Finance & HR Officer Full Time NEW

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)  

British Office Sudan is seeking to recruit a high caliber Finance and HR Officer to manage both financial operations (budget/forecasting, payroll, record) and people-related functions (recruitment, induction, data management). The job holder will have dual expertise, ensuring financial health supports people strategy and vice versa for efficient business goals. Knowledge of Sudan’s finance and human resources sectors or ability to acquire this at pace is highly desirable.

Following the closure of the British Embassy in Khartoum in April 2023, from September 2023 we established the British Office Sudan (BOS), primarily based in Addis Ababa and Nairobi with colleagues in Port Sudan, Cairo and the UK. Your remit spans across all our locations helping to build a team guided by the values of self-belief, compassion, perspective, expertise and boldness.

The jobholder reports to the Deputy Head of Mission and will be responsible for Finance and Human Resources strategy and reporting to the Senior Leadership Team.  In this dual expertise role, the job holder is responsible for budget management and financial analysis, maintaining financial records and accounting systems, payroll processing and expense management, banking and ensuring financial compliance and reporting in line with FCDO and HMG guidance. The job holder also manages recruitment, onboarding and induction; employee benefits, compensation, and performance; HR policies, procedures and internal data systems; and handling people issues and learning and development. Regular communication with key stakeholders such as British Embassy Addis Ababa Corporate Services Teams, and colleagues in the Africa Regional Finance and HR Hubs in Pretoria are also needed.

This is an exciting leadership opportunity which bridges the gap, ensuring HR’s people investments align with financial realities, like managing recruitment costs or budgeting for staff training. It requires strong business acumen, financial skills, and excellent people management abilities to optimise the organisation’s people and finances. Excellent communication and presentation skills in English is essential, and Arabic language is highly desirable.

Roles and responsibilities:

Finance responsibilities:

• Lead on the financial transition and legacy challenges from the British Embassy Khartoum including closing financial commitments in Khartoum, and Port Sudan.
• Forecasting and monitoring of budget spends monthly to ensure effective budget control and forecast accuracy whilst maximising value for money.
• Managing the accounts of BOS and engagement with customers, budget holders, stakeholders and the Regional Finance and HR Hubs.
• Monitoring sanctions policies and engagement with a Sudanese Bank including profiling funding requirement for the entire financial year.
• Ensuring that end-of-month procedures are implemented to uphold excellent Financial Performance and Compliance Indicator scores and House-Keeping.
• Periodic Management reports – Prepare prompt and accurate monthly management reports to support effective management decision making, ensuring policies and procedures are maintained to ensure the integrity and timeliness of reports.
• Maintain assets responsibly and use escalation systems as appropriate to ensure timely and effective reporting of risks, issues and fraud. Conduct asset verifications.
• Act as main BOS conduit into the Corporate Services Section at British Embassy Addis Ababa. Working hand-in-hand to ensure consistency in delivery of Embassy wide/platform policies with all operational issues.

HR functions:

• Creates, maintains HR databases and information systems and periodically updates and generates employee data, various metrics, organograms…etc.
• Uses analytical tools to ensure that there is up-to-date and consistent live data for all related HR functions.
• Regularly conduct employee data analysis, e.g. descriptive statistics and other appropriate visualisation methods (e.g. dashboards, reports) and turn data into usable insights.
• Supports hiring managers in their recruitment processes, organise assessment centres…etc.
• Liaise with the HR Hub in preparing contracts, starting dates and other onboarding materials to new joiners.
• Coordinates employee induction and onboarding processes, and regularly update induction documents.
• Ensures that HR issues and queries are directed and addressed in a timely manner.
• Manage and review service contracts that are directly related with HR Team.
• Manages employee reward and benefit packages; payroll, in-year awards, medical schemes…etc
• Support line managers and employees in securing the appropriate paper works such as temporary promotion, extensions, changes to contract…etc.
• Regularly compile the corporate risk register and support the annual Management Assurance Process.
• Provides cover and resilience to the broader Corporate Team during absences and surge activity.

Dual function:

• Build expertise in and navigate the challenges of Sudan’s Finance and Human Resources sectors, marked by economic collapse from conflict, including a struggling banking system, weak governance and recruitment complications.

• Excellent English communication and presentation skills with confidence to engage with senior leaders.
• Demonstrate leadership skills and resilience with the ability to work in a busy, challenging and rapidly changing environment.
• University Degree or equivalent in Finance or human resource management, business management or another related field is required.
• At least three years of managerial experience in Finance, human resources management or business administration in an international organisation, embassies or private sector is required.
• Excellent understanding and knowledge on Finance or human resources management and people practices.
• If only from a Finance or HR background, the candidate must demonstrate strong interest and ability to acquire proficiency in the other discipline at pace.

• Experience of working in both Finance and People/Corporate roles is highly desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of both finanace and organisational and HR information technology systems and tools.
• Arabic language skills, written and spoken.
• Knowldge of Sudan, and Sudanese banking and HR regulations is desirable.

How To Apply

This post will be based in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). The rest of the BOS team will be based in between London, East Kilbride and Nairobi (Kenya).

Link : https://fco.tal.net/vx/appcentre-ext/brand-0/spa-1/candidate/so/pm/4/pl/1/opp/27185-27185-Finance-HR-Officer-HEO-British-Office-Sudan-ADD/en-GB

Travel requirements: There may be travel requirements envisaged for this role, however, will be reviewed, dependent on business need, on an on-going basis and dependent on where the Programme Hub team are located.
The British Office Sudan may have further vacancies in the coming months and if there are other suitable candidates, we will use this recruitment to develop a pipeline of reserve candidates, for approximately 1 year.