Finance and Administration Officer at Let’s Build

Let’s Build Foundation is a global non-profit organization established in 2020 and registered in Norway as a non-profit organisation. Our focus is on providing school infrastructure to support government education strategies in countries ranked low on the Human Development Index. Let’s Build is without religious and political affiliation.

Our vision: A school for every child and youth to thrive in.

Our mission: We work to provide school infrastructure in alignment with government plans and community needs.

We are united by a common vision, and we respect and honour different religions, cultures, and languages.

We help governments accelerate their plans to build or renovate public schools for children and youth. We primarily focus on Secondary Schools. Our investments are not done one-off nor in a vacuum. Our approach is to work together with local communities, partners and stakeholders to ensure a total education package for students, one that ensures not only best learning environments but continued lifelong learning to benefit society over the long term.

In Malawi, Let’s Build was registered in 2021 as a company limited by guarantee and as an NGO with CONGOMA and NGO Board. Our overall goal is to increase school attendance, primarily for the target group of secondary students hence ensuring all children and youth have access to a safe, inclusive, and protective learning environment to thrive in.

Let’s Build has a strong focus on local ownership and maintains a sharp focus on school infrastructure in collaboration and in alignment with local authorities and their long-term plans for education.

Role Purpose And Summary

Reporting to the Finance and Administration Coordinator the role holder will largely be responsible for providing Finance and Administrative support to the Malawi team in a full-time capacity.

In the event of an emergency and depending on the work demands, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal job description and be able to vary working hours accordingly. We are looking for a candidate who is highly versatile.

Reports to Team Leader: Finance and Administration Coordinator

Dimensions: Works with Let’s Build staff, partners and visitors in the office

The position is part of the Finance and Administrative team, but collaboration is expected with the whole Malawi team.

Key Areas Of Accountability

Financial Management and Support:

• Administer and monitor the financial system to ensure that the finances are maintained in an accurate and timely manner;
• Post all transactions in QuickBooks
• Perform month end and bank reconciliations in QuickBooks
• Assist F&A Coordinator with monthly budget preparation and budget analysis
• Prepare and send monthly BVA (budget vs actual) reports to the F&A Coordinator
• Assist the F&A Coordinator in preparation for quarterly and financial reports
• Ensure compliance with the internal financial and accounting policies & procedures;
• Assist in reviewing and maintaining financial documents;
• Review the monthly invoices for correct allocation;
• Ensure local tax preparation and declaration in collaboration with the F&A Coordinator;
• Assist with annual statutory audits and period end closure processes

Cash Management

• Manage petty cash in the office, ensuring compliance from staff;
• Update financial spreadsheets with daily transactions
• Assist the F&A Coordinator with input for the monthly cash flow for the operational and construction programming expenses of the Malawi office
• Prepare local payments
• Conduct cash book and bank account reconciliations on daily and monthly basis respectively for control purposes
• Track and reconcile bank statements

Local Supply Chain Management

• Assist F&A Coordinator in preparing contracts and purchase orders for services, resources, or materials;
• Ensure all goods and services are procured in line with Let’s Build procurement policies and procedures
• Assist in getting quotations from suppliers and other service providers where necessary and ensure the purchase of all required goods and services including equipment;
• Follow up delivery and certification of goods received;

Office Administration

• Logistic support
• Carry out general office administration services in collaboration with Office Assistant
• Perform general office clerk duties and errands in collaboration with the Office Assistant.
• Organize travel by booking accommodations and reservations for staff as required.
• Coordinate events as necessary.
• Ensure supply inventory is well maintained for the Malawi Office in collaboration with Office Assistant.
• Manage procurement process in collaboration with the F&A team
• Maintain office equipment as needed
  • Create, maintain, and enter information into Let’s Build databases in collaboration with Office Assistant
  • Create memo templates when necessary, and support with marketing presentations
  • Organize office team monthly meetings in consultation with Finance and Administration Coordinator

Additional Duties:

• General Support
• Perform other related duties as assigned by Country Representative

Willingness to Improve

• strive to be agile, solution oriented and open for change in our approach
• adaptive; aiming to listen, learn and adjust from experiences and failures

Reliable

• delivering as promised
• proactively communicating
• managing commitments

Collaborative

Supportive through:

• leveraging skills and strengths
• showing appreciation of others work
• support through challenge

Driven by Purpose

• motivated by the why
• focused and aligning decisions and goals towards our purpose
• honesty and transparency

Qualifications

• A successful candidate must possess a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance/Commerce/Accounting/Administrative Support;
• Membership in a Professional Accounting body will be an added advantage;

Experience & Skills

• At least 3 years of working experience as Finance and Administration Officer in a related field – preferably in an NGO setting with strong accounting knowledge and skills
• Knowledge and experience using QuickBooks
• Excellent computer literacy skills, including skills in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft office applications
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and/or local languages
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are highly valued
• Ability to work flexibly, manage a complex and diverse workload
• Honest and trustworthy
• Good understanding of office management procedures
• Working knowledge of office equipment
• Excellent driving skills with a valid driving license
• Comfortable working with a high degree of attention to details
• Willingness and ability to change work practices and hours
• Ability to work well under limited supervision
• Good personal organisational skills, including time management, and ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure
• Understanding and commitment to Let’s Build vision, mission, core values, objectives and principles
• Ability to work within a multicultural settingThe role holder may have limited or frequent contact with children and/or young people either once or twice a month or more because they work in the office and in the field. They hence must ensure compliance to and effective implementation of Let’s Build Child Safeguarding Policy at all time.Opportunity to be a member of an agile start-up organization in Malawi. We provide ambitious targets. Let’s Build is centred around our core values, which influence our way of working. Taking pride in being purpose driven, collaborative, reliable and willing to improve – values and behaviours we will be looking for in the candidate. There will be a variation of responsibilities and competitive compensation.

Method of Application

Provide Cover letter max. 1 page, CV max. 3 pages, details of three references

Send application to recruitment@letsbuild.foundation no later than September 23, 2022.

All applications must include answers to the following questions in the application email text:

• List your qualifications and skills relevant to the F&A Officer position
• List your number of years’ experience working with financial management and support
• List your number of years’ experience working in the NGO sector in Malawi?
• List your number of years’ experience using QuickBooks
• List experience using Microsoft office and excel
• What would you need to do to be successful in this role?
• How would you as F&A Officer ensure that Let’s Build is purpose driven?
• Important note: by sending through your application, you give your consent to Let’s Build to store information collected in the recruitment process for the Finance and Administration Officer position.Only shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews