Job Description

POSITION TITLE: Finance Manager

LOCATION: Lilongwe, Malawi

REPORTS TO: Operations Director

Project Summary:

The Market Transitions to Enable New Growth Opportunities (MTENGO) project is a five year, USDA-funded project implemented by Winrock International in the Northern and Central regions of Malawi. MTENGO uses a farmer-first approach grounded in market incentives to increase resource-efficient, reliable production from Malawian agriculture in the face of climate unpredictability.

MTENGO’s approach will enable farmers to: Diversify and achieve stable returns from their farming portfolio through climate smart farming by responding to market demands with diversified production; Increase access to water for productive purposes through improved water management practices; Make ecosystem services work for farmers by improving farmer access to, and collective management of, water, soil, and forest products; and Increase access to markets and finance so farmers can make climate smart investments.

Job Summary:

The Finance Manager has day-to-day responsibility for administering project finances. He/she manages all accounting and finance functions in the project office and submits monthly financial reports (i.e., Field Reports, bank reconciliations, bank statements, advance schedules, liability schedules, inventory reports, grant tracker, etc.) to the Regional Office in Nairobi.

Specific Responsibilities:

Finance Roles Oversees all financial and accounting aspects of the MTENGO project In collaboration with the COP and technical team, develops projections, budgets, monitor compliance with approved budgets, and prepares financial analyses needed by the COP and other project staff to effectively manage project funds. Provide inputs to periodic financial reports to USDA, as may be required Ensures daily compliance at the field level with Winrock’s financial and accounting policies and procedures, local laws and donor rules and regulations. Maintains and strengthens financial systems (i.e., internal controls) in the Field Office; ensures compliance with signing and approval thresholds, and segregation of incompatible functions. Responsible for payroll including developing the payroll and securing approval from the COP for national staff payroll process, including preparation of the payroll report and variance tracker Complies with any in-country audit requirements and supports the Home Office and Regional Office with internal audits and operational reviews. Generates monthly financial report package and submits the same to the COP and Project Manager at HO for review and approval; after which the approved report packages are submitted to the Regional Office in Nairobi within the set deadlines. Quickbook reports i.e. FOV, Comparative Balance sheet, P/L by Class and in detail, assets, and liabilities schedules Bank reconciliation and bank statements Grants Tracker and Inventory report Oversees uploading of monthly financial reports and hard copies (backups) at the designated SharePoint site within set deadline. Works with technical staff to develop monthly budget needs and submit wire requests to Home Office within the set deadline. Manage bank accounts and monitor all transactions Ensures finance and accounting records are kept intact, audit-ready at all times, and compliant with Winrock’s records retention policy. Monitors monthly financial performance in relation to budgets and forecasts, obligated funds, commitments, and advances to subcontractors, grantees and consultants. Supports subcontractors and grantees in financial monitoring and reporting and makes field visits to subcontractor/grantees’ office as and when needed to verify records and compliance and build capacity if needed. Monitor partners’ timely settlement of advances and cross check source documents. Ensure compliance with local taxes and VAT, submit necessary associated reports (VAT, tax withholding, and others) as required Supervises the Finance and Admin Officers (one in Lilongwe and one in Mzuzu). Support other Winrock International projects in Malawi as needed.

Capacity Building and supporting the team of Finance and Admin Officers. This would imply and require regular visits to the field to monitor performance and provide training to ensure that financial and administrative systems are in place and being adhered to. Other duties may be assigned. Administrative Roles Manage relationships with all MTENGO suppliers, including supporting the maintenance of administrative control by ensuring contracts are completed and up to date and payments are made on time, and that IT support, security and other contracted services are performing their jobs to the level required Verifies the modalities of taxation and tax exemption and, if necessary, introduce and follow up the request with the competent authorities Ensure that project filing processes are applied and that the monthly filing of the hard copies as well as the filing of the softcopies are updated in a timely manner. Support the review of the monthly leave tracker and payroll reporting cycle for national staff to ensure that any issues are flagged and followed up on a timely basis, and payroll deadlines are met.

In Coordination with the Operations Director, provide technical support to Finance and Admin Officer on the administrative matters of the MTENGO project. Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or related field; Certified Public Accountant (CPA) qualification strongly preferred Minimum 8 years’ experience increasingly responsibility leading financial management of donor-funded programs required, USDA or USAID experience preferred; Familiar with coordinating with governmental offices to ensure the organization’s operation comply with local laws; Excellent knowledge of MS Office – Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint including SharePoint cloud storage; Strong analytical and computer skills, especially spreadsheet and financial analysis; and Must have a strong customer service orientation, ability to demonstrate the highest level of ethical standards at all times, ability to multi-task and juggle competing priorities while ensuring quality output. Excellent written and oral communication skill in English required About Winrock International Winrock is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and value diversity and inclusiveness. Winrock recruits, employs, trains, promotes and compensates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. At Winrock we have a clear mission: Empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources through unwavering dedication to accountability, equity, innovation, integrity and transformation. Winrock knows that its success comes from the hard work and steadfast dedication of its diverse workforce. Winrock remains committed to maintaining diversity, inclusion and equity across the entire organization