Operational / Technical Responsibilities
General finance duties
- Ensure confidentiality on all cash / finance issues related to SRCS and Partners.
- While he/she is SRCS staff, know perfectly, respect, and ensure strict compliance at any time with SRCS standards.
1. SRCS/ Swiss RC financial guideline and standards for accounting quality (paper and Excel)
2.Integration of SRCS and partners accounting quality
3.Donors’ specific requirements, as per donor guidelines and Finance Manager instructions
•Know perfectly, respect, and ensure strict compliance at any time with SRCS standards according to SRCS Financial Manual:
1. SRCS/ Swiss RC chart of accounts
2. SRCS/ Swiss RC financial guidelines and standards for accounting quality (paper and electronic)
3.Integration of SRCS/ Swiss RC and partners accounting systems
4. SRCS/ Swiss RC purchasing / validation / payment procedures for the delegation.
5. SRCS/ Swiss RC cash security rules (cash holding limits for safe and petty cash, security envelopes, cash movement, currency exchange, advances)
6.National tax regulation and other legal requirements from the Sudan government if applicable.
Cash safety and availability:
- Responsible for the safety of cash during storage, and daily payment and transfer (in accordance with cash security rules), recommend improvements.
- Ensure petty cash boxes are properly handled, cash books maintained, and a cash count performed regularly.
- Monitor cash balance levels in capital, anticipate short-term needs and request relevant cash transfers or withdrawals to Finance Director representatives to avoid any shortage.
- Consolidate the cash requests from the field in coordination with all relevant persons (in field + capital), submit to Finance Director for validation and take care of further in-house procedures.
- Organize currency exchange transactions when needed, according to the country exchange policy.
- Prepare transfers to the fields according to need, in a timely manner, and in accordance with cash security rules.
Daily cash management:
•Ensure close and proper follow-up of all cash advances, in capital and in the field (extra-accounting)
•Ensure proper understanding and use of all finance tools: cashbooks, advance books, cash inventories ((Financial system)), bank reconciliations, monthly cash request, etc.
•Ensure payments to suppliers are performed in a strict but swift manner, in accordance with the SRCS/ Swiss RC purchasing and payment procedures.
•Ensure compliance with cash control procedures for each journal: cashbook updated at every single transaction IN/OUT, weekly cash count and reconciliation with accounting system together with and Finance Director, complete cash inventory performed and signed on last day of the month.
•Ensure any cash discrepancy is investigated (and reported to SRCS Head of Finance).
Bank management
•Prepare cheque payments, transfer requests and bank reconciliations for all bank accounts in capital, check all bank reconciliations from the field.
•Ensure copies of checks / proof of transfer are always attached to voucher for payments from bank accounts.
Paper accounting (vouchers):
- Develop relevant (or suggest improvements to existing) tools and forms to help finance staff record and follow up recurrent costs in a proper and consistent manner (incentives, per diems, utilities, etc.)
- Responsible for quality of receipts / vouchers throughout the mission: check every single voucher from capital + field, ensure that all vouchers are in accordance with SRCS/partners standards (translated in a understandable way and readable)
- Ensure vouchers are properly presented and stamped, include all relevant & required validation signatures, include attached any relevant and required support documents.
- Report immediately any litigious / suspicious voucher / receipt / document to SRCS/ Swiss RC Head of Finance Projects section.
- Send personalized feedback to each relevant accountant/administrator in case vouchers are incomplete or invalid, request missing documents.
Budget follow-up:
- Perform extracts of expenses, provide relevant cost information, produce cost analysis upon request.
- Help the program management prepare and check the draft initial and revised budgets for the projects.
- Prepare monthly budget follow-up, fill & update relevant comments before submitting to the relevant people (SRCS Branch and HQ, Partners). Upon approval ensure distribution and share comments & analysis with all relevant persons involved.
- Raise attention to significant budget variances and overspendings, recommend corrective measures for savings / improvements / reduction of fraud and financial risks
Management of technical Finance staff:
- Actively support project accountants based in the field.
- Provide support to (answer questions, feedback) and maintain control (spot-checks, reminders, advice) over finance staff
- Perform relevant technical training for finance staff in capital or on the field (in particular assistants, officers and cashiers) for skills improvement in the area of accounting.
Reporting:
- Perform field visits as per need and requests, write field visit reports.
- Perform controls and ensure compliance by field accountant and work continuously for improvement throughout the Projects.
- Immediately inform SRCS Head of Finance and Swiss RC Country Manager of any problem or issue arising in the course of the work
- Main interlocutor and facilitator for project audits .
Office Support Tasks:
- Follow up with both SRCS Logistics and Finance Department on quotations and requisitions for project material to ensure timely availability of material. (Only check the documents after logistics finish all procedures).
- Prepare Memos for the diverse administrative procedures (finances, logistics, administration, car fleet, etc.) in the house and deliver them to right people. Ensure follow up.
- Support to SRCS at HQ , branch’s Finance departments various work matters that may arise
