Program Finance and Operations Officer - SNV Ghana

SNV Netherlands Development is a not-for-profit international development organization that has built a long-term local presence in 38 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin-America. SNV Ghana implements projects to improve individual lives and contributes to solving global challenges in the areas of Agriculture, Energy, and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene. SNV’s implementation approach focuses on developing innovative solutions to alleviate poverty through sustainable and locally-led development.

For more information on SNV, visit our website: www.snv.org

SNV has been present in Ghana since 1992.

Among SNV Ghana’s Agriculture Projects is the 2SCALE program. The program, 2019-23 builds on achievements and lessons learnt from a first phase (2012-18, www.2scale.org). It aims to be a flagship program for the Netherlands’ food security policy and one of the leading catalysts of inclusive agribusiness in sub-Saharan Africa.

2SCALE is designed to incubate and accelerate inclusive agribusiness development in target countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Nigeria). Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are the core implementation modality to achieve the objectives of the program. 2SCALE’s strategy is three-pronged:

1.    Incubating inclusive business: through PPPs, 2SCALE works together with private enterprises to develop agribusiness models that promote inclusiveness, develop (new) competitive edge, and have potential for scaling. PPPs support value chain development and agribusiness cluster formation. The agribusiness cluster approach helps smallholder farmers develop farming as a business and supply agricultural products for local, national, regional and international markets. 2SCALE partners with African and multinational agri-food companies as drivers to increase productivity and to improve efficiency and sustainability of supported agribusiness clusters and value chains. Specific attention is given to youth and women to integrate value chains (as farmers, laborers, entrepreneurs, service providers), and to low income / “base of the pyramid” (BoP) consumers that represent the largest market for food products in sub-Saharan Africa.

2.    Replicating inclusive business: through PPPs, 2SCALE supports the replication of most successful business models, in different settings (regions, industries), through the same or different private partners.

3.    Facilitating sector transformation and policy alignment: 2SCALE also supports partnering enterprises to drive sector transformation and policy alignment for critical bottlenecks that cannot be solved by the actors within the focus PPPs, and which affects a number of actors in the sector simultaneously.

2SCALE is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and implemented by a consortium led by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and comprising the Base-of-the-Pyramid Innovation Center (BoPInc) and the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV). The Partnerships Resource Center (PrC) supports the consortium as a knowledge partner.

The programme is currently seeking applicants for a full-time position for Program Finance and Operations Officer

The position is based in Accra, Ghana

The Program Finance and Operation Officer (PFOO) is responsible for the overall multi-country Finance and Operational Management of SNV-2SCALE. S/he works under direct supervision of the SNV Ghana Country Finance Manager.  The PFOO will also work closely with the Multi-Country Program Manager of SNV-2SCALE, and the various SNVs Country Finance Managers in all seven countries where SNV has interventions in 2SCALE. S/he will also liaise with SNV Head office concerning the operational systems (SAP and Timetell) as well as the invoicing of SNV-Backstoppers and centrally recruited consultants. S/he will also have operational contacts with HR-Officers in the 2SCALE.

The PFOO shall oversee and manage the financial and administrative activities of the Multi-Country Program Manager putting into consideration the requirements of the consortium (organised around the consortium Governance Agreement, the sub-agreement IFDC-SNV and the DGIS grant decision). Both regulations,  2SCALE (PPP protocol as well as Sub-grant Manual) as well as SNV’s organizational policy should be followed. S/He anticipates deadlines of SNV internal planning and reporting (Monthly, PRR, Yearly) and external reporting to IFDC. S/He advises the SNV Ghana Country Finance Manager and the Multi-Country Program Manager on all finance, administrative and contractual issues that rise in the implementation of 2SCALE.

I. Financial Management

• Maintain strong program financial management system in line with SNV financial policies, donor rules (IFDC) and local government regulations in all countries.
• Supervises and controls the implementation of SNV-2SCALE finance and administrative manual instructions in all SNV countries of 2SCALE, and if needed proposes improvements.
• Maintain adequate internal control system for programme resources
• Ensure timely financial process, adequate financial records, and complete disclosure of financial transaction to meet reporting requirement of IFDC.
• Provides all needed information to SNV-auditors, IFDC-auditors and eventually DGIS-auditors under supervision of the Multi-Country Program Finance Manager.
• Provide timely advice to Multi-Country Program Finance Manager and Multi-Country Program Manager on all financial issues related to the program.

II Budget Management, planning and reporting

• Introduce clear and unique filenames, tracking and tracing system of all budget files, for SNV 2SCALE. Upload every adjustment on SNV 2SCALE SharePoint.
• Prepares multi-annual and annual budgets in collaboration with the countries for Multi-Country Program Finance Manager and Multi-Country Program Manager.
• Reviews on a monthly base the invoicing of expenditures on SNV 2SCALE in all countries and proposes corrective measures to Multi-Country Program Manager.
• Consolidate timely and as per PMT instruction monthly and quarterly country finance reports for submission to IFDC after approval of the Multi-Country Program Manager and advice SNV  Officer in charge.
• Monitors Monthly the gross contribution of the program for SNV and proposes actions to improve performance if needed.
• Pro-actively the Multi-Country Program Finance Manager and Multi-Country Program Manager on all budget management issues related to the program

III. Sub-grant & consultancy contract Management

• Monitors & controls all Sub-grants and consultancy contracts.
• Monitors with the Country Finance Manager in the three SNV Hosted countries, as well as in collaboration with the 2SCALE contract managers/financial officers the timely payments of these sub-grants and consultancy contracts.
• Maintains a tracking sheet to monitor, inform and ask for action of Multi-Country Program Manager in case of issues that needs his attention.
• Provide training and coaching to SNV staff on sub-grant and contract management.

IV. Operational Management

• Monitor the monthly Time writing completeness and accuracy and manage Masterdata adjustments where needed. Prepare a monthly report on this for Multi-Country Program Manager.
• Support SNV HR administration in all SNV 2SCALE countries on HR issues of staff in line with all procedures in 2SCALE.
• Organise the SNV-2SCALE SharePoint and upload all needed documents.
• Provide training and coaching to SNV 2SCALE personnel on operational management issues.

Applicant must have relevant knowledge in Finance and Business Management, and understand the dynamics of finance and operations. He/she must have strong communication and networking skills.

• Minimum five years’ experience working in with complex multi-country programs in NGO or private sector setting with an annual budget of more than one million Euro;
• A degree in one of the following: Accounting or Finance, Development Finance or its related area;
• Knowledge of Advanced Excel and Accounting Software, preferably SAP;
• Good written and oral expression in English & French;
• Result oriented, Easily adapts, Flexible, and responsible.