Geneva Finance Director

The International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) is a non-profit foundation that works to protect the rights of children and adults in cocoa-growing areas in West Africa. To reinforce its team, ICI Switzerland officeis looking for a Finance Director.

Reporting to the Executive Director and the ICI Treasurer, the ICI Finance Director will actively contribute to the achievement of the foundation's objectives by ensuring (a) that the Foundation optimally evolves and operates effectively and efficiently within an appropriate framework of finance-related strategies, policies, procedures and practices, and (b) that the Foundation’s financial-management and risk-management reflects best practice whilst meeting all legal, statutory and procedural requirements, with all transactions and accounts duly reported, and reviewed, in a proper, faithful and timely manner;

(c) ensures effective direction, management, and accountability in procurement activities, policies, procedures and practices;

The Finance Director has overall responsibility for all financial reporting, finance-related legal matters, financial controls, financial management, budget development, budget management, quality and responsive operational procurement responsibilities and capacity-building on finance matters across ICI, as well as for the effective leadership and development of the finance and procurement team.

Leadership and management

• Provide leadership to optimize the foundation’s financial performance, risk management and strategic position.
• Serve on the ICI Senior Management Team, working closely with the Executive Director, and the other Directors and Country Directors to formulate and implement appropriate finance and procurement strategies, plans, policies and procedures, and to ensure harmonious and integrated cross-departmental collaboration.
• Lead, manage, develop and reinforce the finance and procurement team across the foundation, directing and managing finance staff in Geneva, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Cameroon and as per ICI’s reporting lines policy to ensure that they are appropriately motivated and trained to carry out their responsibilities to the required standard.
• Directly supervise the finance team in Geneva and indirectly, technically supervise the work of the Administration and Finance Director in Cote d’Ivoire, the Finance Manager in Ghana and, setting objectives and conducting regular performance reviews.
• Guide and support the recruitment and induction process for Finance and procurement staff across the foundation in line with good organizational practice.

Provide the necessary support, capacity-building and guidance to all ICI staff in relation to finance and procurement, ensuring that principles of sound financial management are upheld across ICI and its operations.

Strategies, policies, systems and procedures

• Ensure that the Foundation’s financial and procurement systems, policies and procedures are robust and compliant, supporting current activities and future growth.
• Take overall control of the Foundation’s accounting function. In particular, oversee and supervise the development and maintenance of ICI’s financial accounting systems, regularly reviewing the accounting structure to optimize it and ensuring that complete and accurate supporting information for all financial transactions are documented, filed and securely archived.
• Review and evolve ICI’s cost-recovery policies and strategies, overseeing and ensuring their consistent implementation across the foundation.
• Develop and ensure implementation of longer-term integrated service management strategies with a view to maximizing service operations, economizing costs and optimizing service results in diversified, complex and evolving…