1. finance
2. accounting and auditing

MARY’S MEALS INTERNATIONAL - JOB DESCRIPTION
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JOB TITLE:
Finance Manager
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REPORTING TO:
Country Director for Mary’s Meals Liberia
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DIRECT REPORTS:
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Finance Assistant
KEY RELATIONSHIPS:
 Assistant Country Director Liberia
 Logistics Manager Liberia
 Programmes Manager Liberia
 Communications Officer Liberia
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Head of Finance MMI
Head of HR MMI
Head of Finance & Operations MMUK&I
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LOCATION:
Mary’s Meals Liberia, but may be required to travel to other overseas field operations and the UK
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CONTEXT:
Mary’s Meals International is the central organisation which co-ordinates, supports and leads the global Mary’s
Meals movement, under the direction of the founder and Chief Executive and through the work of three global
directorates: Programmes, Finance and Operations, and Communications and Fundraising.
The global Mary’s Meals movement currently consists of ten registered charity affiliates in Austria, Canada,
Croatia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK and the USA, raising funds to support lifechanging programmes in Benin, Burma, Ecuador, Haiti, India, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, South Sudan, Thailand,
Uganda and Zambia.
Mary’s Meals Liberia is part of the global Mary’s Meals movement and is focused on achieving the goal that every
child receives a daily meal in their place of education. Mary’s Meals school feeding programme has been
established in Liberia since 2007 and is currently reaching just under 130,000 children with a daily meal in primary
school.
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PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The role is to manage the financial accounting, reporting and control activities for May’s Meals Liberia and to
ensure they are carried out efficiently, effectively and in line with best practice. Also responsible for the HR
management and reporting activities and to provide a professional development, compensation and benefits,
training and recruiting service to Mary’s Meals Liberia.
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PRINCIPAL DUTIES INCLUDE:
1. General
 Responsible for the maintenance of accurate financial records, for the integrity of the accounting
system and for compliance with regulatory requirements with regard to accounting records and
reporting.
 To ensure the human resource function provides a professional development, compensation and
benefits, training and recruiting service to Mary’s Meals Liberia.
2. Financial management:
 Monitor project and core spending against agreed budgets to identify potential project under- or overspends and liaise with the Country Director/Representative and Programmes staff to recommend the
required action (e.g. project extensions, budget re-allocations).
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Maintain banking relations and plan, monitor and control country cash flow requirements and cash
security to ensure the smooth implementation of the programmes.
Work with Mary’s Meals Headquarters to formulate, develop, implement and maintain Mary’s Meals ‘InCountry’ Field Finance Manual.
Ensure adherence to Mary’s Meals’ Field Finance Manual and the effective, transparent use of
financial resources in compliance with Mary’s Meals policies and procedures, including the
development and review of internal controls.
Develop, implement and maintain appropriate information systems, including the accounts/financial
information maintained on the country’s accounting system.
Ensure compliance with all local tax legislation, including employee tax deduction and statutory
reporting to the local Revenue Authority.
Support, guide and advise the Country Director/Representative on all finance, risk management and
internal control matters to ensure compliance with appropriate standards and procedures.
3. Budgets:
 Support the Country Director and Mary’s Meals Headquarters’ staff in the preparation of the Country
Programme annual and rolling budgets.
 Support the Country Director and Mary’s Meals Headquarters’ staff to prepare project budgets for
submission to donors, in keeping with donors’ guidelines for budgets.
4. Reports:
 Provide standard monthly finance submissions to Mary’s Meals Headquarters, including general ledger
transactions, reconciliations, banking records and other financial information in a timely and accurate
manner.
 Prepare monthly country programme financial reports for approval by the Country Director and
submission to Mary’s Meals Headquarters.
 Prepare timely donor financial reports, containing budget variance analysis and explanations –
monthly, quarterly or annual, as required by donor project contracts and guidelines – for submission to
Glasgow to accompany narrative reports.
 Prepare year-end financial statements and accompanying statutory accounts and notes required for
audit.
5. Staff management:
 Develop the capacity of local staff in financial management.
6. Audit:
 Liaise with Mary’s Meals Headquarters to arrange and ensure timely completion of the year-end
external audit. (Mary’s Meals accounting year ends 31 st December.)
 Co-ordinate and lead on any donor or project audits required.
7. Procurement:
 Work with Mary’s Meals Headquarters to ensure international procurement processes for in-country
supplies are followed and regularly reviewed.
 Liaise closely with the Logistics Manager to ensure accurate timely stock reporting and effective asset
management.
 Supervise the purchase and control of stock and stock management.
 Maintain the fixed asset register.
8. Human Resources (HR) Administration:
 To ensure the provision of a learning & development, compensation and benefits, training and
recruiting service to Mary’s Meals Liberia.
 To recruit new staff in accordance with the ‘In-Country’ recruitment and employment procedures.
 To ensure all employment contracts are up-to-date, in accordance with local employment law and
consistent across all areas of the operation..
 To ensure that all contracts correspond to Mary’s Meals salary scales, that job descriptions are
maintained and that staff personal details remain updated and are recorded in a Local Contract Details
Spreadsheet.
 To ensure that where necessary disciplinary and end of contract procedures are followed in
accordance with local protocol as outlined in the conditions of service.
 To ensure the agreed HR management information is provided to the Head of HR of Mary’s Meals
International and ensure the ongoing maintenance and updating of HR information.
 To ensure Mary’s Meals Liberia is compliant with Liberian employment legislation.
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QUALIFICATIONS:
Essential
 Qualified Accountant with relevant financial qualification – ACCA/CIMA/CA/CPA
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SKILLS:
Essential
 Analytical and conceptual skills to plan project budgets, timetable agreed activities and oversee staff
activities.
 Good computer skills, including familiarity with Financial Software packages, Microsoft Word and Excel
 Advanced and well-developed inter-personal skills, with solid track record in persuading and
influencing others.
 Outgoing personality with excellent communication and training skills.
 Good team player, flexible and capable of working with a multinational country team.
 Ability and willingness to travel to locations within country and overseas as required.
 A practical, pragmatic person able to exercise initiative and sound judgement, who will work at every
level to get the job done.
 Strong team leader, capable of managing a team in a dynamic environment.
 A solution orientated person.
 Detailed individual on figures and facts and someone who has worked closely with other key
operational senior decision makers.
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EXPERIENCE:
Essential
 Significant practical experience in a similar role in an international organisation of which two years must
be post qualification experience.
 Good computer skills, including familiarity with financial software packages, Microsoft Word and Excel
are essential.
 Team management experience, including leading, engaging and motivating a team of staff
 Experience of developing, monitoring and reporting against agreed strategy
 Experience of a flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks in a
fast paced environment with tight deadlines
Desirable:
 Experience of working in Africa and at least 12 months of work in a developing country.
 Knowledge of SAGE50 would be an advantage
 Experience of training and coaching of national staff
 Experience of working in a charity or not for profit organisation
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SALARY INDICATOR:
Dependent upon relevant experience.