and approval processes company-wide.
• Ensure that all the budgets are reviewed and corrective actions are undertaken timely and within the organization’s financial frameworks.
• Ensure that departments adhere to their budgets by not exceeding budget limits or spending funds on disallowable/non-budgeted items.
• Supervise the process of budget modifications and ensure that it is done in compliance with the organisation’s and donors’ requirements.
• Track budget performance and notify budget holders when their department’s or project’s budget performance starts to lag behind expected utilisation or burn rate.
• Report to partners/donors about project budget utilisation, and provide other financial reports to them, as per set reporting timelines.
• Prepare and present budget variance reports to the Board.
• Take the lead in conducting periodical financial risk assessments.
• Responsible for the management of financial risks and maintaining the department’s risk register and utilising it to monitor risks.
• Ensure that the financial controls are applied and continue to be effective in mitigating risks.
• Ensures that all of the organisation’s financial practices comply with statutory regulations, laws, and donors’ requirements.
• Actively participate and contribute to fraud risk assessments.
• Provide oversight in order to ensure that the organisation’s document and record management procedures, and information security policy requirements are applied fully, to the extent management and keeping of financial documents, data, and information is proper.
• Support fundraising opportunities of the organization in line with organizational business plans.
• Support the implementation of an overall fundraising strategy and plan which includes a diverse range of funding streams.
• Support the development of new and current partnership engagements including identifying and building relationships with prospective collaborative partners.
• Participate in development and maintaining of appropriate business development tools and processes as needed.
• Assume accountability over all Organization’s assets, whether they are fixed, movable, current or liquid.
• Liaise with administration department regularly to ensure harmonious, productive and collaborative relationship in matters of asset stewardship.
• Participate in asset planning by making appropriate budget provisions.
• Carry out asset verification exercise annually to ascertain existence and state of the asset.
• Ensure asset valuation every three years.
• In liaison with the office of the HR, actively participate in the recruitment and selection of the Directorate’s staff
• In liaison with the office of the HR, actively participate in discipline of the Directorates staff
• Promptly provide feedback to staff about their performance after every review
• Set performance indicators/targets for finance staff and lead the performance management process for the staff in the Directorate
• Frequently hold staff accountable for the achievement of performance targets through supervisory reviews and appraisals.
• Handhold staff through coaching sessions to help them improve in areas where their performance is not up to standard.
• Provide long-term professional guidance to staff through mentoring and prepare them to take on more senior roles later
• Recognize excellent performance and encourage staff to seek higher levels of performance.
• Establish and implement a training programme for new finance employees.
• Readily accepts all essential ad hoc assignments that the Secretary General and/or the Senior Management Committee or the Board may from time to time assign.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Minimum Master’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or any related field from an approved, recognized and reputable university.
• Certified Professional Accountancy qualification; i.e.; ACCA, CIMA, CPA is a MUST.
• Minimum of Ten (10) years’ professional experience in Finance and Accounting Function in a large organization; five (5) of the years with managerial responsibilities.
• Experience in using Financial Management Information Systems (NAVISON accounting package is an added advantage).
• Experience with large institutional donors and funding bodies at international or national humanitarian agency level is an added advantage
• Organizational awareness
• Leadership
• Managing performance
• Political awareness
• Analytical thinking
• Strategic planning
• Judgment and decision making
• Managing resources.
• Must have sound knowledge of computerized Accounting.
• Must be cost conscious and able to implement and enforce effective budgetary controls.
• Must have high level of integrity, with attendant independence and ability to make sound financial decisions.
• Must be a seasoned People Manager with demonstrable prior experience and success in overseeing Staff productivity and Performance Management.
• Strong knowledge of project financial management
• Proficiency in bookkeeping and double-entry accounting
• Financial analysis and corporate financial reporting
• Financial Risk Management
• Strategic Financial Planning
• Budgeting and budgetary control
• Donor financial accounting procedures
• Tax laws and systems in Uganda.

• Provide clear focus and direction into the role and function of the organization.
• Understands and shares URCS Vision, Mission & Values with the directorate’s senior staff and ensures understanding of the same by all Directorate’s staff.
• Lead the organization’s financial planning and budgeting Processes.
• Align financial strategy to the organisation’s strategic plan.
• Take the lead in reviewing and developing the financial policies and procedures.
• Prepare short and long-term financial forecasts of financial performance for use with internal management and external parties.
• Provide to Management and the Board with technical expertise in finance and its impact on the success of the organization.
• Prepare and present medium to long-term financial plans based on the Organization’s Strategic Plan.
• Manage the cash flows of the organisation and ensure that the organisation does not get into liquidity problems.
• Advise senior management on financial investment decisions
• Initiate and implement pricing strategies to achieve the organization’s revenue and surplus objectives.
• Provide oversight on the accurate and timely processing of payments including staff salaries and benefits.
• Lead and initiate the budgeting and approval processes.
• Ensure that all the budgets are reviewed and corrective actions are undertaken timely and within the organization’s financial frameworks.
• Provide oversight to ensure that departments adhere to their budgets by not exceeding budget limits or spending funds on disallowable/non- budgeted items.
• Supervise the process of budget modifications and ensure that it is done in compliance with the organisation’s and donors’ requirements.
• Track budget performance and notify budget holders when their department’s or project’s budget performance starts to lag behind expected utilisation or burn rate.
• Prepare and present budget variance reports to the Board.
• Create and maintain relationships with service providers and contractors, including banking institutions and accountants.
• Enforce compliance with financial policies and procedures
• Implement, and enforce effective Management Accounting Policies Procedures and Processes that ensure achievement of set financial targets including cost control.
• Leads and guides the timely preparation presentation of financial and management accounts to management and the Board.
• Ensure timely production and presentation of financial reports that inform the organization’s performance to Management & Board.
• Initiate and put in place methods to measure the financial performance of the operations and ensures that these measures are understood and integrated in the organization’s planning and management process.
• Provide technical financial advice to the operations and facilitates in the operational financial review process.
• Advise the Management and/or the Board on all Financial Reports -Statutory and Managerial.
• Set the Directorate’s standards for work performance that highlight quality, quantity, timeliness and strict adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Practices and Standards.
• Ensure enforcement of internal control procedures.
• Lead the budgeting and approval processes company-wide.
• Ensure that all the budgets are reviewed and corrective actions are undertaken timely and within the organization’s financial frameworks.
• Ensure that departments adhere to their budgets by not exceeding budget limits or spending funds on disallowable/non-budgeted items.
• Supervise the process of budget modifications and ensure that it is done in compliance with the organisation’s and donors’ requirements.
• Track budget performance and notify budget holders when their department’s or project’s budget performance starts to lag behind expected utilisation or burn rate.
• Report to partners/donors about project budget utilisation, and provide other financial reports to them, as per set reporting timelines.
• Prepare and present budget variance reports to the Board.
• Take the lead in conducting periodical financial risk assessments.
• Responsible for the management of financial risks and maintaining the department’s risk register and utilising it to monitor risks.
• Ensure that the financial controls are applied and continue to be effective in mitigating risks.
• Ensures that all of the organisation’s financial practices comply with statutory regulations, laws, and donors’ requirements.
• Actively participate and contribute to fraud risk assessments.
• Provide oversight in order to ensure that the organisation’s document and record management procedures, and information security policy requirements are applied fully, to the extent management and keeping of financial documents, data, and information is proper.
• Support fundraising opportunities of the organization in line with organizational business plans.
• Support the implementation of an overall fundraising strategy and plan which includes a diverse range of funding streams.
• Support the development of new and current partnership engagements including identifying and building relationships with prospective collaborative partners.
• Participate in development and maintaining of appropriate business development tools and processes as needed.
• Assume accountability over all Organization’s assets, whether they are fixed, movable, current or liquid.
• Liaise with administration department regularly to ensure harmonious, productive and collaborative relationship in matters of asset stewardship.
• Participate in asset planning by making appropriate budget provisions.
• Carry out asset verification exercise annually to ascertain existence and state of the asset.
• Ensure asset valuation every three years.
• In liaison with the office of the HR, actively participate in the recruitment and selection of the Directorate’s staff
• In liaison with the office of the HR, actively participate in discipline of the Directorates staff
• Promptly provide feedback to staff about their performance after every review
• Set performance indicators/targets for finance staff and lead the performance management process for the staff in the Directorate
• Frequently hold staff accountable for the achievement of performance targets through supervisory reviews and appraisals.
• Handhold staff through coaching sessions to help them improve in areas where their performance is not up to standard.
• Provide long-term professional guidance to staff through mentoring and prepare them to take on more senior roles later
• Recognize excellent performance and encourage staff to seek higher levels of performance.
• Establish and implement a training programme for new finance employees.
• Readily accepts all essential ad hoc assignments that the Secretary General and/or the Senior Management Committee or the Board may from time to time assign.

• Organizational awareness
• Leadership
• Managing performance
• Political awareness
• Analytical thinking
• Strategic planning
• Judgment and decision making
• Managing resources.
• Must have sound knowledge of computerized Accounting.
• Must be cost conscious and able to implement and enforce effective budgetary controls.
• Must have high level of integrity, with attendant independence and ability to make sound financial decisions.
• Must be a seasoned People Manager with demonstrable prior experience and success in overseeing Staff productivity and Performance Management.
• Strong knowledge of project financial management
• Proficiency in bookkeeping and double-entry accounting
• Financial analysis and corporate financial reporting
• Financial Risk Management
• Strategic Financial Planning
• Budgeting and budgetary control
• Donor financial accounting procedures
• Tax laws and systems in Uganda.

• Minimum Master’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or any related field from an approved, recognized and reputable university.
• Certified Professional Accountancy qualification; i.e.; ACCA, CIMA, CPA is a MUST.
• Minimum of Ten (10) years’ professional experience in Finance and Accounting Function in a large organization; five (5) of the years with managerial responsibilities.
• Experience in using Financial Management Information Systems (NAVISON accounting package is an added advantage).
• Experience with large institutional donors and funding bodies at international or national humanitarian agency level is an added advantage