Finance Officer

Overall Purpose:
The Finance Officer (FO) shall be responsible for Accounts Payables for the entire GARDP Foundation. S/he will ensure that daily finance and accounting activities are performed with a high-quality standard and that invoices are registered in the ERP system and paid on a timely basis. The FO will contribute to the closing of accounts and preparations for the annual statutory and donor audits. The post holder will also assist with other tasks such as the preparation of bank reconciliations and conduct of other accounting activities, arising from time to time.

Contribution:
The FO provides specialist services to the operational line and project team, working in alignment with tried and tested policies, processes and practices. S/he solves non-routine problems on a case by case/ project basis, reflecting complete understanding of projects, programs, and the GARDP environment.

Key Job Responsibilities:

I. Support to Geneva Office %):

(A) Accounts Payable (Invoices)

(1) Receive and Verify Invoices: Confirm the existence of valid contracts for all invoices, and incorporate banking details on each in accordance with their corresponding contracts. Check alignment with budgets, and ensure that the invoices reflect contractual terms and schedules and the payment progress. Request removal of VAT for Swiss-based vendors and suppliers;
(2) Register Invoices: Record invoice details in Business Central daily, incorporating the posting date (date of service), payment due date, GL account(s), and description following the Who/ What/ Where/ When rule, apart from the Project Code;
(3) Identify Electronic Approvers: Assign electronic approvers for the validation of invoices in accordance with the Signature Policy. Send required input to the concerned budget managers and/or holders for the validation of invoices including Project Codes. Follow up on invoices pending approval and ensure that the invoices are duly signed and returned promptly, per the Signature Policy;
(4) Follow-up on invoices put on hold by budget managers and/or holders.

(B) Creation of Vendors, Regular Review and Maintenance of the Vendor Database Following ICM Rules
(1) Perform annual and/or more frequent checks to verify that the same vendor is not registered more than once in the database;
(2) Check for any inconsistencies in the vendor posting groups.

(C) Payments
(1) Prepare payment files based on invoices registered in Business Central;

(D) Expense Claims
(1) Check that travel requests have been properly completed and approved;

(2) Check that expense claims have been properly completed, i.e. correct allocation to concerned projects, verification of the expenses against supports/ receipts, alignment with travel policy, correctness of amounts, as well as purpose and days of travel;

(3) Ensure that the Travel and Signature Policy is understood and complied with.

(E) Credit Card (CC) Management
(1) Collect and control monthly supporting documents (receipts, orders) related to CC expenditure;
(2) Ensure credit card expenses relate to GARDP and report any case of fraud/ identify personal expenses, if any;
(3) Book CC transactions in Business Central on a monthly basis and inform the Accounting Manager once done;
(4) Follow up for expected refunds on credit cards;
(5) Investigate in case of suspicion of fraud and liaise with the bank to address unidentified expenses;
(6) Explain credit card reporting to new cardholders.

II. Additional /Specific/Projects Responsibilities

(A) Ad-Hoc Support Such as But Not Limited To:
(1) Book other entries (ODs) in Business Central upon request from the finance team;

(2) Support the interim and end-of-year closing audits, by responding to the auditors' requests/ queries and providing assistance with sundry audit requirements (e.g. reconciliation of accounts as per closing schedule, etc.);
(3) Provide support for IATI Data Reporting, by generating and uploading required reports on the website via Aidstream;
(4) Provide support with other financial requests made by the line manager;
(5) Assist with the bi-monthly process for ensuring Descartes Visual software compliance.

(B) Active Participation in Digitalization and Other IST Projects Related to Finance
(1) Actively participate and support projects and/or tasks when needed e.g. implementation of various IT tools, support in the update of the ICS such as Fixed Assets module; Support for the testing, implementation and training phases of Expense Reporting module, etc.;
(2) Actively participate in all Accounting IST and Business Central developments.

(Note: The above list is not exhaustive, and may be expanded from time to time to include other duties and responsibilities, deemed necessary by management. This job description is subject to periodic review and change.)

4. QUALIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCE:

Qualification
Graduate or post-graduate degree in finance and accounts.

Experience
(1) Minimum six years of relevant experience, of which at least three years must be at the officer level or equivalent;
(2) Proven ability to work effectively in a team environment and matrix structure;
(3) Experience working with reputed organizations in the public and private sector is required. Prior experience with reputed INGOs shall be an advantage.

Reporting Line:
The FO will report to the Accounting Manager (Geneva).

Interactions
(1) The FO shall work with all GARDP teams and units in all departments;

(2) Internal stakeholders notably Global Team colleagues in Research & Development, Advocacy & Communication, Fundraising and Regional Offices (RO). The FO shall also work closely with suppliers and/or other external stakeholders;

(3) Collaborators, counterparts, and service providers in and outside GARDP in the finance functional area, to get information, guidance, and feedback or to enlist cooperation.

Skills and Competencies:
(1) Ability to use initiative, prioritize, multi-task, and work well under pressure to meet deadlines;
(2) Clear and systematic thinking that demonstrates good judgment and problem-solving competencies;
(3) Excellent communication skills in multicultural, multi-lingual environments;
(4) Ability to work effectively as part of a multicultural team;
(5) Well-organized and structured;
(6) Very good analytical skills;
(7) Ability to contribute to the project delivery under minimum supervision;
(8) Provide specialist services to the operational line or project team;
(9) Ability to solve non-routine problems on a case-by-case/project basis;

(10) Ability to independently take actions and decisions;

(11) Ability to interact with external stakeholders;

(12) Ability to be the focal point/manager for consultants;

(13) Fluency in English;
(14) Good knowledge of Microsoft Suite.