Job Description

Position Objective

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) is a German non-government organization (NGO) that renders humanitarian aid in 31 countries with 13 offices across the world. DKH supports people who are affected by crisis related to natural hazards, war, and displacement and focuses on locally led responses by working in collaboration with a global network of partner organizations. Fostering locally led and owned humanitarian action; a long-term equitable partnership approach lies at the very core of our work. Continuously striving to facilitate mutual learning and capacity exchange, DKH aims to identify innovative and customized programmatic approaches and cooperation models. The organization actively seeks to shift power to local/national partners and communities through the transfer of decision-making and funding opportunities to directly address their own priorities, while amplifying their voices of local/national partners and communities in humanitarian action. DKH is part of the Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development (EWDE) based in Berlin, Germany.

Since the end of 2021, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) has been working on reorganizing its global offices, guided by the vision to strengthen regional and local structure. While DKH understands itself as one unified organization that transcends geographical boundaries, operative decision-making power is strategically positioned where operations happen.

The Regional East and southern Africa Hub, based at a location of strategic importance for the humanitarian program of DKH, serves as the key actor for DKH’s humanitarian program. It pools resources and holds accountability for strategically designing regional strategies and programming, while fostering innovation and providing partner organizations with local operational and technical support, and capacity-building services. On the other hand, DKH Berlin maintains a focused role on enabling external structures through technical advice, procedural guidance, standard-setting and quality control, as well as providing the global strategic framework that support DKH’s mission to empower partners and engage in locally led and owned humanitarian assistance

Aligned to the Regional Office in Nairobi, DKH runs an office in Mogadishu responsible for the oversight and technical support for humanitarian and transitional aid activities implemented through local partner organisations. Project activities are located in several regions in South Central Somalia.

The Finance Coordinator ensures compliance with DKH operational and financial policies in the Somalia mission, donor regulations, and local laws while maintaining accurate accounting systems and reporting. The role oversees grant and resource management to guarantee donor compliance, precise budgeting, and effective financial monitoring that supports the organization’s humanitarian goals. The role strengthens internal controls to promote financial integrity. Additionally, the Finance Coordinator builds partner financial capacity, and proactively identifies and mitigates financial risks to safeguard the organization’s assets and reputation.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Budgeting and Reporting

• Collaborate with the country director in developing the master operational budget for the Somalia office, ensuring alignment with the overall financial strategy of the region.
• Analyze financial and budget variance analysis and give insights to support decision-making and resource allocation.
• Consolidate accurate and timely monthly financial reports for the office expenses ensuring adherence to reporting deadlines and organizational standards.
• Review financial reports for all running projects and report to the country director before submission to the head office.

Quality assurance/ Internal controls

• Create in collaboration with the Operations Manager in Nairobi, standardized formats and checklists for internal controls following the organization’s standards and procedures.
• Identify and maintain robust financial controls and systems to safeguard assets, prevent fraud, and ensure the accuracy and reliability of financial information.
• Specify and support DKH implementing partners to be compliant with operating procedures and standards.
• Conduct periodic spot checks on the implementing partners to evaluate the robustness of internal controls, identify any potential financial risks or irregularities, recommend corrective actions where necessary and follow up on implementation.

Team supervision and Capacity building

• Training and mentoring implementing partners on financial and operational best practices, ensuring a high level of competency within the teams.
• Supervise and mentor the Finance Officer to ensure the effective execution of financial tasks and processes, providing strategic guidance and support to maintain operational efficiency.
• Pro-actively address performance issues through timely constructive feedback and coaching.
• Provide strategic support and training to partner organizations on enhancing their internal control systems and project accountability frameworks, as needed.

Strategy and Planning

• Collaborate with the country director in providing strategic input to the development and implementation of the office goals and objectives.

Accounting and treasury management

• Oversee the coordination and maintenance of accurate financial records, ensuring the proper management of the books of accounts for the Somalia office. Regular review of the data files in the accounting software.
• Focal point for the financial processes and data entry on the project management software including funds transfers, budget upload, reporting, project closure etc.
• Conduct regular bank and cash reconciliations, as well as end-of-year and ad hoc balance reconciliations.
• Monitor the petty cash and bank balances to ensure liquidity of the office, maintaining meticulous records and compliance with financial regulations.
• Review cash forecasts and requests for the Somalia office before submission to Berlin. The finance coordinator also reviews project funds requests from the partners ensuring accurate information before posting to the project management system.
• Oversee the reconciliation and management of accounts receivable and payable.
• Assess and verify invoices and documentation from contractors and suppliers to ensure accuracy before processing
• Oversee payroll preparation for DKH, ensuring accurate deductions for taxes and other staff benefits in compliance with statutory requirements.
• Manage the data file and ensure meticulous maintenance of electronic and hard copies of financial documents and reports.
• Take lead on both internal and external audits, facilitating participation and ensuring effective coordination.
• Oversee the update of the Fixed Asset Register to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Project finance

• Manage the finances of the ToGETHER project.
• Act as the focal point of the ToGETHER project representing DKH in ToGETHER project meetings.
• Coordinate with partners in preparation of financial reports for the ToGETHER project.
• Consolidate financial reports for all the ToGETHER partners and DKH and submit to the finance coordinator/Regional finance focal point.
• Regular review of partner finance documents for all running projects.
• Coordinate and support the partners in preparing project budgets and budget amendments.
• Capacity building of partners and other DKH staff on financial management.

Any other duties assigned by the supervisor

TARGET SKILLS PROFILE

SUBSTANTIVE KNOWLEDGE

• Strong financial management and accounting skills, including budgeting, analysis, and reporting.
• Experience in implementing and maintaining robust financial controls.
• Proven experience in overseeing procurement processes.
• Deep understanding of the organization's mission and values to support its regional initiatives
• Strong understanding of donor compliance requirements and ability to ensure adherence to these guidelines
• Proficiency in accounting systems.
• Good understanding of humanitarian programming, and experience in grant management and accountability systems at program/project level

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Cultural Sensitivity to diverse cultural and social contexts, especially in a multi-country office setting.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities with diverse stakeholders.
• External

EXECUTION SKILLS

• Ability to fit into existing structures and build up new organizational forms at the same time with the necessary sensitivity.
• Ability to maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records and reports.
• Strong team building skills: ability to build up a new team and work within a team.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and provide actionable insights Understanding of non-profit sector operations, especially in international or humanitarian contexts
• Advanced proficiency in MS Excel for data analysis and reporting
• Adaptability and Problem-Solving-Ability to adapt to changing situations and address complex challenges effectively

Experiences and Qualifications

TARGETED SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE

• At least 7 years of relevant work experience in finance and operations management, preferably in a multi-country or international setting.
• A bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field is often required, and relevant professional certification (such as CPA, CMA, or ACCA) would be advantageous.
• A master's degree in a relevant field can be an added advantage.

Skills Required

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