Senior Admin & Finance Officer at IL SOLE ONLUS, Ethiopia

About IL SOLE

IL SOLE Associazione ETS is a secular Italian non-profit organization working in international cooperation since 1997. In Ethiopia, IL SOLE implements projects in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), youth employability, child protection, women’s empowerment and child sponsorship, in partnership with local institutions and civil society organizations, and with the support of institutional and private donors including the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS).

Purpose and scope of the position

The Senior Admin & Finance Officer holds full responsibility for the administrative and financial management of IL SOLE’s country programme. This is a stand-alone, hands-on position: the post-holder personally carries out the day-to-day accounting, treasury and administrative work of the Country Office, and at the same time acts as the financial reference person for the Country Representative and the project team on budget monitoring, forecasting and donor compliance.

Candidates should be aware that the role combines routine operational work (book-keeping, payments, filing, payroll) with analytical and advisory work (budget monitoring, variance analysis, reporting to donors). Roughly two thirds of the time is operational; the remaining share is dedicated to analysis, planning and support to project management. We are looking for someone who is comfortable with both, and who does not consider hands-on accounting work below their level of seniority.

Key responsibilities

1. Accounting, treasury and day-to-day administration

• Record all financial transactions in the accounting system, ensuring accuracy, completeness and timeliness
• Manage cash and bank operations, prepare and execute payments, perform monthly bank and petty cash reconciliations
• Close the monthly accounts and send the complete accounting package, with supporting documentation, to CR within the agreed deadlines
• Manage fund requests and liquidity planning for the Country Office and for each project
• Maintain a complete, well-ordered and audit-ready filing system (hard copy and digital)
• Manage office administration: service contracts, insurance, utilities, asset register and inventory
• Manage procurement processes in line with donor and internal rules (quotations, evaluation, contracting, documentation)
• Make sure that all financial documents are properly filed and scanned

2. Budget monitoring and financial planning

• Prepare and update monthly Budget vs. Actual (BvA) analyses for each project and discuss them with the Country Representative and Project Officers in regular budget review meetings
• Produce spending forecasts and cash flow projections; flag under- and over-spending early enough for corrective action
• Support the preparation of budget remodulations, variants and no-cost extensions, including the technical justification required by donors
• Monitor exchange rate exposure (ETB/EUR) and its effect on project budgets, flagging risks to HQ
• Ensure coherence between the physical progress of activities and financial progress
• Contribute to the preparation of budgets for new project proposals

3. Donor reporting, compliance and audit

• Prepare interim and final financial reports for donors (AICS, private foundations, others), ensuring eligibility of costs and full consistency with narrative reports
• Manage internal and external audits at country level and provide all required documentation
• Carry out financial monitoring of implementing partners: review of supporting documents, verification visits, and support to partner finance staff where needed

4. Human resources and statutory compliance

• Manage staff administration: contracts, timesheets, leave records, payroll preparation
• Ensure compliance with Ethiopian labour, tax and social security obligations (pension, income tax, withholding) and with ACSO/authority reporting requirements
• Contribute to strengthening internal control procedures and to updating the country administrative manual

5. Administrative and legal management:

• Supervise administrative records and guarantee that the status and functioning of the mission are in legal accordance with the requirements of the country. S/he will be the referent person for the governmental audits.

6. Representation:

• Represent the association in its relations with partners and authorities with regard to the financial and administrative management of the NGO.

7. Other

• Adhere to and actively promote IL SOLE’s Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding Policy and anti-fraud and anti-corruption policies

Required qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration or a related field
• Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience, of which at least 3 in a finance and administration role within an NGO
• Demonstrated experience in both day-to-day accounting and in budget monitoring and donor financial reporting, ideally in a small country office where the two functions are combined
• Ability to produce and interpret BvA reports and forecasts, and to explain financial information clearly to non-financial colleagues
• Solid knowledge of Ethiopian accounting standards, tax and labour legislation, and of ACSO regulations for civil society organizations
• Experience in managing audits
• Proficiency in accounting software (e.g. Peachtree, QuickBooks) and advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookup functions, budget models)
• Fluency in English and Amharic, written and spoken
• Integrity, accuracy, strong organizational skills, autonomy and ability to prioritize under deadlines
• Ability to work collaboratively in a small, multicultural team

Desirable

• Experience with AICS- or EU-funded projects and knowledge of related procurement and eligibility rules
• Experience in financial monitoring of local implementing partners
• Experience in preparing budgets for new proposals

Safeguarding

IL SOLE has a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of abuse, exploitation or harm to children and vulnerable adults. The selected candidate will be required to sign and comply with IL SOLE’s Code of Conduct and Child Safeguarding Policy. Reference and background checks are part of the selection process.