Project Officer
Tearfund
Total years of experience :5 years, 2 Months
Managing Partner’s Programme Portfolio
Manage overall partnerships in the country; which includes desk-based monitoring, field visits, examination of financial records, audit reports & entire project/programme documentation (proposal, logical-framework, beneficiaries & distribution list etc).
Ensuring proper documentation and filling system is in place.
Provide first-hand knowledge to Country Representative of the observations obtained during your visit to partner organizations.
Prepare a comprehensive management letter (ML) getting it reviewed by the Country Representative prior to sharing it with the management of partner organization so that high risk areas can be highlighted and minimized.
Help partners organizations resolve their problems & complaints.
Providing recommendations and suggestions to partners’ organizations when necessary.
Building the capacity of partner organizations.
Organizing trainings and workshops.
Ensuring proper internal controls are in place.
Ensuring partners are conforming to the compliances mentioned in the Partnership Covenant and Grant Agreement.
Conducting Risk Assessment surveys for partners.
Designing Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) & Terms of References (ToR’s) for partners.
Designing necessary formats & templates using Microsoft Excel & Word for partners.
Support for Country Representative in Compliance with IPMS
Creates, maintains and monitors electronic and paper filling systems for all partnership projects in the region, in line with IPMS.
Registers new partners, as requested by the Country Representative.
Responsible for inputting relevant data on the IBIS system and ensure that relevant documents are logged on the T drive so as to create easy access and effective storage of the team’s project related information.
Facilitates required approval processes for proposals when requested by Country Representative in line with IPMS
Collates checklists for all proposals, approvals and reports on behalf of Country Representative.
Manages system to track submission of reports to ensure compliance with IPMS (issues, reminders to partners and follows up on late submissions)
Monitor, follow up, receive and acknowledge receipt of reports and proposals to ensure timely communication with partners (as agreed with the Country Representative).
Assists Country Representative with inputting information into IBIS to keep partner records up to date and facilitate prompt grant payments.
Processes and keeps a record of partner payment requests once approved in line with IMPS; tracks and follows up on grant receipts.
Finance
Assists Country Representatives in managing and monitoring annual budgets allocation for projects
Information Communication
Informs all team members of changes to IPMS and IBIS and ensures compliance with any changes
Liaises with internal audit ensuring team are aware of issues arising and steps are taken to improve compliance
Ensuring communication with Tearfund partners in designated areas is effectively managed
Contributes towards providing relevant project and partner related information available to internal (e.g. donor care) and external parties as required.
Country Office Affairs
Mandatory signatory of Country Office bank account in United Bank Limited, Mirpurkhas Branch.
In the role to supervise Country office staff.
Conduct performance appraisals of country office staff and report to the Country Representative.
Ensuring compliance of Human Resource, Logistics, Procurement, Administration etc. as per the policies provided in Country Office
Corporate Policies, Management Systems and Procedures
Contribute towards promoting and adhering to Tearfund’s Purpose, Core Values and Operating Principles.
Comply with financial management procedures.
Cash Management and Accounting
As directed, monitored and overseen by the Finance Manager;
Responsible for day-to-day finances including planning for cash needs, cash disbursements, cash receipts, petty cash management, currency exchanges, assisting with local payroll and other finance related tasks.
Monitoring monthly entitlements for staff (e.g. phone top up cards) that they are within authorized limits, informing the finance manager where there are problems or concerns.
Carry out a weekly (and sometimes daily) cash count with the finance manager, resolving any differences.
Ensure that the local field purchases have proper supporting documents and are correctly authorized, and field clearly with payment vouchers.
Liaise with logistics, human resources and other staff in order to obtain information required for accounting and financial management and also provide them with support by answering queries.
Help facilitate visits by, and meet requirements of, external and internal auditors.
Good Practice and Institutional Learning
Promote opportunities to encourage good practices amongst staff and assist in identifying issues/themes that would improve Tearfund’s financial policies and procedures.
Be on the alert for possible instances or risks of fraud within Tearfund, notifying the finance manager immediately of suspicions or areas of risk.
Assist in ensuring audit recommendations are implemented and adopted with operating procedures.
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Preparing vouchers for recording of daily transactions into the ledger
Checking the support documents for the voucher
Ensuring proper authorizations and checks have been made before the payments are released
Ensuring proper filing and archiving of the vouchers
Verifying proper allocation of budget codes to the expenditure and income items
Ensuring proper accounting entries are made into the ledger
Preparation of journal vouchers
Overseeing of major accounting entries with regards to capital expenditure and revenue expenditure
Ensuring proper valuation of fixed assets at the time of recognition in the books of accounts
Maintaining fixed assets register
Preparing monthly bank reconciliation statements
Payroll
Preparation monthly payrolls
Coordinating with the Human Resource Department with regards to the monthly payroll changes
Monitoring proper records and authorizations for issuance of employee advances
Ensuring proper deduction of employee advances in the monthly payroll
Providing financial information to Human Resource Department at the time of retirement or discontinuation of employment, so that all dues are cleared before releasing the employee from the organization
Preparation of pay slips & receiving respective acknowledgment from the employees
Reporting
Preparation of periodic trail balances
Preparation receipts & disbursement on periodic basis
Preparation of financial reports for the management, donors
Ensuring adherence to the Terms & Reference laid down by the donors with respect to the financial reporting
Assist program personnel in preparing annual budgets for the proposed budgets
Audit & Assurance
External Audit:
Preparing & verifying financial statements prior to engagement with external auditors
Ensuring that the financial statements are prepared in compliance with IAS, IFRS
To liaise & coordinate with external auditors
Provide proper documentation & records to the auditors
Help/assist auditors in finalizing financial statements
Assist the management in replying management letter queries
Internal Audit:
Conducting internal audits, ensuring the invoices/bills submitted by the staff resembles true and fair use of the funds provided to them
Preparing internal audit reports and sharing it with the top-management
Sharing the findings/observations with the relevant staff to avoid such observations in future
Supervising & Training
Supervising the overall work performance of the junior staff (i.e. Accounts/Finance Officers)
• Reviewing and referring previous audit report of the client prior to conduct the recent one.
• Casting, vouching and verifying the accounting entry of each transaction.
• Ensuring that all receipts and expenditures are correctly accounted for.
• Assisting audit teams in testing financial systems, learning how to carry out approved audit programmes, examining balance sheets, profit and loss accounts and identifying financial risks or problems.
• Preparing trial balance on client’s behalf and presenting it to the manager
• Making a photo copy of the relevant documents.
• Maintaining audit files
• Coordinating with the clients
• Preparing financial statements and finalizing them with the senior auditor
• Any other duty assigned by the management