Job Description

Job title:  

Finance Officer

Work Location:

Freetown/Kono

Department:

Finance

Report to:

Finance Manager

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 Finance Officer will be responsible for supporting the Kono finance team to produce accurate and timely reporting of Kono’s monthly expenditure.

The Finance Officer will be responsible for supporting the Kono finance team to maintain overall compliance with PIH’s grant agreements as well as internal finance and procurement policies. 

The Finance officer will be responsible for processing all petty cash requests. The Finance Officer will also take on responsibility as the primary finance contact for the Wellbody Clinic and KGH in Kono District.

As a critical member of the Sierra Leone PIH finance team, the Finance Officer will play a lead role in educating program staff on PIH finance policies and ensuring they are strictly adhered to:

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The Finance Officer will be responsible for supporting the Kono finance team to produce accurate and timely reporting of Kono’s monthly expenditure.

The Finance Officer will be responsible for supporting the Kono finance team to maintain overall compliance with PIH’s grant agreements as well as internal finance and procurement policies. 

The Finance officer will be responsible for processing all petty cash requests at the Clinic. The Finance Officer will also take on responsibility as the primary finance contact for the Clinic in Kono District.

As a critical member of the Sierra Leone PIH finance team, the Finance Officer will play a lead role in educating program staff on PIH finance policies and ensuring they are strictly adhered to.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Directly responsible for the Clinic and finance needs. 
• Responsibility for ensuring strict adherence with PIH grant agreements as well as internal finance and procurement policies when processing petty cash requests.
• Responsibility for ensuring the clinic petty cash batch is accurately updated on a daily basis. 
• Responsibility for ensuring WHT is correctly recognized and calculated on all cash transactions over 600,000.
• Responsibility for maintaining an accurate and up to date log of all outstanding advances and following up with program staff appropriately.
• Critically analyzing the documentation provided to support payments. 
• Primary responsibility for addressing financial requests from Clinic and ensuring Clinic programs are receiving reliable financial support. 
• Assisting the finance team by covering other positions when team members are on leave and performing ad hoc tasks as needed.

Primary Deliverables:

• Ensuring the Clinic batch is available for review on a weekly basis to the Finance Officer at Sahr Lebbie Office.
• Ensuring the Clinic batch is available for review on a monthly basis to the District Finance Manager.

How performance will be assessed?

• Quality and timeliness of primary deliverables each month
• Ability to file and store finance documentation in an orderly and compliant manner
• Feedback from the District Finance Manager on the attitude and quality of work produced by the Finance Officer.
• Feedback from the Clinic management on the attitude and quality of work produced by the Finance Officer.
• Feedback from Program Managers at the clinic on the financial support

Education and Work Experience Requirements:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internally and externally.
• Excellent computer proficiency (MS Office – Word, Excel and Outlook)
• Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary customer service
• Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices
• Diploma or First degree in accounting

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.