Director of Finance and Administration- Monrovia, Liberia

Director of Finance and Administration, Advancing Liberia’ Diagnostic Network Project  

Project Description  

ICF is seeking a motivated Director of Finance and Administration to support a multi-million, five-year Center for Disease Control (CDC)-funded project. The project aims to innovate, implement, and evaluate approaches to One Health laboratory diagnostic network optimization and specimen transport in Liberia. It is designed to address the inter-dependence of a comprehensive, resource-mapped, accredited national and sub-national laboratory network, the physical transportation architecture required to transfer network commodities (namely human, animal, and environmental specimens) point-to-point, and the optimization of digital communication, information, and supply chain systems necessary to sustain the network itself.   

Job Description 

The Director of Finance and Administration will lead the establishment of project policies, systems, and processes for all aspects of project finance, administration, and operations in compliance with CDC rules and regulations and ICF policy. This position maintains a strategic and comprehensive view of the project’s finance and operations functions. The Director of Finance and Administration is expected to work closely with the Finance and Operations Leads for project consortium partners to ensure that financial and operational execution by partners is in line with CDC rules and regulations and project policies. The successful candidate is expected to bring a solutions-oriented approach to U.S and country-based operations. 

The Business Official will be based in Monrovia, Liberia, may require limited international travel and up to 30% domestic travel. 

Responsibilities: The Director of Finance and Administration's primary responsibilities are to lead the finance and operations team to ensure smooth, compliant, high-functioning project finance, administration, and operations in Liberia. He/she ensures that effective support in finance, procurement, asset management, subgrant management, security, country start-up, and is available to support the project’s execution in relationship to its technical objectives. Responsibilities specifically include: 

Strategic 

• Develop a strategic vision and plan for the finance and operations functions within the project. 

• Monitor applicable federal regulations for changes and updates. 

• Document and collect financial and management best practices. 

• Lead discussions, together with the Project Director and the CDC regarding financial, administration and operational aspects of the project. 

• Maintain effective linkages between technical components and finance and administrative functions. 

Operational 

• Identify and establish contract-compliant project policies, systems and procedures. 

• Ensure effective training for project staff on project policies, systems, and procedures. 

• Liaise closely with ICF’s corporate functions: contracts, subcontracts, international operations, procurement, business operations to ensure compliance with ICF policies and that the necessary corporate resources are brought to bear in supporting project execution. 

• Establish and support strong procedures for country start up and close down 

• Establish the project’s Management and Financial Information System with support from the project’s IT support. 

• Oversee post-award training, support and guidance for project subcontractors including basic terms of signed agreements, reporting schedule and documentation for allowable costs. 

• Establish quality assurance procedures for the review of invoices. 

• Ensure effective monitoring of project work plans, timelines, and task order logistics. This includes supporting the tracking of staff and task order subtasks’ timelines and their completion; notifying project leadership of impending delays. 

• Establish and maintain the project’s Data Security and Data Protection Policies, and ensure adherence across the project. 

• Oversee the project’s submission of reports. 

• Lead the development and routine creation of precise, detailed financial reports during project start up, implementation and close out. Monitor financial performance and progress towards objectives. 

• Establish and maintain common procurement guidelines to be used by all partners within the consortium. 

• Establish and maintain project risk assessment processes. 

• Oversee financial, operational, and administrative functions of the execution of subcontracts. 

Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in business, finance, accounting, commerce, international relations, or related field. 

• 8+ years’ experience leading the management of financial, accounting, and operations functions for USG projects of comparable size. 

• 3+ years' experience leading a team of finance and operations staff to provide strong compliant finance and operations functions for a similarly-sized project. 

• 5+ years' experience complying with donor-funded technical, financial, and procurement regulations, preferably CDC and/or U.S. Government projects. 

• 5+ years' experience in budget monitoring and managing financial reporting requirements and applied skills in developing and managing large budgets.