Save the Children
Child Safeguarding Statement for Adverts
Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all our personnel and programmes are absolutely safe for children.
We undertake rigorous procedures to ensure that only people suitable to work with children are allowed to join our organisation and all candidates will be therefore be subject to this scrutiny.
CS positioning statement:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
TEAM/PROGRAMME: China Programme Finance Team
LOCATION: Beijing
Child Safeguarding:
Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
ROLE PURPOSE: As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) in China, the Finance Director shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office (CO). The Finance Director in his/her capacity will be accountable to the Country Director for overseeing the finance functions in both emergencies and development programming contexts.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: Country Director
Dimensions: Save the Children has been working in Mainland China since the late 1980s; we were formally registered in 1995. We implement programmes in five thematic areas (Education, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Health and Disaster risk and Preparedness) in ten provinces, through six programme offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, Lhasa and Urumqi. We also respond to emergencies as needed. Save the Children has a team of approximately 110 people and an annual budget of approximately $7 million
We expect 4-5 staff to reporting to the post-holder. We are currently restructuring the team; when the post holder first starts the job, they will be able to focus primarily on the Finance Function.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
· Leadership of the China Country Office
· Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate (development and emergencies) values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children and excellent customer service for our members and donors
· Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs
· Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with: host government authorities, partner agencies including humanitarian and development donors, and local and international NGOs
· Work with the Director of Programme Implementation to ensure the China Country Office and Programme Offices comply with all Save the Children Management Operating Standards (MOS) and Standard Operating Procedures
· Ensure that all required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office
Oversee the Finance Function and supervise the Finance Manager who will:
Planning & Budgeting
· Act as a key strategic Finance Business Partner to the Country Director to support key decision making.
· Assist the Country Director (CD) in the management /administration of the Country Office resources and its sub-offices including (a) the formulation of country work program and resource allocation, (b) providing effective support and guidance to the Senior Management Team and other key program staff during planning and allocation exercises; (c) monitoring implementation of donor agreements and resource utilization. Highlight variances, provide analyses and recommend resolution or reallocation of resources.
· Identify and effectively manage all key risks, especially financial, related to delivering the Country Office program. Develop mitigation plans at proposal stage.
· Manage financial aspects of budget development for new proposals.
· Ensure Area offices receive adequate support to operate efficient accounting systems, including timely receipt of monthly budget variance analysis by budget holders, timely answers to queries and scheduling tasks and deadlines.
· Work with Human Resources Manager to establish equitable staff compensation policies and practices within the approved budget and donor requirements.
· Work with the SMT to design and implement a coherent organisational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to approved budget and program needs·
Financial Accounting, Reporting, and Control
· Ensure with Director Program Operations and Head of Logistics that systems are in place for the control of all assets, funds, equipment, property, and facilities; submit timely financial reports to centre, Regional Office and donors as required.
· Financial procedures during emergency responses, including meeting all relevant responsibilities in the Rules and Principles for Emergency Response;
· Monitor accurate and timely submission of financial reports and attachments to members, donors and government regulatory agencies.
· Coordinate submission of control reports, respond to findings and recommend resolutions or action plans.
Staff Management, Mentorship, and Development
· Ensure appropriate staffing within Finance team
· Ensure that all finance staff understand and are able to perform their roles in an emergency
· Manage Finance team; define expectations, provide leadership and technical support as needed, and evaluate direct reports regularly
· Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate and ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for staff
· Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result based system and follow up
· Manage the performance of all staff in the finance work area through:
· Effective use of the Performance Management System including the establishment of clear, measureable objectives, ongoing feedback, periodic reviews and fair and unbiased evaluations;
· Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities;
· Recognition and rewards for outstanding performance;
· Documentation of performance that is less than satisfactory, with appropriate performance improvements/ work plans
SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS (our Values in Practice)
Accountability:
· Holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
· Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved
Ambition:
· Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves (and their team), takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages others to do the same
· Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
· Future orientated, thinks strategically.
Collaboration:
· Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, members and external partners and supporters
· Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
· Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to
Creativity:
· Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
· Willing to take disciplined risks
Integrity:
· Honest, encourages openness and transparency
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Qualified finance professional (recognised accounting qualification suggested) with experience of operating in a global and complex organisation
Recommended a minimum of 10-years management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, including experience in the development of strategic and operational support services plans and their implementation in a professional work environment over a sustained period of time
Ability to plan and organise a substantial workload that includes complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities in both development and emergency contexts
Willingness and ability to dramatically change work practices and hours, and work with incoming surge teams, in the event of emergencies
Demonstrated credibility with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels of an organization
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to demonstrate skills in leading a multi- disciplined team through a period of change
Leadership skills, including the ability to supervise and motivate qualified professional staff with strong personal value systems
Analytical, decision making and strategic planning skills and the ability to handle multiple priorities
Ability to coach, mentor, delegate appropriately and provide developmental guidance to supervised staff
Team building skills
Competent level skills in core IT applications, particularly MS Office
A commitment to the values and principles of SC
Experience of exposure to developing countries
High level of commitment to the principles of development and to the organizational and programmatic goals of Save the Children
If you are interested in this position, please read the Child Safeguarding first, fill in the Application Form and send it back to beijingoffice.china@savethechildren.org before 25 July. 2017
