Senior Finance and Operations Director

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Finance and Operations Director (SFOD) leads and directs all finance, administration, and operations functions for FHI 360’s Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) country office and its full portfolio of projects. This role translates organizational and donor requirements into operational processes and guides execution to ensure financial management, administration, procurement, and operational service delivery are aligned across the country program. The SFOD manages the finance, administration, and operations functions through direct reports, including direct supervision of all Finance Leads in DRC, ensuring operational priorities, compliance requirements, and service delivery expectations are completed within established goals, timelines, and organizational standards.

This role partners across the Regional Hub, the HQ Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), donors, auditors, government counterparts, and program teams to improve consistency, efficiency, compliance, and operational effectiveness in a complex, donor-funded environment. The SFOD supports execution of operational priorities within DRC and escalates broader service model, budget, or enterprise-level issues to the Country Representative and senior leadership.

RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES

Complexity & Problem Solving:

Leads financial, administrative, and operational initiatives and process improvements across the DRC country office and its projects. Translates organizational strategies, donor requirements, and operational priorities into work plans, processes, and team-level execution. Evaluates financial, administrative, and operational issues involving multiple stakeholders, systems, and delivery contexts, and determines appropriate methods and actions to support effective program delivery.

Develops and manages financial, administrative, and operational processes, tools, and practices that support the country office and its projects. Identifies and addresses barriers that may affect delivery, efficiency, compliance, or service effectiveness. Uses data, stakeholder input, and professional judgment to identify trends, gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.

Key responsibilities include:

·       Direct all finance, administration, and operations functions for the DRC country office, ensuring resources are effectively aligned with program goals and donor requirements.

·       Directly supervise all Finance & Operations Leads in DRC, together with administration, procurement, and operations staff, setting goals, assigning work, and monitoring performance.

·       Lead the development, execution, and monitoring of annual budgets, forecasts, pipelines, and expenditure analyses across all DRC projects.

·       Ensure rigorous compliance with FHI 360 policies, U.S. Government regulations (including 2 CFR 200 and FAR), and DRC statutory, tax, and legal requirements.

·       Oversee internal and external audits, ensuring findings are addressed promptly and that robust internal controls safeguard project assets and funds.

·       Direct procurement, logistics, IT, administration, and general services, ensuring operational systems are efficient, transparent, and responsive to program needs.

·       Design and implement operational procedures that improve cost-effectiveness, accountability, and timely service delivery across multiple project offices.

·       Oversee financial and operational aspects of subawards, including onboarding, monitoring, compliance, reporting, and close-out.

·       Determine resources, timelines, and priorities needed to meet country office and project-level financial and operational goals.

·       Recommend changes to policies, procedures, and workflows affecting finance, administration, and operations in DRC.

·       Escalate broader service model, budget, hub coordination, or enterprise-level issues to the Country Representative, Regional Hub, and senior leadership, as appropriate.

Discretion & Impact:

Guides execution of financial and operational plans and initiatives across the DRC country office. Makes decisions related to resources, work priorities, team execution, process implementation, and operational improvements within the latitude of established organizational policies and donor requirements.

Decisions affect financial integrity, operational outcomes, service effectiveness, costs, timelines, compliance, and delivery quality across all DRC projects. Errors may affect program delivery, increase costs, delay operational outcomes, or expose the organization to compliance or reputational risk. This role contributes to short- to medium-term country office goals and supports alignment with broader regional and organizational objectives.

Collaboration & Interaction:

Partners with the Country Representative, Regional Hub, the HQ Office of the CFO (OCFO), donors, auditors, government counterparts, and program teams to support financial and operational alignment and effective execution. Interacts frequently with direct reports, including Finance Leads, functional peers, and cross-functional partners on matters involving multiple projects and functions.

Builds relationships with key contacts inside and outside the country office to resolve issues, improve processes, and support program delivery needs. Influences adoption of consistent financial and operational practices while recognizing DRC regulatory, donor, and project-specific requirements. Represents the country office in high-level discussions with donors, auditors, partners, and government authorities on finance, operations, and compliance matters, and effectively communicates results, risks, and recommendations to leadership.

Management & Supervision:

Manages the finance, administration, and operations functions in DRC through direct reports, including direct supervision of all Finance Leads in DRC. Sets goals, assigns work, monitors progress, and ensures timely completion of financial and operational priorities. Provides guidance, coaching, and performance feedback to direct reports and team members.

Builds team capability in financial management, operational effectiveness, service delivery, process improvement, and cross-functional collaboration. Guides teams in applying established policies, procedures, and donor compliance requirements while supporting continuous improvement and consistent execution. Embraces other duties as assigned, contributing to the team’s multifaceted and evolving responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge & Skills:

·       Comprehensive knowledge of accounting, financial controls, financial information systems, and operational practices supporting donor-funded program delivery.

·       Strong understanding of how finance, administration, and operations functions support project execution across a country program and donor-funded delivery environment.

·       Ability to translate organizational strategies and donor requirements into team-level execution, work plans, and process improvements.

·       Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to evaluate financial and operational data, identify trends, and recommend practical solutions.

·       Strong leadership, coaching, facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

·       Ability to manage multiple teams, including Finance Leads, workstreams, priorities, and stakeholders in a complex, matrixed environment.

·       Ability to influence cross-functional partners and support adoption of consistent financial and operational practices.

·       Ability to balance standardization, operational efficiency, compliance, risk management, and adaptation to the DRC operating context.

·       Well-versed in FHI 360 policies, U.S. Government regulations (2 CFR 200, FAR), GAAP, and DRC statutory, tax, and legal requirements affecting financial management and controls.

·       Strong planning and organizational skills with the ability to manage timelines, resources, and deliverables.

Minimum Qualifications:

Advanced degree (Master’s in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field) required; professional certification such as CPA, ACCA, or CIMA strongly preferred.

Typically requires a minimum of 12–15 years of progressively responsible experience in financial and operational management of large, complex, donor-funded programs/country offices, including at least 7 years in senior leadership roles with direct supervision of finance and operations staff at country office level; or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the key responsibilities of the role.

Certifications:

No certification is strictly required; CPA, ACCA, CIMA, or an equivalent professional certification is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

·       Demonstrated expertise in managing U.S. Government–funded awards (including Cooperative Agreements and Contracts) with deep knowledge of 2 CFR 200, FAR, and other relevant regulations.

·       Proven track record in strategic financial planning, risk management, compliance, and leading audits for multi-million-dollar, multi-year projects.

·       Strong experience in operational management, including procurement, logistics, IT, human resources, and administration in international development settings.

·       Demonstrated success directly supervising and mentoring Finance Leads or similar finance managers and diverse teams, building capacity, and fostering high-performing work environments.

·       Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial data into actionable insights for decision-making.

·       Strong diplomatic, negotiation, and relationship-building skills with donors, government officials, auditors, and local partners.

·       Prior work experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo or similar complex operating environments highly preferred.

·       Fluency in English and French required; knowledge of local languages an asset.

TRAVEL

Travel may be required based on business needs, including travel among DRC project office locations.

TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Typical office environment. Constantly uses a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer. Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.

TECHNOLOGY

Computer/Laptop, Microsoft applications (i.e., Office 365, SharePoint, Skype/Zoom/Teams), cell phone/mobile technology, and standard office equipment.

The expected hiring salary range for this role is USD 80,000 - 100,000 annually for gross salary (basic and allowances) for national local hire; When determining an offer amount, FHI 360 factors in multiple considerations, including but not limited to: relevant years of experience and education possessed by the applicant, internal equity, market pay, and budget.  For internal candidates, salary placement will also follow FHI 360’s current promotional increase guidelines.

This job posting summarizes the main duties of the job. It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment. Management reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time.

FHI 360 is an equal opportunity employer whereby we do not engage in practices that discriminate against any person employed or seeking employment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.

Our values and commitments to safeguarding: FHI 360 is committed to preventing any type of abuse, exploitation and harassment in our work environments and programs, including sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment. FHI 360 takes steps to safeguard the welfare of everyone who engages with our organization and programs and requires that all personnel, including staff members and volunteers, share this commitment and sign our code of conduct. All offers of employment will be subject to appropriate screening checks, including reference, criminal record and terrorism finance checks. FHI 360 also participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), facilitated by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. In line with the MDS, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any substantiated findings of sexual abuse, exploitation and/or harassment during the applicant’s tenure with previous employers. By applying, job applicants confirm their understanding of these recruitment procedures and consent to these screening checks.

FHI 360 will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws.

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