Job Reference: SFO/FIN/09/2023
About AGRA
AGRA and its Work
AGRA is an African-led institution that actively supports the drive towards inclusive agricultural transformation and sustainable food systems. We do this by empowering the continent’s 33 million smallholder farming households to transform their agriculture from a struggle to survive to profitable businesses. The continent’s farmers regularly face challenges, and we aspire to provide uniquely African solutions that respond to their agricultural and environmental challenges, leading to increased harvests for reduced hunger and more income.
Working in alignment with the development priorities of our focus countries, we enable farmers to access improved and high-yielding seeds, gain knowledge on sustainable farming, and linkages to profitable markets.
In our work, we aspire to build the alliances, partnerships, and networks required to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation. We work with our partners to create an equitable youth-friendly environment that harnesses the youth dividend on the continent to drive growth and facilitate open employment opportunities for young women and men. We achieve our key objectives through a focus on the following four areas of intervention:
- Policy and state capability – We support governments in creating an enabling environment for private sector involvement in agricultural transformation.
- Seed systems – We trigger higher productivity by increasing the availability and access to improved seeds by farmers allowing them to increase their harvests for food security and better incomes.
- Sustainable farming – We support farmers in building resilient farming systems for sustained high yields through interventions such as mechanization and irrigation.
- Inclusive markets and trade – We work to increase the linkages between farmers, and other market actors for a positive, sustained cycle of commercialization and reinvestment.
AGRA’s 2030 Strategy
The continent has, in recent years, taken steps towards inclusive agricultural transformation resulting in notable improvements in food security, with clear progress across all AGRA’s focus countries. However, with over 20% of Africans still suffering from hunger, we need to accelerate our progress and mitigate against the growing external pressures of conflict and climate on our food systems.
AGRA 2022-2030 Strategic Framework (SF2030) demonstrates our long-term vision for how we intend to contribute to, and align with, global and continental priorities, applying a food systems lens towards the goals of zero hunger, improved nutrition, an end to poverty, and climate adaptation. We have split our Strategic Framework 2030 into two 5-year strategies so that we have a clear mid-way point to evaluate progress and re-route our strategic focus if necessary. Our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan sets out to catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where the private sector thrives, and smallholders are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food.
AGRA’s Vision
To contribute to a food system-inspired inclusive agricultural transformation across Africa, to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and adapt to climate.
AGRA’s Mission
To catalyze the growth of sustainable food systems across Africa by influencing and leveraging partners to build a robust enabling environment where private sector thrives, and smallholder farmers are empowered to produce sufficient, healthy food.
AGRA’s Strategy
- Empowering and building the resilience of small holder farmers
- Supporting the development of inclusive markets and finance to strengthen agricultural systems.
- Strengthening state capability to sustain agricultural transformation.
Implementing Our New Strategy Through People
AGRA is at the threshold of a new chapter where we begin implementing our new strategy of catalyzing inclusive, resilient and sustainable agricultural transformation. At AGRA we believe Agriculture is the single greatest opportunity to deliver inclusive economic growth, jobs, and health to the African continent.
People are the heart of our organisation and remain the true drivers of our delivery and our impact.
We are excited about a new fit-for-purpose organizational structure that is largely driven by an ambition to enhance collaboration across teams and drive sustainable growth. We have therefore purposed more focus on delivery of country programs within the new strategy giving even greater attention to optimizing existing talent in addition to upscaling technical and operational resources.
We work with incredible people and partners who have roots in farming communities across the continent combined with an inclusive and diverse workforce from over 24 nationalities. Our values of (I-RISE; Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Stewardship and Equity) espouse our commitment to a call to action to go beyond ourselves as we arise and transform Africa’s Agriculture.
We are looking for people who are passionate about Africa, curious and collaborative to join our innovative, growing, and multidisciplinary team. Together, we can grow Africa’s food systems improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Want to join us?
The Opportunity
Senior Finance Officer – Country Support. Job Reference: SFO/FIN/09/2023
Role Purpose
The Senior Finance Officer – Country Support serves as the primary financial liaison between the headquarters/regional office and the individual country offices. This role provides advanced financial oversight, guidance, and support to country teams, ensuring they have the necessary resources, knowledge, and tools to operate effectively, transparently, and in alignment with organizational objectives.
Role Summary
The Senior Finance Officer – Country Support will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the development and monitoring of Country and Regional budgets, liaising with finance and Regional heads to support timely preparation of income statements, balance sheets, financial summaries and forecasts for the countries.
He/she will support the financial controller in verifying, allocating, posting and reconciling balance sheets accounts. S/he will ensure production of error-free country accounting reports and presenting their results to the organization. S/he is charged with analyzing financial information and summarizing the financial status for the countries as well as ensuring statutory compliance.
Key Measures of Performance
- Efficiency in addressing and resolving financial challenges and issues faced by country offices.
- Consistency, timeliness, and accuracy of financial advice, reporting, and analysis provided to country offices and the headquarters.
- Degree of alignment of country office financial practices with the organization’s standards and regulatory requirements.
- Identification and effective management of financial risks within country offices.
- Strength and depth of relationships with country finance teams and other key stakeholders.
Other specific performance measures:
- Number of internal control gaps in the countries
- Donor compliance for expenditure at country level
- Statutory Compliance in the countries
- Audit observations raised and timeliness of closure. No repeat observations expected.
- Budget vs Actual variance
- % Projects on Time, Scope & Budget
- All balance sheet accounts to be reconciled on a monthly basis.
- # Days to complete budget and forecast
- Timely funds remittance to countries
- Meeting the closing deadline and level of accuracy.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Purpose – Adapt
- Provide financial oversight for all the country offices from the head office.
- Lead in the provision of financial management function and supervise day-to-day financial operations in the countries.
- Support in budgeting process for all the countries and donor budgets.
- Provide oversight on preparation of country budgets including optimal cost allocation and monthly management reports and financial analysis for countries, regions as well as regular financial returns to HQ.
- Ensure robust cash flows management for all the country offices.
- Ensure processes and procedures are reviewed and updated regularly without impairing operational efficiency of finance reporting and budgeting systems within the countries.
- Ensure adequate systems in country to manage country finance operations including adequate segregation.
Engagement – Persuade
- Ensure timely payments and expenses in line with policy including systems approval of all country transactions. Identify, communicate and resolve invoicing issues, accounting discrepancies and other financial related issues for the offices.
- Proactively report any accounting issue and risk faced by any country
- Ensure accuracy of billing and invoicing for hosted offices in line with the hosting agreements and ensure monthly reconciliation with the host organizations and ensure transactions correctly captured in system.
- Provide oversight of country compliance with accounting policies and controls by undertaking review of recorded financial information in the general and subsidiary ledgers in a timely manner and regular reconciliation of bank, cash, payables and receivables and timely follow up of outstanding items.
- Ensure that all relevant financial documents are maintained securely.
Delivery – Adapt Project Cycle
- Lead in the preparation of financial statements and statutory audits and submissions for countries and support grantee and program audits
- Ensure all audit issues in relation to country operations are resolved in a timely manner.
- Provide oversight on tax and other statutory compliance and work with the legal department to ensure that necessary statutory requirements in the countries are met.
- Provide leadership, and manage the performance, growth and development of staff, ensuring they meet their objectives and support the organization strategy.
Model the IRISE Values & Be a Culture Carrier
- Integrity: Uphold moral convictions and always doing the right thing.
- Respect: Value differences and embrace diversity and inclusion.
- Innovation: Strive for excellence and embracing continuous improvement, bold creativity, and change.
- Stewardship: Be responsible for actions undertaken and resources entrusted.
- Equity: Be governed by fairness in all undertakings.
Requirements
Academic and Professional Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.
- An MBA in any relevant field a strong added advantage.
- Professional qualification (CPA, ACCA or equivalent).
- Understanding of auditing techniques to help ensure countries and regions financial operations remain in compliance.
- Computer proficiency in spreadsheets, presentations and reporting software
- Deep understanding of the financial environment within which AGRA is operating.
Required Skills/Abilities
- Strong analytical, data mining ability
- Ability to work independently in a diverse environment.
- Evidence of the practice of a high level of confidentiality
- Strong ability to influence positively both upwards and downwards.
- Proven leadership ability to develop and empower employees to achieve their best with a team approach.
- Highly organized, results and detail orientated with a very hand on approach.
- Excellent leadership, organizational, and problem solving/decision making ability.
- Intelligent, motivated self-starter with a strong work ethic.
Relevant Experience
- At least 12 years of professional experience in accounting, finance, or financial monitoring.
- Knowledge of global, country/government accounting standards.
Key Competencies
- Achieving Results Effectively: Anticipates constraints, identifies solutions and takes responsibility for addressing critical situations; Sets self and others stretching goals, over and above those required to meet organizational standards and targets; Takes the necessary actions to meet these goals; identifies and applies measures to track and quantify achievement; Aligns projects with organization’s mission and objectives and demonstrates a good understanding of the impact of team’s and own work on external and internal counterparts.
- Managing and Sharing Knowledge: Disseminates and shares knowledge openly and actively
contributes to knowledge/network communities for topics relevant to area of expertise; Builds networks for the effective communication and exchange of knowledge and ideas and puts others into contact with various sources of knowledge; Contributes to an environment that is conducive to innovation and learning.
- Accountability: Maintains ethical behavior, admits mistakes and exhibits responsible behavior in the meeting of performance expectations; Actively seeks out solutions to achieve results; Holds self-accountable for achieving results as an individual as well as team members; Identifies and assists in addressing areas of weakness that may impact the department’s performance.
- Diversity and Inclusion: Takes a conscious effort to learn about different styles of conflict resolution; Is proactive in managing conflict over differences when it arises rather than avoiding it; Listens actively for the frames of reference and does not prejudge; Seeks to understand and adapt to different styles when working with those who are different; Treats others as they wish to be treated; Shows readiness to change the way he/she does things to meet the needs of those from diverse backgrounds.
- Adaptability: Adapts personal approach to meet the needs of different or new situations; Seeks guidance in adapting behavior to the needs of a new or different situation.
- Stakeholder Focus/Partnerships: Contacts stakeholders to follow up on services, solutions or products to ensure that their needs have been correctly and effectively met; Understands issues from the stakeholder’s perspective; Keeps stakeholders up-to-date with information and decisions that affect them; Monitors services provided to stakeholders and makes timely adjustments as required; Maintains ongoing communication with stakeholders; Regularly and systematically contacts stakeholders or prospective stakeholders to determine their needs; Uses understanding of stakeholder’s perspective to identify constraints and advocate on their behalf; Works with stakeholders to adapt services, products or solutions to meet their needs; Encourages co-workers and teams to achieve a high standard of service excellence; Anticipates areas where support or influence will be required and discusses situation/concerns with appropriate individuals; Proposes new, creative and sound alternatives to improve stakeholder service delivery; Engages effectively with all stakeholders.
- Teamwork: Establishes strong relationships with colleagues and partners; relates well to people at all levels; Is fully aware of the team purposes, respects and understands individual and collective responsibilities; Willingly puts in extra effort without being asked and adopts a ‘hands-on’ approach whenever necessary to achieve team objectives; Coordinates own work with that of the team to meet agreed priorities and deadlines.
Terms of Appointment
3 Years Fixed Term (Consideration for renewal will be made subject to AGRA’s needs, available funding and performance).
Location
Based in Nairobi, Kenya
How to Apply
If you believe you are the right candidate for this position, kindly submit your application with a detailed CV (including your e-mail address and telephone contacts to recruit@agra.org noting to quote the job reference number in the subject of your email)
To be considered, applications must be received on or before Monday 25th September 2023.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
AGRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer