Senior Grant & Finance Officer

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

This vacancy is open to all interested candidates with priority given to Sahrawi candidates living in the camps and Algerian nationals.

Oxfam in Algeria – Sahrawi Refugee Camps

Oxfam has operated in the Sahrawi refugee camps since 1975 and has established itself as a key humanitarian actor in the area. Oxfam has developed a multi-sectoral approach spanning WaSH, Food Security and Youth, with a cross-cutting commitment to advocacy and to the humanitarian, development, and peace nexus.

To reduce widespread dependence on humanitarian aid, especially food distributions, as well as to encourage more sustainable and efficient access to nutrition, Oxfam is working with over 500 Sahrawi refugee families to improve small-scale, agro-ecological farming. Oxfam seeks to establish self-sustaining associations of farmers to collectively sell their produce on the local market. Through its support to families, Oxfam is piloting several water-efficient, innovative irrigation techniques to optimize agricultural production in the harsh desert environment.

The majority of Sahrawi refugees remain dependent on humanitarian aid while the nutrition status worsens across the camps. Oxfam’s food security programme promotes access of vulnerable refugees to fresh produce, complementary to the WFP dry food basket. In conjunction with broad distributions, Oxfam maintains its distribution of gluten-free flour to the celiac population in the camps.

Oxfam's program to strengthen the Food and Nutrition Security of refugees has for years focused on distributing food, especially fresh products, awareness raising on good food consumption and conservation practices and supporting local agricultural production.

In order to complement its action in the refugee’s camps, Oxfam in Algeria is seeking a Senior Grants & Finance Officer, to contribute to set up the various financial activities of the Oxfam office.

Job Purpose

Provide the necessary support for the financial management of projects. Verification of the conformity of accounting documents (including those of partners) and their classification, supervision of partner accounts, budget management, closing work and support for the preparation of reports to donors. The postholder is responsible for the day-to-day financial management of the mission, coordinates the finance team, and controls local financial processes, working with a significant degree of autonomy including in the absence of the Base Manager.

Job responsibilities

Financial Management:

• Check and ensure that all expenses comply with the rules of the organization: Correct approval, existence of reliable and complete accounting documents, availability of funds, compliance with donor rules, etc.

• Lead the monthly and annual closing of accounts, including the preparation of closing entries.

• Check the financial reports of the partners and report to the Base Manager the observations and proposals for improvements.

• Manage cash flow and treasury planning: prepare cash requests and advances in line with budget forecasts and monitor availability of funds against planned expenditure.

• Directly supervise the accountant: assign and review daily accounting work, ensure quality and timeliness, and support their professional development.

• Carry out the monthly review of the accounts, and analyses, correct and regularize accounting errors and adjusting entries.

• Ensure all transactions are correctly coded against the chart of accounts.

Bank and Cash Management:

• Oversee day-to-day bank and cash management and the recording of all banks and cash movements.

• Ensure monthly bank reconciliations are prepared, review and validate them, and analyze any bank or cash discrepancy before submission to the Base Manager.

• Validate cash and bank balances and take part in the physical cash counts.

Grant Management:

• In close collaboration with budget managers, conduct monthly monitoring of all budgets, anticipate problems, and advise budget managers; in coordination with the Base Manager, spending issues to be signaled to relevant staff, including the BD & Funding Coordinator and Programme Coordinator

• Support the preparation of financial reports to donors in accordance with the reporting schedule.

• Verify the financial accuracy and donor compliance of financial reports before submission and co-produce the reconciliation between narrative and financial reporting jointly with the Programme Coordinator, for final validation by Oxfam Belgium (OB) Finance.

• Support to budget managers through providing analyses and explanations on budget variations for

periodic and final reports.

• Support to budget managers to ensure coherence between budget lines, spending and activities agreed with donors.

• Lead in preparing monthly budget allocation plans and ensure these are adhered to on a monthly and yearly basis.

• Actively engage with program teams to stay updated on programmatic plans and achievements, with an eye to finance and compliance considerations

Budget Monitoring, Forecasting & Financial Planning:

• Track actual expenditure against budget (burn rate) for all active grants, and maintain rolling cost forecasts, including a projection of the expected surplus/gap at project closure.

• Conduct variance analysis: identify spending gaps and risks of under- or overspending early, and put forward concrete, costed recommendations for reallocation or corrective action, anticipating financial risks rather than reporting them after the fact.

• Prepare budget revisions and reallocation requests for donor approval where these exceed contractual flexibility thresholds, including the costing and comparative tables required.

• Act as a business partner to Programme and Operations teams: work jointly with the Programme Coordinator and Base Manager to keep planned activities, actual spending and financial projections aligned, so budget information actively supports programme decision-making.

• Prepare the monthly Budget Follow-Up (BFU), present it to programme staff, finalize it, and analyze the execution rate of each project.

• Contribute to the preparation of the annual programme budget and the annual support budget.

Compliance:

• Ensure consistency of grants and contracts with donor requirements, local regulations and program budgets throughout the grant/fund period.

• Work collaboratively with program staff and operational teams to compile data for grants, including invoices, contracts, financial reporting, and financial schedules, while tracking measurable outcomes required by funding sources.

• Ensure that grant-related payment requests, bills, and invoices are controlled and correctly coded within the accounting and reporting systems of the office.

• Ensure that donor requirements are well understood and communicated to staff and partners.

• As required, monitor subrecipients’ compliance with donors’ regulations and the requirements of their subrecipients’ agreements through site visits, audits, and other mechanisms applicable to subrecipients’ monitoring and recommend actions necessary to resolve issues/concerns.

Payments and Financial Administration:

• Apply and enforce the expense approval circuit and validate expenditure within the delegated authority thresholds applicable to this position.

• Ensure supporting documents are verified before payment and carry final responsibility for the execution of bank payments.

• Manage the country team timesheets, in coordination with HR/Admin.

• Ensure the proper archiving of all payment documentation.

Audits and Control:

• Prepare and support audit assignments; lead on audits as instructed by finance management.

• Support project managers in planning, preparation, and budget projection

• Lead the identification of financial risks and the improvement of internal controls and support periodic internal control activities and financial investigations at the request of the supervisor or management.

• Respond to audit requests and findings and follow up on the implementation of audit recommendations.

Financial Procedures and Internal Control:

• Ensure the mission's financial procedures (SOPs) are applied consistently across the base.

• Update local financial procedures and keep them aligned with Oxfam and donor requirements.

• Monitor the segregation of duties within the finance function

Capacity building:

• Directly supervise, coach and evaluate the accountant, ensuring adherence to best financial practices and supporting their professional development.

• Ensure optimal management and best practices in archiving records of accounting documents.

• Orient mission accountants on best financial practices.

• Carry out follow-up visits to partners; participate in the identification, evaluation, and implementation of the capacity building plan.

Other:

• Work in close collaboration and in a cordial agreement with the members of the team and partners.

• Perform as back up to the accountant on the field or in Algiers during absences and holidays.

• Lead the finance department in the absence of the Base Manager.

• Under the supervision of the Base Manager and in coordination with the BD & Funding Coordinator, contribute to the development of proposals to donors, and actively participate in business development.

• In close collaboration with the HR department, compile the monthly payroll and validate it before Base Manager approval, ensuring quality and follow-up.

• Through the steer of the Base Manager, and in coordination with Oxfam Belgium (OB) Finance as the technical/functional reference, and other senior management personnel, work closely and as needed with the subregional unit and the executing affiliate on monitoring and financial processes.

Job Requirements

Essential

• A minimum of three years’ progressively responsible experience in finance, accountancy, and/or general administration, including demonstrated experience in budget monitoring, financial forecasting and variance analysis.

• University degree or equivalent experience in accounting, finance management, business administration or related areas.

• Excellent command of written and oral French or English and Arabic. Spanish is a plus.

• A fast learner with friendly and cheerful personality.

• Advanced users of IT including word processing, Excel databases/ spreadsheet use.

• Proficient in SAGA accounting software; experience with other accountancy systems (e.g. MS Dynamics, SAP) is an advantage.

• Demonstrated experience operating in compliance with organizational regulations and rules.

• Prior experience supervising or mentoring junior finance/accounting staff.

• Able to work with minimum supervision, proactively identifying and flagging financial risks rather than reporting them after the fact.

• Ability to work within a multicultural, multilingual, and multidisciplinary environment and to work effectively with others.

• Eager and required to adhere to Oxfam's principles and values as well as the promotion of gender justice and women's rights.

• Understanding of and commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.

• Ability to work within an online working environment.

Desirable

• Previous experience in international organizations is preferable

• Experience managing multi-donor grant portfolios.

• Knowledge of Oxfam's programs and its intervention within the Sahrawi context would be an asset.

• Always available attitude.

Key Attributes:

• Ability to demonstrate sensitivity to cultural differences and gender issues, as well as the commitment to equal opportunities.

• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women's rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.

• Commitment to Oxfam's safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.

• Une attitude positive, axée sur la résolution des problèmes et des conflits, est un atout majeur pour l'organisation.

Organizational Values:

• Accountability – Our purpose-driven, results-focused approach means we take responsibility for our actions and hold ourselves accountable. We believe that others should also be held accountable for their actions.

• Empowerment – Our approach means that everyone involved with Oxfam, from our staff and supporters to people living in poverty, should feel they can make change happen.

• Inclusiveness – We are open to everyone and embrace diversity. We believe everyone has a contribution to make, regardless of visible and invisible differences.

HOW TO APPLY

If you believe your qualifications meet the requirements, please send a CV and a covering letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile to Algeria.jobs@oxfam.org.

The Selection process will be conducted on a rolling basis; there is no fixed application deadline, and the position may be filled at any time. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as early as possible.

The selection process comprises three stages.

Stage 1: CV screening against the essential criteria in this job profile; only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Stage 2: a written test assessing logical reasoning, organizational capacity, analytical capacity, forecasting capacity and written communication quality.

Stage 3: an oral interview revisiting the written test cases and assessing personality fit, alignment with Oxfam's values, and communication skills.

Due to the volume of applications, we receive, regrettably, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.