JOBDESCRIPTION

JobTitle:Director of Finance
Department and Subdivision/Project (if any): Operations & Management Directorate
Location: Noumea
Reporting to:Reporting to: Deputy Director-General Noumea
Number of Direct Reports:4 direct reports and 60 indirect reports based in multiple locations, delivering services through the following three operational units:
  • Finance Unit
  • Procurement, Grants, Risk and Assets Unit
  • Property Unit – Noumea
Purpose of Role: The Director of Finance contributes to the overall success of SPC by effectively managing all fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities for the organisation. The Director of Finance provides authoritative advice an all financial matters relevant to SPC to the Executive, governing bodies, Audit and Risk Committee and Senior Leadership Team. In addition, the position provides support for effective decision making, resource allocation, external compliance, organizational reform and improved efficiency within a context of a rapidly changing external environment that requires constant adaptation across the organization.
Date:15 January 2018
Organizational Context and Organization Chart

Key Result Areas (KRAs):

The position of Director of Financeencompasses the following major functions or Key Result Areas:

  • Provide strategic leadership and management that ensures effective service delivery of finance and infrastructure services to support SPC’s overall strategy, in all SPC locations
  • Identify, plan for and implement strategic opportunities to improve and develop SPC finance and infrastructure support functions
  • Ensure that SPC and the Finance Department are well managed financially, cost recovered as appropriate, and that resources are directed to SPC priorities
  • Provide advice to the Executive and work closely with other members of the SLT, and other internal stakeholders to implement system and process improvements, and further SPC’s strategic objectives
  • Ensure the team’s compliance with all SPC’s legal obligations, policies and procedures and build SPC’s compliance with service specific policies

The performance requirements of the Key Result Areas are broadly describedbelow

Jobholder is accountablefor / Jobholder is successfulwhen
Provide strategic leadership and management that ensures effective service delivery of finance and infrastructure services to support SPC’s overall strategy, in all SPC locations /
  • Finance is clearly recognised as a service oriented business partner to all relevant stakeholders, both internal and external
  • The governing body, Director-General, Deputy Directors-General and Senior Leadership Team are actively engaged on trends and changes in SPC's business model.
  • Analytical thinking is providedto support robust decision-making pertaining to strategic initiatives, business model and operational execution.
  • Staff are managed and supervised to achieve objectives and to create an environment that promotes high performance, collaboration, staff development and succession planning
  • Structure of the team and section is adapted and modified as need requires

Identify, plan for and implement strategic opportunities to improve and develop SPC finance and infrastructure support functions /
  • Strategic planning occurs for the Finance Department, linking objectives with the OMD business plan and the SPC strategic plan
  • SPC’s financial and operational risks are analyzed and mitigated. Risk scenarios are modelled and appropriate mitigating actions implemented
  • Opportunities for synergies and systems improvements are identified and acted upon
  • The budget is prepared in a timely manner and is available to the Director-General, Deputy Directors-General and Audit and Risk Committee for their respective review.
  • Treasury functions including investments , cash forecast planning are streamlined and forex management is improved
  • Automated financial systems including workflow automation are continuously improved
  • Oversee full cost recovery implementation
  • Finance department rules and policies are updated and implemented, and harmonised across locations
  • Finance functions are delivered efficiently and effectively.
  • Finance functions meet the KPIs set out in the OMD business plan, including client satisfaction

Ensure that SPC and the Finance Department is well managed financially, cost recovered as appropriate, and that resources are directed to SPC priorities /
  • Finance budget is effectively managed and resources are allocated to internal priorities
  • Finance Department’s contracts with all service providers are value for money and are well managed

Provide advice to the Executive and work closely with other members of the SLT, and other internal stakeholders to implement system and process improvements, and further SPC’s strategic objectives /
  • Relationships with Executive and SLT are robust
  • Timely and comprehensive advice is provided on key issues that pose significant risks to SPC
  • Forward looking, predictive models and activity-based financial analysis that provides insights into SPC’s operations and business plans are developed and utilized throughout the organization.
  • Strategies for guaranteeing SPC’s long term sustainable funding are developed and implemented successfully
  • Excellent working relationships with other CROP agencies are built and maintained
  • Client relationships with internal stakeholders are managed
  • Services implement a customer-service focus and approach

Ensure the team’s compliance with all SPC’s legal obligations, policies and procedures and build SPC’s compliance with service specific policies /
  • Finance policies and procedures are reviewed, updated and implemented to build SPC’s compliance with international standards, particularly IPSAS
  • Team adheres to SPC policies, including procurement and travel
  • Team meets their legal obligations
  • SPC adherence to Finance rules and policies improve and are applied equally in all locations
  • Finance Department contributes to regular reporting

The above performance requirements are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for this job will need further discussion between the jobholder and supervisor as part of the performance development process.

Most Challenging Duties TypicallyUndertaken (Complexity):
-Leading and managing a diverse team across multiple locations
-Influencing the Executive and SLT on strategic finance issues
-Developing a long term strategy to ensure that finance functions are able to operate effectively and efficiently
-Management of high workload with limited resources
-Resolution of complex finance management issues
-Fostering and strengthening a professional finance function in SPC
Developing robust relationships with key stakeholders
Functional Relationships & Relationship Skills:

Key internal and/or externalcontacts

/

Nature of the contact mosttypical

External
•External and Internal auditors
•Banks/Financial Institutions
•Counterparts in CROP agencies
•International agencies/Development Partners
•Contractors
•Other public and private partners / Giving and receiving information , liaising , facilitating , influencing and persuading , resolving conflicts, negotiations
Internal
•Deputy Director-General Noumea
•Executive
•Senior Leadership Team
•All divisions and programmes
•Other support services
•Staff / •Providing strategic advice
•Interpretation and application of finance policies
•Support for line managers in dealing with difficult or sensitive issues
•Managing client relationships and expectations

Level of Delegation:

The position holder’s delegations under the Instrument of Delegations are extensive and include:

  • expenditure to EUR 400,000 Euro
  • opening bank accounts
  • authorising short-term low risk investments up to EUR5,000,000

Personal Specification:

This section is designed to capture the expertise required for the role at the 100% fully effective level. (This does not necessarily reflect what the current position holder has.) This may be a combination of knowledge / experience, qualifications or equivalent level of learning through experience or key skills, attributes or job specific competencies.

Qualifications

Essential: / Desirable:
-Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in business or public administration, finance or accounting. / -Professional qualification in accounting (CPA, CA or equivalent)

A first level university degree in combination with extensive qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Knowledge/Experience

Essential: / Desirable:
-At least 10 years (10) of progressively responsible experience in financial management under international accounting standards such as IPSAS accounting standards, including accounting, budgeting, treasury and investment at the organizational corporate level, with at least five years (5) as a Director of Finance/CFO or equivalent,
-Fluency in oral and written English / -At least 5 years of experience in both private and public sectors in organisations with annual budgets of at least Euro 50 millions.
-Experience in international development organisations
Fluency in French is highly desirable

Key Skills/Attributes/Job Specific Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of the substantive field of work of a Chief Financial Officer, including financial and budgetary strategy and policy formulation, the production of the statutory accounts, cash management as well as financial change management and related project implementation. Extensive experience in IPSAS. Knowledge and experience in internal control and risk management, as to be able to establish and manage an adequate internal control environment that protects SPC’s resources and guarantees the reliability of financial reporting. Ability to write reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

The Director of Finance must be a strong high energy leader with a proven management ability who leads by example, be capable of leading organizational change and exhibit exceptional integrity and credibility.

Judgement/Decision-making: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

KeyBehaviours

All employees are measured against the following KeyBehavioursas part ofPerformanceDevelopment:

•Commitment/ Accountability

•Professional/Technical Expertise

•Teamwork

•Customer Focus

•Effective Communications & Relationships

•Leadership

•Coaching and Development (for managers only)

•Strategic Perspective (for managers only)

PersonalAttributes

•High level of professional integrity and ethics

•Friendly demeanor

•Demonstrated high level commitment to customer service

Change to Job Description:

From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of the work environment - including technological requirements or statutory changes. Such change may be initiated as necessary by SPC. This Job Description may also be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle.

Approved:

Manager/SupervisorDate

Employee