Finance, HR, Administration & Procurement Coordinator

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) is one of the ecumenical aid organizations of the German Evangelical Church, one of the largest social welfare organizations in Germany. To ensure the effectiveness of its aid, DKH works closely with local partners. DKH works in humanitarian aid all over the world. It supports people who have been victims of natural disasters, wars and expulsions, and who are unable to overcome this critical situation on their own. It helps everyone, regardless of race, ethnic group, religion, gender, age or nationality.

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is looking for a Finance, HR, Administration & Procurement Coordinator for its new multi-country office in Yaoundé ( Sahel Office).

Within the DKH Sahel office, the Finance, HR, Administration & Procurement Coordinator has a very important role in supporting DKH’s NGO partners in the region in terms of capacity building and control. At the same time, internally, he/she ensures the sound financial and administrative management of the DKH offices in Yaoundé and N’Djamena, in compliance with DKH procedures, national legislation and deadlines. The Finance, HR, Administration & Procurement Coordinator supports and advises the Head of Mission directly on all Finance, Administration, Human Resources, Logistics and Audit projects.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Area of Responsibility: Office management, Finance, Human Resources and Logistics management

Work Location: Yaoundé-Cameroon with multiple support missions to DKH partners in the countries covered by the DKH Sahel office, especially in Chad, CAR, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Estimated travel : 30 % of the time.

Working under the supervision of and in close collaboration with the Head of Mission, the Finance, HR, Administration & Procurement Coordinator is responsible to undertake the following tasks:

DKH SAHEL OFFICES (Yaoundé & N’Djamena)

• Support, advise and build the capacity of other DKH colleagues in his/her areas of expertise;
• Support and advise the Head of Mission in his/her efforts to improve the management of the DKH Sahel mission;
• Prepare Mission budgets in liaison with the Head of Mission and DKH Berlin;
• Monitor and control the budget of the DKH Sahel Office;
• Ensure funds monitoring, and sound accounting;
• Ensure strict compliance with all financial and logistical guidelines and procedures established by DKH for the DKH Sahel Office;
• Contribute to the revision and/or development and adaptation of local logistical and financial management procedures that will help improve the management of resources that can be transferred to Partners and ensure their integration into the management of their activities;
• Develop all local procedures that will contribute to improving the management of DKH Sahel’s resources;
• Establish, maintain and develop active and regular professional relations with local authorities and when necessary with non-state actors and obtain the necessary authorizations and access for DKH activities;
• Ensure a supportive working environment and good team dynamics;
• Manage inter-personal conflicts.

PARTNER FOLLOW-UP

• Provide constructive supervision, support, advice and capacity-building to Partners in their areas of expertise, to help them improve their management skills;
• Ensure the financial follow-up and verification of Partners’ project financial reports before their transmission to Berlin;
• Ensure strict compliance with all financial and logistical guidelines and procedures established by DKH and donors for Partner projects in progress;
• Ensure that all projects have an implementation strategy and action plan;
• Anticipate and mitigate risks of delays and provide ad-hoc support, including ongoing problem-solving and resolution of bottlenecks;
• Ensure proper project closure of third-party funds, prepare audits by external auditors and internal audits in accordance with DKH and third-party donor procedures;
• Provide ongoing technical assistance to Partners to develop reliable and efficient financial administration and logistics systems;
• Contribute to the improvement of Partners’ skills and capacities by providing on-the-job training during audit visits;
• Develop training modules in the fields of Finance and Logistics and conduct training workshops with the Logistician and RAF. Design, develop and assist with the implementation of management tools to improve the monitoring and management of projects by Partners and DKH (Management Dashboards);
• Draw up funding requests and follow up with DKH Berlin;
• Produce monthly financial reports in collaboration with RAF and Logistics;
• Draw up financial statements within the legal deadlines, giving a true and fair view;
• Have accounts approved by external auditors;
• Follow up auditors’ recommendations;

Assist with the development of project budgets in liaison with Partners, the Head of Mission and DKH Berlin;

HUMAN RESOURCES

• Provide HR guidance and consultative support to Head of Mission, and staff under his line management of the Sahel office and all attached offices
• Review HR policies and SOPs on regular basis, ensure compliance with labor laws, internal and DKH-specific regulations and monitor their implementation.
• Support the Head of Mission in all stages of staff recruitment (advertisement, shortlisting, scheduling interviews, preparation of interview documents, liaising with candidates, reference checks, etc.)
• On boarding – in collaboration with the Capacity Building and Knowledge Management desk: develop and execute comprehensive, well documented and Orientation Session to ensure good new employee experience
• In close cooperation with the Head of Mission, prepare, revise and update ToR, offers and employment contracts for staff, consultants and interns
• Benefits and staff welfare – Focal point for medical insurance and medical evacuation cover for staff in all offices under the Sahel Office ensuring timely renewals, additions and deletions as appropriate and supporting staff with related inquiries
• Provide support in HR management to the Head of Mission, incl. drafting job descriptions, performance appraisals, training, terminations/resignation letters, exit interviews, consultancy contracts, developing a database, etc. in line with the labor laws
• Ensure timely and accurate filing and staff data management, verify that documents of the employees are in line with local regulations
• HR Records management and data protection – Maintain systematic HR databases and filing systems (incl. staff lists, leave register, etc.) and update all human resource records & documentation for the Sahel office
• Manage leave and working days of staff, validate leave and sick days, ensure compliance with labor laws and DKH policies
• Serve as focal point for work permits and residency applications for international staff and in coordination with DKH’s lawyer ensure all international staff have proper documentation. Organize and proceed visa applications for international visitors
• Liaise with the headquarters Finance Department on all HR-related changes and updates and in issuing payrolls.
• Compliance – Timely annual submissions to NEA (National Employment Authority) and other compliance related matters including HELB.
• Employee relations – In collaboration with other departments and Focal Point: develop initiatives to foster positive work environment, ensure timely conflict and grievance resolution and Disciplinary management in line with policy and Labor law.
• Develop initiatives and support to staff capacity building, career development and staff retention
• In collaboration with other departments, support timely conflict resolution and disciplinary management in line with DKH policies and labor law.

ADMINISTRATION

• Represent the organization with local authorities, particularly labor inspectorate, and in collaboration with the tax offices and social security office, as needed
• Ensure proper communication and representation of DKH with third parties (vendors, local authorities, consultants, etc.)
• Ensure proper management of office facilities (premises, premise maintenance, phone system, mail and other communication in and out, heating, lights, A/C ventilation, furniture, car logs etc.) and proper functioning of the office’s IT infrastructure (postal and shipping services, laptops, desktops, printers, servers, modems, etc…)
• Custodian of all service contracts including but not limited to estate lease agreements, vehicle hire contract, IT Services, consultancies etc.
• Supervise and oversee the work of support staff in performing their daily tasks (Driver, Office Assistant, Cleaner)
• Ensure the effective dissemination of relevant information to the team; support the Head of Mission in organizing regular staff meetings and ensure minutes are taken
• Liaise with the Digitalization Adviser in DKH headquarters to provide support for the implementation of DKH’s strategic objectives and operational specifications in the Sahel Office and its areas of operations.
• In coordination with DKH relevant focal points, ensure compliance with Data Protection laws and DKH’s Data and Security Policies
• Monitor and support staff in the use of IT software and tools; provide user training, advice and feedback.
• In coordination with the Capacity Building Coordinator ensure and support staff in maintaining a standardized filing system.
• Maintain all administrative related paper-based and electronic records, files, folders and documents in an updated, accurate and orderly manner
• Ensure monthly, quarterly & annual utilities and services payment’s- e.g., IT service agreement, IT software subscriptions, office insurance etc. including keeping track of expiry dates, advise & action on renewals on timely basis.
• In coordination with other Finance staff maintain and update inventory and assets list to ensure proper documentation of DKH equipment
• In line with DKH internal regulations and policies, coordinate and arrange all aspects of business travels of employees, consultants and visitors (incl. booking, supporting staff in submission of travel advances and liquidation, serving as focal point for travel agencies, preparing payment requests, checking documents before final approval, etc.)

PROCUREMENT

• Review DKH’S Procurement and Logistics Policies, support the roll-out of updated policies and monitor their implementation.
• Train, support and guide staff in following Procurement and Logistics Policies, incl. timely review of procurement documents and comprehensive feedback, to ensure overall compliance.
• Receive and process purchase requests from staff. Review, compare, analyze and approve products and services to be purchased as per Procurement and Logistics Policy and Finance Policy, source and interview vendors, negotiate contracts and costs
• Support staff to follow policies and regulations during tenders (e.g. for Workshops, Trainings, etc.), evaluate offers, define selection criteria, compile the bid-analysis and lead the procurement committee
• Work closely with the Capacity Building Coordinator to advertise, shortlist, select and contract consultancy services. Provide administrative support for consultant contracts for outsourced services.
• Communicate and coordinate closely with vendors, clients, customers and team members to align goals.
• Keep track of all goods and services ordered and received, and maintain accurate records including details on price, quality, and delivery.
• Maintain and update supplier and consultant data base, incl. information such as qualifications, delivery times, product/service ranges, etc.
• Ensure that the office is supplied with the necessary office items (stationary, furniture, and technical equipment)
• Create separate folders for each procurement process and ensure proper filing (hard copy and soft copy)

OTHER TASKS

• If necessary, act as interim Head of Mission during his/her leave, within the limits of the prerogatives established by him/her;
• In general, carry out any other tasks requested of him/her within the framework of his/her function and which contribute to the smooth running of the coordination office and Partners.
• Provide general support to the Head of Mission and staff as requested
• Support to non-English or French speaking staff with translation and interaction with countries of operationsauthorities/actors
• Ensure and follow-up on the monthly and annual reporting to DKH Regional Office and headquarters updates, in addition to reporting on regional workshops and meetings
• Ensure high level of confidentiality and security of entrusted data at all times.
• Keep the Logistic Handbook up to date and add policies and regulations if necessary
• Elaborate and develop logistic related formats, tools, template reports to enhance smooth and compliant office procedures and implementation of projects
• Ensure functioning of the Logistic Department
• Frequent field visits to DKH offices and partners to fulfill the roles and responsibilities

DKH reserves the right to alter the responsibilities according to programmatic demands and needs in line with the objectives of the Sahel Office program.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERTISE & SKILLS

Technical expertise and work-related qualifications

• Professional qualification in finance and administration (Master’s Degree or equivalent)
• Minimum of 10 years’ proven experience in managing and leading Finance, Administration, HR and Logistics departments
• 8 years relevant work experience in similar positions, preferably in the field of humanitarian assistance, ideally in French-speaking countries
• Demonstrable knowledge and familiar with the financial administration of the EU, USAID, BMZ, German Foreign Office (AA) and UN agencies,…
• Demonstrable knowledge of requirements of humanitarian donors, local regulations.
• Languages: Excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English, knowledge of local languages is an asset
• Excellent computer skills: Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint.
• Proficiency of accounting and human resources management software, as well as common IT tools
• Knowledge of Sahel Region is an advantage.

Abilities and skillset

• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution abilities, excellent written and verbal communication skills in both French and English.
• Able to maintain highest level of confidentiality regarding work-related information.
• High ethical standards; Commitment to the values of Humanitarian sector.
• Proactive working attitude with excellent problem-solving skills
• Team player with outstanding personal attitude: especially sense of responsibility, diplomacy, concern for quality, result orientation.
• Outstanding personal values: integrity, commitment, respect for diversity, patience, and sense of humor.
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure, meet deadlines, prioritize workload.
• Ability to work in an unstable security environment
• Mature work practices, highly motivated and demonstrated sound judgment.
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills, and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with colleagues, partners, and donors.
• Team player with outstanding personal attitude: especially sense of responsibility, diplomacy, concern for quality, result orientation