Finance officer

   EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

EXTERNAL POSTING

POSITION TITLE                

Finance Officer [PRO-1]

POSITION LOCATION

Accra, Ghana

REPORTS TO

Country Finance Manager

CONTRACT TERM

2 Years  with possibility of renewal

APPLICATION DEADLINE

15 June 2025

EXPECTED START      DATE

25 July 2025

BACKGROUND

WUSC (World University Service of Canada) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently works in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $40 million. We have over 90 staff in our Ottawa office, and over 200 people overseas implementing 16 development projects in collaboration with donors such as Global Affairs Canada, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, Mastercard Foundation and the African Development Bank.

THE NBS GUINEAN FOREST PROJECT

The Nature-based Climate Adaptation in the Guinean Forest of West Africa’s project (NbS Guinean Forest Project) is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and is being implemented in Guinea, Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana by a consortium made up of  the World University Service of Canada (EUMC) and the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI). To ensure the delivery of the project’s implementation strategy, the Consortium is working closely with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Center for International Forestry Research and the International Center for Research in Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), ABANTU for Development in Ghana and the International BarCode of Life (IBOL).

The project aims to strengthen the uptake of gender-responsive and inclusive climate change adaptation (CCA) solutions among communities residing in the Guinean forests region of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Guinea. This will be accomplished by improving women's leadership in CCA planning processes, increasing the restoration of degraded forests and key habitats with biodiversity benefits, and increasing gender-sensitive investments that have a strong earning potential for women. The project is engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including women's organizations and local and national organizations to prioritize locally relevant solutions. Six landscapes are targeted by the project with two in each country as shown below. Ghana: Lake Bosumtwi and the Wassa Amenfi Landscapes. Guinea: Kounoukan and Madina Oula Forest Reserves and Côte d'Ivoire: Taï National Park and the Lôh-Djiboua Région.

NATURE AND SCOPE

Reporting to the Country Finance Manager, and working closely with the Canada-based Senior Financial Analyst to ensure alignment with WUSC financial policies and procedures, the Finance Officer is responsible for providing support to financial and administrative operations of the project, including monitoring transactions, preparing receipts, managing cash, financial reporting and consolidation, and support to administration such as flight and venue bookings and payment of vendors. The Finance Officer will ensure that all financial transactions and processes adhere to the financial policies and procedures of the organization, as well as compliance with donor regulations.

Key responsibilities:

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  Supporting the project team in developing program budgets (including annual budget planning) and collaborate with the Finance Manager and Project Director to ensure that project activities are within the budget allocations;


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  Ensuring compliance with organizational decisions, policies and procedures within the team;


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  Maintaining the bank file and ensuring that all bank accounts information is properly filed and kept up to-date;


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  Preparing monthly advance requests to ensure smooth cash flow and monitor the monthly clearance of partner and staff advances;


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  Ensuring the monthly closure of financial records are approved by the Deputy Project Director and sent to WUSC Ottawa, as per the WUSC Finance Manual, and conduct month-end balance sheet account reconciliations;


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  Review and revise as needed payment requests and expense reports (travel expense reports and operational expense reports) for accuracy and completeness (per policies and procedures), ensuring expense reports are fully approved before payments are made;


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  Prepare monthly payroll advance documentation;


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  Verify that adequate (original and external) support documents for expenditures, banking transactions, travel claims, procurement, consultant/staff contracts and payroll including tax returns and report to government officials are kept;


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  Assist in responding to audit inquiries;


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  Perform any other duties, as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

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  Advanced degree in a relevant discipline such as business, finance, accounting, or management;


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  Professional certification or designation in finance or accounting;


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  Demonstrated 5 years or more of experience in a finance position in Ghana for international development stakeholders or projects;


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  Demonstrated experience in managing financial data (i.e. budget allocations, monitoring);


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  Demonstrated experience in maintaining financial records and using financial software;


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  Expertise in managing accounting and billing systems and reporting on project costs; and


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  Strong proactive communications skills;


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  Demonstrated high level written and verbal communication skills in English.

Applications

WUSC offers a dynamic work environment with a diverse intercultural workforce.  We offer employees and volunteers exciting opportunities to apply their skills and gain experience all while making a difference for youth around the world. We believe youth have the potential to provide for their families, build strong communities, and create positive social change for future generations.  Employees at WUSC work hard to create lasting change in education, employment and empowerment.

WUSC is an equal opportunity employer.  Female candidates and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  No telephone calls please.