Administrative, Finance & HR Coordinator

ABOUT LA CHAÎNE DE L’ESPOIR

La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an international NGO founded in 1994. Its mission is to strengthen health systems to give everyone, especially children, the same chances of survival and development. Helping the most vulnerable children is more than an ethical obligation, it is a prerequisite for achieving the 2030 goals for children’s health and well-being.

We work in 28 countries with a comprehensive approach, focusing on children, mothers and disadvantaged communities:

Prevention and screening from an early age, particularly through school health programs
Care and surgery, to meet the most urgent needs of children and their mothers.
Strengthening the medical and surgical workforce thanks to our international network of experts.
Construction and equipment of hospital structures adapted to local needs.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Context :

La Chaîne de l’Espoir has been working in Afghanistan since the early 2000s. In 2005, it built the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul, a non-profit pediatric hospital, to provide high quality medical and surgical care for young patients. Since 2006, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has been responsible for the overall management of the FMIC, with La Chaîne de l’Espoir providing medical support and access to the most vulnerable populations. In 2016, the hospital expanded with the opening of gynecology, obstetrics and neonatology services, becoming the French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC). Services for adults have also been developed in recent years.

The goal of La Chaîne de l’Espoir is to increase access to healthcare in particular for the most vulnerable Afghans. To do so, La Chaîne de l’Espoir:

Trains and supports the medical, paramedical and technical teams through short and long term volunteer missions.
Provides free surgical treatment at FMIC and social care for the most vulnerable children and women coming from all the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, through the “Women and Children’s House” (WCH) project.

Given the evolution of the situation in the country, marked by a possible collapse of public services (including in the health sector), in 2022, La Chaîne de l’Espoir plans to continue its support for the most vulnerable Afghan children and women and will increase the assistance provided to internally displaced people living in camps in Kabul

General objective

Managing accountancy, financial and budget-related activities, processing human resources administrative tasks and handling procedures related to La Chaîne de l’Espoir activities in Afghanistan.

The Administrative/ Finance/HR Coordinator ensures compliance with laws and regulations, La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s procedures, donors requirements and any other applicable regulations, and investigates possible cases of fraud.

Under the management of the Head of Mission (HoM), the Administrative/Finance/HR Coordinator, supported by an Admin/HR Assistant and by an admin/finance/hr coordinator, is responsible for the following tasks at the Kabul office:

TASKS & RESPONSABILITIES

Budgetary and financial management

Budget review and update on a regular basis, inform the HoM in case of any budget variation
Develop new budgets in consultation with field and HQ teams
Update and analyze the budget follow-up of the mission, comment on the variations between the actual and budgeted expenses and do the forecasts
Organize the monthly budget monitoring meetings
Prepare the financial reports according to the contractual deadlines, share them with the HoM for validation and send them to HoM and headquarters
Participate in the financial audits of the mission and supervise the transmission of documents and necessary information for auditors
Know and master donor contracts and rules to ensure the correct allocation and respect of La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s commitments towards its financial partners (with the support of the institutional funding service in headquarter)
Support project partners in the development and monitoring of new budgets implemented in collaboration
Ensure the respect and correct implementation of La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s procedures

Accounting management and monitoring

Ensure the monthly entry of bank and cash journals and submit it to the headquarter
Supervise the correct accounting and budgetary allocation of journal entries
Guarantee the quality and admissibility of the office’s accounting documents
Ensure the bank reconciliations and cash inventories
Prepare the cash flow forecasts (cash transfer requests) and submit them to the HoM for validation and then to HQ
Follow-up the suppliers’ invoices and ensure their payment
Validate the withholding tax payments and reports, including the monthly and annual report
Ensure the physical and digital archiving of the accounting records following La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s accounting management guidelines
Supervise the good cash management of the mission: relation with bank office, cash withdrawal, active role in the payment process, safe and cash box management

Human resources and administrative management

Supervise the recruitment process (job description and announce, shortlisting and interviews), validate the employment contracts of local staff and organize together with the integration of new employees
Contribute to and validate together with the HoM recruitment requests, contractual changes, disciplinary sanctions and termination decisions
Establish and keep the individual personnel files (for national and international staff) up to date according to the legislation in force in the country
Develop and ensure the proper application and respect of the reference documents: internal regulations, staff statutes, contract models, payslips, employer’s register
Ensure the implementation of appropriate working conditions and respect for health and safety rules
Organize and participate in the annual appraisal process of all staff
Identify training needs together with the HoM, follow its implementation and monitor the training plan
Supervise the monthly payroll operations of local staff
Identify additional benefit packages for the employees, including the health insurance, and ensure their implementation after validation by the HoM and the headquarters
Monitor absences and leaves, validate tax and social security calculations and ensure their payment on time
Supervise and centralize the preparation of timesheets of the team
Monitor and alert on any external regulation changes (labour law, fiscal monitoring…) that may affect the activities or the status of La Chaîne de l’Espoir in Afghanistan
Manage all the administrative and legal formalities for the registration of La Chaîne de l’Espoir in Afghanistan (renewal, reporting)

EDUCATION

An advanced university degree in finance or a related field is required.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Minimum 3 years of experience in a similar position, preferably with an international NGO
Experience in financial management on multiple projects, ideally with institutional donors
Experience with health programmes/medical projects is an asset

SKILLS REQUIRED

Strong analytical skills and ability to develop comprehensive and inclusive finance strategies and tools
Strong budget management skills
Excellent knowledge of project cycle management and programming
Good reporting skills, with proven ability to write financial reports
Experience of working in insecure environments or complex emergency contexts
Good interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills
Keen work ethic, thoroughness and working accurately
Languages: English and French. Dari or Pashto would be an asset
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Package, especially Excel
Adherence to the humanitarian principles and La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s code of ethics

CONDITIONS

Duration of the mission: 12 months – renewable
Desired start: June 2023
Location: Kabul, Afghanistan
Salary: according to profile and experience + expatriate allowance
Health insurance 50% covered by La Chaîne de l’Espoir
Housing: covered by La Chaîne de l’Espoir

OTHER SPECIFICITIES

Transportation, Accommodation and Meals:

Transportation to and from the workplace is provided.
Single room in collective accommodation provided.
Meals are provided at the guesthouse or the office during weekdays.

Holidays and R&R (Rest&Recovery):

2 days of leave per completed month + 6 days of RNR every 8 weeks (=15 days every 2 months, travel days included).

Security context and local life:

The security situation in Kabul remains unstable. The Administrative/Financial/HR Manager works and lives on the site of the French hospital, located in the south of the city in a large tree-covered site (far from the green zone and diplomatic area).
Comfortable accommodation, with access to an outdoor space and sports facilities. Involves living in community (with other permanent expatriates and doctors who regularly come on missions) and respecting strict security rules.
Travel to the city is allowed only for business purposes, subject to the approval of the FMIC and/or La Chaîne de l’Espoir.

This job description may be subject to modifications in the future, depending on the evolution of the activities. These modifications will then be defined and discussed between the employee and La Chaîne de l’Espoir. fh