We are looking for a Head of Operations and Finance in West Africa

Our team in West Africa is looking for a Head of Operations and Finance to be based in Kumasi, Ghana.

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About Rikolto

A sustainable income for farmers, and nutritious, affordable food for everyone: this is what Rikolto works for.

Rikolto is an international network organisation with more than 50 years’ experience in partnering with farmer organisations and food chain stakeholders across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Rikolto has a global team driven by over 200 people worldwide of 20 different nationalities, based in 5 offices across the world. We work around three global programmes: Sustainable Rice for All, Sustainable Cocoa and Coffee, and Good Food For Cities in 18 countries.

Read more about our global Good Food For Cities, Sustainable Rice, and Sustainable Cocoa & Coffee programmes, and our impact in 2023.

The activities in West Africa cover six (6) countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Benin.

Rikolto works for the development of sustainable food systems, focusing on strengthening the entrepreneurial capacities of stakeholders, supporting value chain actors in improving the quality and packaging of agricultural products, improving processing and marketing, more sustainable food production, improving the environment of agricultural chains, governance in value chains. For more information, please visit our website: www.rikolto.org/westafrica.

What

As Head of Operations for West Africa, you will create the conditions for the region to operate professionally in the areas of operations, finance, HR, internal and external communications and IT. You will coordinate a well-functioning, manageable team that supports Rikolto's programme work in six West African countries.

The Head of Operations (HOO) is part of the regional management team that ensures the different programmes are aligned, that resources are used efficiently, and that programme work is supported at regional level. The HOO is ultimately responsible for operational management and leads, inspires and coaches the support services in the region. At a global level, the HOO contributes to the creation of a global operational framework by providing regional context and working as part of an international peer team.

As the finance manager for Ghana, you are responsible for the quality of our financial processes.

We offer

• Contract type: Fixed-term contract of two (2) years renewable depending on the availability of funding with a trial period of three months.
• Desired start date of employment: October 2024
• Position in the organisation: Member of the West Africa Team
• Reports to: Regional Director
• Location: Kumasi, Ghana.
• Job size: Full-time
• Travels: Occasional travelling will be required.

Your roles

As Finance manager in Ghana

Budget & Forecast

• Coordinate the budget process and consolidate budgets
• Coordinate the budget monitoring process (quarterly forecast reports, …) and consolidate management reporting

Reporting to donors

• Coordinate the reporting process to donors  
• Follow-up and check the donor reports of the Ghana office

Bookkeeping

• Year closing & audits
• Reviewing financial statements
• Internal year report & annual year report
• Coordination and follow-up of the internal and external audit processes

Manuals, formats and procedures

• Regularly update/adapt the financial guide
• Develop and adapt financial formats and tools
• Inform and advise on streamlining local financial procedures

As Head of Operations

• Inspire, coach and follow up/manage the regional operations/support team (communication, finance, HR and IT)
• Ensure there is an effective information flow throughout the different locations in the region and the different programmes
• Follow up/manage the overall budget of the region
• End responsibility for operational management  

As member of the regional management team

• Coordinate the budget process and consolidate budgets
• Coordinate the budget monitoring process (quarterly forecast reports, …) and consolidate management reporting

Reporting to donors  

• Coordinate the reporting process to donors  
• Follow-up and check the donor reports of the Ghana office

Bookkeeping

• Year closing & audits
• Reviewing financial statements  
• Internal year report & annual year report
• Coordination and follow-up of the internal and external audit processes

Manuals, formats and procedures

• Regularly update/adapt the financial guide
• Develop and adapt financial formats and tools
• Inform and advise on streamlining local financial procedures
• Oversee the regions operations, human resources, finance, communication and IT requirements and assess the feasibility of the different programme activities by the regional team.
• Oversee the expectations with regard to services and support in the region
• Oversee all Monitoring & Evaluation, Evidence for Impact and fundraising queries that are not related to a specific programme of the global operations team.

As member of the global operations team

This team sets out the structure for the operationalisation of the organisational strategies and monitors all operations-related aspects of the organisation

• Contribute to global operational policies  
• As Finance manager Ghana

Your profile

Required qualifications

• Master's degree in finance, accounting or a related field of study
• Minimum of 5 years working in an international organisation managing Finance (and operations)
• Solid financial proficiency

Knowledge, abilities and skills

• Strong sense of collegiality, integrity, resourcefulness and accountability to deliver
• Strong interpersonal and effective communication skills
• Ability to be a critical thinker and present risks to management
• Creative and entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and a good practical knowledge of French is a must to build links with colleagues in other West African countries.
• In-depth knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 and Excel (research, pivot table level)
• Functional knowledge of accounting software packages (Exact) is an asset.

How to apply?

Interested candidates send your updated CV - with three professional references from people linked to organisations that have already employed the candidate and a covering motivation letter (maximum one page) indicating salary expectations.

Applications should be sent electronically to jobs.international@rikolto.org no later than 16 September 2024 at 8:00 GMT, specifying the position. Only those selected will be invited for interview.

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