Job Description

Job title:  

Finance and Operations and Associate – Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE)

Work Location:

Freetown-Kono

Department:

Finance and Operations

Report to:

Finance and Operations Directors dually

Line Management

No

Organisation Profile

Partners In Health (PIH) is an international health organization relentlessly committed to improving the health of the poor and marginalized. PIH partners with local governments to build local capacity and works closely with impoverished communities to deliver high-quality health care, address the root causes of illness, train providers, advance research, and advocate for global policy change. Our delivered services in the field are based in our partnership with the Governments and Ministries of Health and the support to education, training and mentorship to Health care workers and students is one of our pillars for the Health care system strengthening.

PIH currently has implementation programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Sierra Leone and Navajo Nation. Through our partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, we support a wide range of programs in dozens of other countries around the world. 

Our Work In Sierra Leone:

Partners In Health (PIH) began supporting the government of Sierra Leone in response to the Ebola epidemic in October 2014. Recognizing the large need for continued investments in the health system after Ebola, PIH is committed to long-term health system strengthening in support of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), guided by the same principles as our emergency response and our work around the world: public sector accompaniment, integrated and comprehensive services, social justice, nimbleness and flexibility, partnership, community ownership, and evidence-based interventions. In the aftermath of the epidemic, PIH is committed to supporting the delivery of comprehensive health services in Sierra Leone, from the community level to the health centre and to referral hospitals.

Position Overview

The Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE) Operationsand Finance Associate is the primary financial officer for the MCOE, a new state-of-the-art maternity hospital being built by Partners in Health (PIH) in Sierra Leone. This role manages the overall budgeting, risk management and operational planning functions for the Maternal Center of Excellence. Additionally, the Associate will work with PIH to ensure that financial and operational functions and processes support the timely and effective implementation of the project, and proactively identifies and minimizes risks. This role will work with PIH-Sierra Leone’s Finance and Operations Directors, as well as the Director of the Maternal Center of Excellence, MCOE Program Specialist, and Sierra Leone Senior Management Team

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Financial management, planning and analysis

• Working closely with the MCOE Program Specialist and key staff involved in the MCOE, lead the MCOE annual budget development process, including any mid-year budget modifications, or partner budget revisions.
• Gain understanding of and manage the MCOE budget tool.
• Ensure budget changes are incorporated into the overall MCOE budget model tool.
• Closely work across PIH-Sierra Leone and with Boston-based Finance team on all financial reporting, analysis and planning related to the MCOE.
• Maintain and, where possible, improve systems for expenditure monitoring and tracking.
• Perform monthly financial analyses of MCOE expenditures versus actuals and organizes monthly meetings to share the results with the MCOE team.
• Quarterly analyses of MCOE procurements, documenting and monitoring overall performance, analyzing trends, highlighting issues, identifying gaps to ensure efficient and sound project management.
• Establish and nurture effective working relationships with the National Revenue Authority (NRA).
• Apply, manage, track and record the MCOE Goods Services Tax (GST) reimbursements via the NRA.
• Troubleshoot financial aspects of project implementation.
• Communicate with PIH site staff on grant requirement, budget availability, budget changes and other relevant financial matters.
• Ensure that required reports are submitted on time and in compliance with any donor standards
• Provide any ad hoc reports and analyses requested by PIH leadership or external partners.
• Work closely with any internal and external auditors
• Supervise implementation of budget lines in accordance with rules and regulations and in coordination with Director of Operations.
• Develop a fluent understanding of operations components of the budget and make day-to-day spending decisions within decided upon guidelines.
• Assist with budget planning activities and ensure that any needed modifications are appropriately incorporated

Operational Planning and implementation

• Working closely with the MCOE Program Specialist, work with key staff involved in the MCOE project to set monthly priorities and determine key tasks, keeping an overall timeline of activities, proactively identifying what needs to be done to avoid unnecessary delays.
• Establish and nurture effective working relationships with the Tax and Revenue departments at the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and relevant MCOE budget holders at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS).
• In collaboration with the MOHS and MOF, apply, manage, track and record the MCOE Duty Exemptions applied to all MCOE imports arriving in Sierra Leone.
• Support the procurement team to achieve timely clearance of imports – including supporting any relevant paperwork and assisting with necessary payments.
• Assist departmental and program Managers/Directors in day-to-day coordination and management of MCOE operational activities.
• Monitor, control and manage MCOE budgeting, planning, operations to meet staff expectations and organizational goals.
• Takes accountability for operations processes including quality assurance, control, and compliance.
• Work closely with country leadership to develop, communicate, and implement necessary operational policies
• Communicate regularly with operations managers and supply chain managers to cross-share information and troubleshoot.
• Collaborate across the team to create and present timelines charts for key initiatives to facilitate planning and decision making
• Maintain accurate operations materials and documents for reference purposes
• Support the MCOE Program Specialist Coordinate project launches, organization meetings, and seminars.
• Identify problems in financial or operational process related to the MCOE and resolve them in quickly and timely manner.
• Work with infrastructure director to understand operational needs of the MCOE and ensures that they are executed effectively and efficiently.

Human Resources

•Work with HR in systems reviews, policies, and procedures related to the Maternal Center of Excellence

•Monitor MCOE staff compliance to the organization standards and procedures and report to the MCOE Director     to ensure constant level of high compliance.

•Work with team members to build capacity through regular professional development and mentoring.

Risk management

•Identify key financial, operational, HR and delivery risks for the MCOE and proactively propose, solicit and track

     mitigating measures and their implementation

•Support Executive Director, Finance Director and Chief Operating Officer on special projects as required for the

     successful implementation of the MCOE.

Education and Work Experience Requirements:

• Minimum of Bachelor’s-level degree in public administration, business, finance, economics, accounting, or a related field, Master’s preferred.
• Multiple years strong experience in financial management of large-scale projects, preferably capital projects.
• Solid experience working with Government Counterparts across ministries.
• Knowledge of supply chain principles and practices in low resource settings.
• Advanced Excel skills, Word, Power Point and Outlook.
• Ability to adapt to work remotely when needed.
• Exemplary interpersonal skills; ability to collaborate effectively with culturally diverse staff across departments and countries under shifting and demanding timelines.
• Proven ability to manage people and projects.
• Proactive, clear, and compassionate communicator.
• Adaptability to work in a rapidly changing environment and flexibility with schedules.
• Ability to work unsupervised, set and meet deadlines independently.
• Strategic thinking.
• Comfortable with inheriting already established processes and tools, while also assessing areas for improvement, and proactively developing new processes and tools to minimize risk and improve staff collaboration
• Ability and willingness to spend extended periods of time working at the Kono office as needed.
• Passion for social justice and PIH’s values.

Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment

At Partners In Health, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including our patients, families and community members – as well as our staff are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Partner In Health’s PSEAH policy. Partner In Health will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment.  By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

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