Afghanaid is a British humanitarian and development NGO established in 1983. It is headquartered in Kabul and is currently working in four provinces: Badakhshan, Samangan, Ghor, and Daykundi. We also work through partners in nine others: Herat, Faryab, Jawzjan, Sar-i-Pul, Balkh, Bamyan, Takhar, Khost and Paktia. For 4 decades, Afghanaid has developed its thematic expertise and the capacity of its staff in correspondence with the evolving needs of the country, international best practice, and opportunities for innovation. Our work supports four pillars of sustainable development: providing basic services; strengthening sustainable livelihoods and food security; adapting to climate change and reducing disaster risk, and emergency humanitarian assistance. Three guiding principles are mainstreamed in all our work to ensure its contribution to sustainable development: gender and inclusion, good governance and community development, and conflict mitigation and peacebuilding.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure the timely and precise preparation of Annual Financial Statements, submission of annual income tax returns, and financial reports to the relevant ministries, maintaining completeness and accuracy. Adhere strictly to regulatory guidelines and implement income tax laws, while also providing essential training to finance staff.
• Support the development and implementation of a plan aimed at minimizing organisational foreign currency losses, as well as aiding in the creation and execution of new accounting techniques, systems, and policies to enhance financial transparency and efficiency.
• Assess the existing cost recovery framework to pinpoint opportunities for improving cost competitiveness. This entails conducting comprehensive analyses of cost structures, market benchmarks, and organisational requirements. Following this, formulate proposals for a revised cost recovery framework that aligns with organisational goals and ensures financial sustainability. Present these proposals to the Board Finance Committee for their approval.
• Create an all-encompassing core costing framework designed to cater to organizations of different scales – small, medium, and large. This structure will serve as a foundational model for internal cost allocation, pricing strategies, and financial planning procedures. Guarantee alignment with industry standards, best practices, and organizational objectives to promote uniformity and precision in financial management throughout the organization.
• Oversee the creation of donor financial reports within specified timeframes, ensuring compliance with donors’ contractual commitments and seamlessly integrating with narrative reporting, including the phased spending plan outlined and approved by the donors. Additionally, establish and sustain robust relationships with donors by promptly addressing reporting requirements and inquiries, thereby nurturing trust and fostering collaboration.
• Ensure meticulous storage and maintenance of financial records and supporting documents in accordance with Afghanaid's statutory, legal, and donor requirements. Initiate actions necessary to rectify internal control weaknesses identified in internal and external audits.
• Support internal audit to strengthen control mechanisms, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in finance. Maintain precise balances, reconcile discrepancies, and rectify control weaknesses. Proactively address identified deficiencies, ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Assist in developing and implementing new accounting techniques and systems or modifying existing methods and procedures.
• Oversee the preparation of the annual operating plan and budget, monitoring implementation and suggesting adjustments to align with organizational goals. Streamline and expedite the Annual Operating Plan (AOP) and Budgeting Process. Lead the financial proposal writing, ensuring narratives are supported by precise budgets. Periodically update Afghanaid’s budgetary control systems.
• Review monthly bank accounts and cash reconciliations, forecast cash flow for 18 months, and oversee prudent fund movement domestically and internationally. Coordinate with the program department to manage monthly Cash Requests from provincial offices, maintaining suitable balances for grant implementation
• Undertake any other duties as assigned by the line manager to contribute to the overall effectiveness of the finance function and organisational goals

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education & Professional Qualification

The position holder should hold a postgraduate degree in finance or business, with a significant emphasis on financial matters. Ideally, they should also possess professional qualifications such as CPA, ACMA, CMA, ACCA, CA, or equivalent.

Work Experience

A minimum of 8 years' proven experience in the relevant field, including at least 3 years in a senior-level role with national or international organisations.

Professional Skills, Competencies, Values and Attitudes

Afghanaid is in search of a reliable and proactive team leader, demonstrating strong initiative, judgment, and adaptability. The ideal candidate should possess excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills, along with proficient decision-making abilities and expertise in financial management and reporting. Specifically, the individual in this role should also exhibit the following attributes:

• Proficient in financial reporting, budget monitoring, and management, with strong skills in document layout for diverse audiences.
• Exceptional conceptual and analytical abilities, adept at distilling key ideas with clarity.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of persuasively presenting ideas and influencing others diplomatically.
• Demonstrates personal integrity, initiative, and drive to achieve results in a fast-paced environment.
• Outgoing personality with cultural sensitivity, able to build trust and manage relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, able to work autonomously and meet tight deadlines.
• Flexible and dynamic, adept at creatively solving problems and managing challenging situations.
• Committed to continuous learning and professional development, aligned with Afghanaid's vision and mission.
• Proficient in relevant ERP software and office applications, with awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses.
• Skilled in managing conflicting priorities in personal workload

Desirable

• Proficiency with the Dynamic NAV system.

Other Information

Afghanaid’s core values are creativity, fairness and honesty. Our staff are passionate about and proud to work at Afghanaid. Teamwork is fundamental to our standards and demonstrated by taking initiative, assisting others and taking on additional responsibilities and tasks if necessary. We are results driven, committed and motivated to achieve targets and take accountability for our own actions.

Our remuneration and benefits package is competitive with other similar organisations.

This position presents an excellent opportunity for someone who has the ambition and determination to move up in their career.

Please submit your application by filling the Afghanaid standard job application form and email a completed application form, covering letter and your CV, by no later than 30^th April 2024 to vacancies@afghanaid.org.uk  ; including your name, vacancy number and the job title in the subject line. Your covering letter should be no more than 1 standard A4 page in length and explain how you meet the essential and desirable position requirements and why you feel you would be a suitable candidate for this role. Your CV should be no more than 4 pages and include 3 professional references including your current employer. The precision and style with which you present yourself in your covering letter and CV will be given significant weight in short listing candidates. Application with no proper subject (requested above), without the application form or submitted after the deadline will not be considered. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to every application. If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the deadline, then you have not been successful for shortlisting.

Please note that applying without filling the standard job application form will result in disqualifying the applications to review for shortlisting.

Link for the Afghanaid Standard Job Application Form:

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1vLmMCTTa7peZ-8Odm-L4xm_5ULr6nvRG