India: Associate Director, Finance and Accounting, Asia

Organizational Profile:

Room to Read is a global organization transforming the lives of millions of children in low-income countries by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education. Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, our innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools in low-income countries during two time periods which are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. Room to Read has benefited 10 million children across 17,500 communities in Asia and Africa, and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org.

Position Overview:

The Associate Director position offers an excellent opportunity to utilize accounting and financial management skills in an international nonprofit setting. This position is an integral part of our international accounting team. This position is a full-time role located in Delhi and is part of our Global Office (GO) Team. This position reports directly to the Director, Field Finance and Accounting, Global Office based in Delhi, India and will have direct reportees. The Associate Director will be required to visit Room to Read Countries in Asia and have regular interactions with colleagues in the Global and Country Offices (CO).

Duties and Responsibilities:

1.Country Support and Monitoring

· Strengthening CO’s financial monitoring and oversight by reviewing monthly budget vs actual results and sharing spending trend reports with relevant stakeholders and discussing with COs, as required

· Conducting review of General Ledger accounts prior to month end accounts closure to enhance accuracy, quality and integrity of financial data

• Travel to Country Offices, Field Offices and program sites, as required and advise on risk areas and recommend mitigation strategies and provide close follow up and support
• Along with Country Finance and Accounting Staff, ensure that all internal and external reporting requirements of Country Offices are met timely and the necessary internal controls are in place
• Work closely with the in-house Internal Auditors to strengthen specific processes in a Country
• Mentor and coach country finance and accounting staff and provide guidance to them to be successful in their roles

· Strengthening CO Support by identifying, developing training materials and administering training to CO finance teams

• Support in the preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the COs
• Provide support to COs during Annual Planning and Budget preparation and forecasts, and develop analytics for effective review of budgets
• Provide Intacct (Accounting software) support and troubleshooting in the Asia region
• Review and process monthly cash forecast of Asia region and support/advise COs in efficient cash management
• Focal point for implementation of new software in the Asia region

2.Accounting, Compliance and Audit of GO, Asia

• Approve timely processing of payments in GO, Asia
• Ensure Statutory Audit of GO, Asia are completed timely and all observations are closed timely
• Assure that all internal and external reporting requirements of GO, Asia are met timely and internal controls are in place in the GO, Asia
• Support in the preparation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for GO, Asia
• Coordinate with GO, Legal team to ensure timely statutory compliances

3.Collaboration with GO US Finance

· Close collaboration with GO US Finance team to enhance successful implementation of budget management software (Adaptive) and Accounting software (Intacct)

· Support to finalize Intacct Business Processes and update Intacct user Guide Book so that it is user friendly especially for new users

• Support other Global Office departments, such as Program, HR & Admin as and when required.

• Provide GO, US with all necessary accounting information for the Global Office, Asia and COs

• Provide constructive analysis and appraisal of corporate policies, procedures, financial/accounting and other operational reports

• Provide support for the annual close and Global Audit requirements. Ensure CO accounting processes warrant data integrity of all transactions within Intacct with adequate backups.

• Engage with Africa, Accounting & Finance Manager and ensure Asia and Africa countries have uniform processes, as appropriate

• Independently lead projects in countries as required, such as, on School Construction, Donor related requirements, refresher training in Intacct and Adaptive and new processes arising out of Intacct and Adaptive

• Work closely with GO, US Finance and help establish adequate financial reporting system for reporting to the management team

4.Grant Funding

· Support in preparing and reviewing budgets at proposal development stage and during implementation of US Government/Corporate Funded projects in India, Nepal, Indonesia and other countries, as applicable

· Support conducting Partner due diligence in new geographies

· Prepare Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), review reports and agreements and oversee spending trends

Any other duty as may be assigned from time to time by the Chief Finance Officer or the Director, Field Finance and Accounting.

Qualifications:

Required:

• Qualified accountant (CA or CPA) with at least 7 years of relevant, professional experience
• In depth knowledge of financial and accounting systems, financial reporting, internal audit, and administrative management
• Conversant in cost control measures
• Experience in handling Internal and External Audits
• Detail oriented and extremely organized
• Experience in implementing financial control systems and ensuring statutory compliances
• Adept at using Excel and other Microsoft Office applications
• Excellent written and spoken English skills
• Training/capacity building and management skills and experience
• Results oriented; commitment to quality and efficiency and meeting deadlines
• Flexible attitude towards changing priorities and ability to multi-task
• Strong team player
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Open to travel in the countries where Room to Read works
• Has a valid passport

Preferred:

• Knowledge of US GAAP/GAAS and Accounting Standards
• Ability to implement new software packages in country and project locations
• 3 to 5 years’ experience in accounting and finance in an international NGO environment is preferable

To be successful as a member of the Room to Read team, you will also:

• Have a passion for our mission and a strong desire to impact an up-and-coming non-profit organization
• Be an innovative and creative thinker – you are not afraid to try something new and inspire others to do so
• Have a very high level of personal and professional integrity and trustworthiness
• Have a strong work ethic, take initiative, and require minimal direction
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Thrive in a fast-paced and fun environment

Compensation:

Room to Read offers a competitive salary with excellent benefits. The non-monetary compensation includes a unique opportunity to be part of an innovative, meaningful, fun, and rapidly growing organization that is changing the world through literacy and gender equality in education.

Application Procedure:

Please click here to apply or visit https://www.roomtoread.org/about-us/careers and see under current vacancies. We regret that we cannot respond to all applicants personally due to high applicant volume (no letters, calls, faxes, or drop-ins). Applications are accepted until the position is filled.

Room to Read is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to identifying and developing
the skills and leadership of people from diverse backgrounds.