The Admin & Finance Officer will be responsible for the overall financial, administrative, procurement, logistical, and documentation support for the OSCAR. The position will ensure that project financial and administrative activities are implemented in accordance with the approved project budget, OSCAR policies and procedures, OSCAR requirements, applicable financial regulations, and donor compliance standards.
The Admin & Finance Officer will work closely with the Management Team, project team, OSCAR senior management, finance and administration personnel, suppliers, service providers, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure effective financial control, timely payments, proper procurement, accurate record keeping, and complete audit-ready documentation.
Key Responsibilities
1. Financial Management and Accounting
- Manage and maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records for the project.
- Ensure all project expenditures are properly authorized, supported, recorded, and allocated against the approved budget.
- Prepare payment vouchers, cash requests, advances, liquidation documents, and other financial documentation.
- Maintain proper records of cash transactions, bank transactions, advances, and settlements.
- Ensure timely liquidation of staff and project advances in accordance with OSCAR and donor procedures.
- Review supporting documents for completeness, accuracy, authorization, and compliance before processing payments.
- Ensure that expenditures are made only within approved budget lines and authorized limits.
- Maintain appropriate segregation of duties and internal financial controls.
- Monitor cash balances and ensure adequate cash availability for approved project activities.
- Reconcile cash and bank accounts regularly and report discrepancies immediately.
- Maintain proper financial filing systems for all project-related transactions.
- Ensure that financial records are maintained in accordance with OSCAR accounting procedures and donor requirements.
2. Budget Management and Financial Monitoring
- Support the Project Manager in preparing and monitoring the project budget.
- Regularly compare actual expenditures against the approved project budget.
- Prepare budget-versus-actual expenditure reports and highlight significant variances.
- Identify potential budget shortfalls, over-expenditures, and under-utilization in a timely manner.
- Provide financial advice to the Project Manager regarding project activities and expenditures.
- Support the preparation of budget revisions and reallocations when required.
- Ensure that all expenditures are properly coded against the relevant budget lines.
- Monitor the financial progress of the project and provide regular updates to management.
- Support accurate financial forecasting and cash-flow planning.
3. Procurement and Administrative Support
- Support and coordinate procurement activities in accordance with OSCAR procurement policies and donor’s requirements.
- Prepare and maintain procurement documentation, including purchase requests, quotations, bid analysis, purchase orders, and invoices.
- Ensure appropriate competitive procurement procedures are followed based on applicable thresholds.
- Support the identification and selection of qualified suppliers and service providers.
- Maintain an updated supplier/vendor database.
- Ensure goods and services are received, inspected, verified, and properly documented before payment.
- Coordinate with the Project Manager and relevant staff to ensure timely procurement of project supplies and services.
- Maintain proper records of project assets, equipment, and inventory.
- Support office administration, including utilities, supplies, communications, transportation, and other operational requirements.
- Ensure project administrative documentation is complete and properly filed.
4. Cash and Advance Management
- Maintain proper custody and management of project cash, where applicable.
- Prepare cash requests and replenishment requests based on approved activities and cash-flow requirements.
- Maintain accurate cashbooks and supporting documentation.
- Conduct regular cash counts and reconciliations.
- Ensure staff advances are properly documented and liquidated within the required timeframe.
- Follow up on outstanding advances and report overdue advances to management.
- Ensure cash handling is conducted securely and in accordance with organizational procedures.
5. Payroll and Staff Administration
- Support the preparation and processing of project staff payroll and related payments.
- Verify attendance sheets, timesheets, contracts, and other supporting documents before payroll processing.
- Maintain confidential and accurate personnel-related financial records.
- Ensure statutory deductions and other applicable payments are properly calculated and processed in accordance with applicable requirements and OSCAR procedures.
- Support staff onboarding and administrative processes related to project personnel.
- Maintain proper documentation of staff payments, allowances, and benefits.
6. Financial Reporting and Documentation
- Prepare regular financial reports for management and project review.
- Provide financial information required for donors reporting and project monitoring.
- Ensure all financial documents are complete, accurate, properly signed, and adequately supported.
- Maintain organized and secure electronic and hard-copy financial files.
- Support the preparation of interim and final financial reports.
- Ensure financial reports reconcile with accounting records and supporting documentation.
- Maintain complete means of verification for all financial transactions.
- Provide financial documentation and explanations during internal and external audits.
7. Compliance and Internal Controls
- Ensure compliance with OSCAR financial, administrative, procurement, and asset-management policies.
- Ensure compliance with applicable OSCAR financial and administrative requirements.
- Verify that expenditures are reasonable, necessary, allowable, and properly authorized.
- Identify potential financial risks and report them promptly to the Project Manager and senior management.
- Ensure appropriate controls are in place to prevent fraud, misuse of funds, conflicts of interest, and financial irregularities.
- Support implementation of anti-fraud, anti-corruption, safeguarding, PSEA, and accountability requirements within administrative and financial processes.
- Ensure proper documentation and authorization of all project transactions.
- Immediately report suspected financial irregularities or non-compliance through appropriate organizational channels.
8. Audit and Verification
- Maintain project financial records in an organized and audit-ready manner.
- Support internal, donor, and external audits and financial reviews.
- Provide requested financial documents, vouchers, invoices, procurement records, and reconciliations.
- Follow up on audit findings and support management in implementing corrective actions.
- Ensure that audit recommendations related to financial and administrative management are properly addressed.
9. Asset and Inventory Management
- Maintain an updated inventory and asset register for project equipment and materials.
- Ensure proper tagging, custody, utilization, and maintenance of project assets.
- Conduct periodic physical verification of assets and inventory.
- Document the transfer, movement, loss, damage, or disposal of project assets in accordance with OSCAR procedures.
- Ensure project assets are used exclusively for authorized project purposes.
10. Coordination and Team Support
- Work closely with the Project Manager to ensure smooth implementation of project activities.
- Provide financial and administrative guidance to project staff when required.
- Participate in project coordination and review meetings.
- Coordinate with OSCAR’s central finance and administration team.
- Maintain professional communication with suppliers, service providers, local authorities, and other stakeholders as required.
- Support the Project Manager in resolving administrative and financial challenges.
Perform other finance and administration duties assigned by the Project Manager or OSCAR senior management.
