Director of Finance, and Learning (MERL) Manager, CDC Funded Health System Strengthening Activity

Job Description

About the Job: IMA is seeking a Director of Finance and Administration to manage the finances for an anticipated for an anticipated CDC-funded public health project in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The 5-year project will focus on:

• Improve prevention of avoidable epidemics including naturally occurring outbreaks and intentional or accidental releases of dangerous pathogens;
• Improve ability to rapidly detect threats early, including detecting, characterizing, and reporting emerging public health threats;
• Improve capacity of rapidly and effectively responding to infectious diseases and public health threats of international concern.

In coordination with the Project Director and under supervision of the Country Finance Director based in IMA World Health’s national office in Kinshasa, the Director of Finance and Administration will

• Manage financial reporting, annual budgeting, compliance, team supervision, cash management, and audit preparation, and award reporting.
• Ensure cost-conscious, efficient spending and compliance with all IMA World Health and CDC regulations, including financial reporting requirements.
• Provides financial information to the Project Director for decision-making, maintaining strong internal controls while supporting operational excellence and risk mitigation.

S/he will be responsible for financial management and review of project sub-awardees, while providing oversight of project operations. Manages finance officer(s).

The position will be based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and will report to the Project Director and Country Finance Director based in IMA World Health’s national office in Kinshasa. Actual hiring is contingent upon signed agreement and CDC’s approval. Congolese nationals are highly encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Budget and forecasts

• Develops project annual budget and any revisions requested by the CDC.
• Prepares accurate and timely monthly budget monitoring reports, including budget-to-actual (BTA) analyses, and address variances.
• Ensures project expenses are reasonable, cost-effective, and comply with CDC procurement rules and regulations.
• Ensures that award deliverables are achieved within budget while effectively managing fiduciary risk within the project as well as downstream among sub-recipients and suppliers; promptly advise the Project Director of all potential fiduciary risks; develop monitoring and troubleshooting strategies to address risks and financial management.
• Validates and approve all financial transactions.
• Oversees the maintenance of financial records and ensure there is appropriate supporting documentation.
• Supports and monitor sub-recipients to ensure sound financial management, operations, and compliance; contribute to capacity building of local partners in administration and financial management.
  

1. Finance and Accounting

• Approves all funding request forms (FRFs) up to $25,000.
• Oversees the preparation and correction of accounting system reports, ensuring their accuracy.
• Oversees the protection of project assets, including cash and fixed assets, by implementing internal control policies.
• Reviews and approves project liquidations and ensure that errors are corrected in a timely manner.
• Ensure that sufficient funds are available for project implementation.
• Maintains alignment of all project policies and procedures with IMA World Health guidelines and CDC requirements.
• Maintains contact with banks and review bank reconciliations.
• Ensures that project expenditures are reasonable, attributable, prudent, and spent in accordance with CDC and IMA World Health’s rules and regulations.
  

1. General ledger and chart of accounts

• Oversees the correct use of budget coding by all office/sub-office staff.
• Analyzes transactions in accordance with financial policy.
• Manages the harmonized use of the chart of accounts across projects in consultation with the country finance director.
  

1. Cash Management

• Manages, in collaboration with the Country Finance Director based in IMA World Health’s national office in Kinshasa, the opening and closing of project bank accounts.
• Oversees cash management and security, delegating responsibilities as necessary.
• Ensures sufficient cash flow for project activities in the Kinshasa office and auxiliary offices.
• Reviews wire transfer requests based on fully approved documents before they are submitted for approval.
• Identifies and manage fiduciary risks of the project and develop contingency strategies.
  

1. Internal controls and audit facilitation

• Leads the preparation of internal and external audits for the assigned project.
• Ensures compliance with internal control policies, including conducting and supervising internal control visits to provincial offices, identifying weaknesses, and taking corrective action.
• Manages organizational risks at the provincial level and with downstream partners and suppliers; promptly escalate fiduciary risks to the project manager and develop mitigation strategies.
  

1. Accounting closing process

• Ensures that accounting entries and adjustments are made on time.
• Ensures that accrual entries are made appropriately, in accordance with the national guide.
• Ensures that monthly reconciliations of office balance sheets are completed in a timely manner.
• Leads the year-end closing process in the office and relevant branch offices.
• Reviews monthly bank reconciliations and ensures that there are no outstanding transactions before submitting them for final approval.
• Ensures that transactions are coded correctly based on the IMA World Health’s coding document.
  

1. Financial reporting

• Prepares financial reports and maintain accurate documentation to meet CDC and organizational requirements.
• Prepares periodic financial reports to IMA World Health Headquarter International Finance department and ensures timely submission of reports to the CDC, per award requirements.
• Reviews the trial balance, accounts receivable, and accounts payable for the project.
• Prepares cash flow forecasts and funding requests to headquarters.
• Ensures the accuracy, consistency, and integrity of data in various financial reports.
• Shares monthly reports on employee advances with headquarters.
  

1. Effective and timely communication for critical decision-making

• Keeps the Project Director informed of financial data to facilitate decision-making.
• Provides Project Director with up-to-date and accurate expense reports.
• Leads all financial meetings with the Country Finance Director based in IMA World Health’s national office in Kinshasa on behalf of the project: actively and competently present the country’s financial performance.
  

1. Asset management

• Ensures that relevant members of the project finance department participate in asset reconciliation exercises (annual or quarterly inventories).
  

1. Department management

• Builds a strong project finance team by selecting competent, results-oriented members, identifying weaknesses in existing members with a view to capacity building, performance improvement plans, or contract termination.
• Ensures proactive action as a business partner to other project stakeholders in fulfilling the role.
• Leads monthly planning in accordance with the department’s annual action plan.
• Oversees, in collaboration with the Country Finance Director based in IMA World Health’s national office in Kinshasa, the delivery of targeted financial training to project staff.
• Conducts performance evaluations of project financial managers and financial assistants.
  

1. Supervision:

• Supervises the project finance officers and finance assistants in their office/sub-office.
  

Qualifications:

• Minimum of a Master’s degree (or international equivalent) in business administration, finance, accounting, or related field; additional accounting certification preferred (e.g., AICPA, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), etc.)
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible administrative and financial management experience on donor-funded international development projects, including financial and accounting systems development, financial monitoring, budget development and analysis, procurement, operations and logistics, IT, and human resources management and administration Previous experience on CDC-funded projects is highly desirable.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of leadership/supervisory experience managing finance, accounting, operations, and administrative staff and teams, preferably at Director Admin-Finance level.
• Proficiency in financial software and tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and accounting systems.
• Strong understanding of internal control principles and donor regulations (USG, FCDO, UN agencies).
• Excellent knowledge of CDC rules and regulations relating to financial management standards and cost principles is required.
• Fluency in French and English is required.
• Strong staff supervision skills and demonstrated ability to coordinate finances with partners.
• Ability to travel to project sites as needed.

About the Organization

About Corus: Corus International is the parent of a family of world-class social impact organizations that collaborate in the world's most vulnerable communities to deliver the holistic and sustainable solutions needed to address the interconnected challenges of poverty, access to healthcare, and climate change. Corus is a new model in the international space, creating a consortium of specialized nonprofit and for-profit entities for greater impact.

Corus combines more than 150 years of experience from our nonprofit and for-profit affiliates-IMA World Health, Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing, and LWR Farmers Market. Together, these organizations take a systematic approach to developing rural economies, eliminating extreme poverty, ensuring access to quality healthcare, and responding to urgent humanitarian needs in fragile contexts.

Further details about the organization can be found at: https://corusinternational.org