Programme and Finance Support Officer - Goma

Contract: Until 31st of March 2027

Location: Goma, DRC

Job Profile

The Programme and Finance Support Officer will provide close accompaniment to DRC partners, supporting and cross-checking their financial management in general. The post holder will work with the Finance and Office Manager and in close collaboration with the programme and finance team. Based in Goma with frequent visits to partner organisations, the officer will provide robust, strategic financial accompaniment and capacity strengthening to CAFOD’s local partners in the DRC, ensuring the highest standards of financial integrity, donor compliance, and value for money. This role acts as a critical bridge between field-level operations and global financial systems, safeguarding resources and empowering partners to achieve sustainable impact in complex and often fragile contexts.

Key Responsibilities

Internal Controls & Partners Finance System

• Ensure implementation of CAFOD/Donor financial policies and guidelines in each project funded with partners.
• Support partners by reviewing and updating their accounts manuals, policies, and procedures where necessary.
• Support partners to strengthen financial management systems.

• Support partners to effectively use and strengthen existing organisational accounting systems.
• Support partners to document and store all financial transactions in compliance with CAFOD/Institutional Donor policy.
• Review partners’ existing financial systems and recommend changes where gaps exist.
• Help develop systems and practices to ensure payment requests, authorisation, and approvals are completed per partner/CAFOD/donor requirements.
• Conduct thorough pre-payment reviews of partners’ financial reports and supporting documentation (invoices, receipts, timesheets, procurement bids, distribution lists). Verify mathematical accuracy, appropriate authorization, adherence to approved budget lines, and compliance with both the grant agreement and local statutory requirements (e.g., tax invoices).
• Perform periodic spot-checks and field verification visits to physically inspect assets purchased with project funds, observe activities, and reconcile reported expenditures with on-ground evidence, providing critical control against fraud and misuse.
• Issue formal, constructive feedback reports to partners on documentation quality, identify recurring issues and providing clear guidance for improvement to strengthen their systems and prevent future compliance problems.

Partners Cash-flow Management

• Support the establishment of tools and systems to manage the cash flow process, including requests for funds from CAFOD, ensuring supporting documentation and reports are generated.
• Support partners by developing procurement plans that feed into cash flow forecasts.
• Conduct comprehensive due diligence and ongoing risk assessments of partners' financial management capacities.
• Design and implement tailored internal control frameworks for partners, aligned with CAFOD, donor (e.g., FCDO, EU, UN), and local legal requirements.
• Proactively identify financial fraud, corruption, or mismanagement risks and develop mitigation strategies with partners.

Partners Budgeting/Budgetary Control

• Support partners to improve and strengthen fiscal planning processes.
• Support partners to develop simple templates for monthly budget reports, interpret and analyse actual vs. budget variances.
• Support partners to review budgets and proposals, ensuring they are based on accurate and realistic estimations.

Partners Finance Capacity building

• Develop, design, and conduct training for Finance & Programme staff within partner organisations on internal controls, budgeting, financial reporting, and management, with support from the Country Finance Management and London teams as needed.
• Guide partners in developing robust procurement frameworks that align with donor rules and promote ethical sourcing
• Develop and deliver a structured, multi-year capacity strengthening plan for each partner, moving from basic compliance to strategic financial leadership

Partner monitoring and reporting

• Ensure partner funds are transferred and received, and receipts are returned to CAFOD.
• Support partners in producing quarterly/annual/interim/final financial reports, highlighting major variances from plan with recommended actions for donor submission.
• Ensure timely submission of partner financial reports, including all required checklists, transaction listings, timesheets, and supporting documents.
• Respond promptly to queries arising from monthly/quarterly report reviews.
• Produce strategic financial analysis (variance, cost-efficiency, trend analysis) to inform adaptive program management by both partners and CAFOD
• Ensure all global safeguarding and anti-terrorist financing checks are rigorously applied in partner fund transfers

Audit

• Facilitate and coordinate internal and external audit processes for the programme with support from the Country Finance team.
• Support partners to develop action plans based on audit recommendations and monitor progress.
• Support DRC offices in programme administration by ensuring all financial papers are up to date in WebPromise (receipts, financial reports, etc.).
• Manage the end-to-end financial reporting calendar, ensuring seamless consolidation of data from multiple partners for donor reports.
• Act as the primary liaison for external and internal audits, coordinating pre-audit preparations and ensuring rigorous follow-up on audit action plans.
• Oversee the complex financial close-down of grants, ensuring all liabilities are settled, assets are disposed of per policy, and final reports are flawless
• Maintain and periodically audit the project’s Fixed Asset Register, ensuring all items are tagged, conditions recorded, and disposal procedures follow CAFOD’s global insurance and asset policies
• Support the Finance and Administration Manager in responding to auditor queries and implementing agreed-upon audit action plans related to office and project operations.

Programme Administration Support

• Champion the use of CAFOD’s global financial platforms (WebPromise) to enhance efficiency, transparency, and security
• Support programme staff in developing systems to ensure funds are always available for partner activities and that cash is secure.
• Support programme staff to ensure partner receipts and reports (narrative and financial) are accurate, complete, and securely stored in CAFOD systems/WebPromise.
• Ensure all transaction listings are available for reports and filed appropriately on WebPromise.
• Work with programme staff to ensure final reports are received as planned and projects are closed in WebPromise in real time.
• Act as the finance focal point during emergency responses, responsible for rapidly establishing and documenting simplified yet robust financial procedures for cash programming, ensuring immediate accountability while enabling a swift humanitarian response
• Serve as the "super-user" and trainer for CAFOD’s global finance and project management systems (e.g., WebPromise) within the country programme
• Prepare, review, and ensure the completeness of all financial documentation for project fund requests, advances, and reimbursements submitted to HQ or donors, adhering strictly to CAFOD and specific donor guidelines.
• Maintain a meticulous and organized digital and physical filing system for all country office financial documents (vouchers, bank statements, approvals, contracts), ensuring a clear and readily accessible audit trail for all transactions.
• Draft and manage service provider and consultant contracts from a financial compliance perspective, ensuring terms align with CAFOD policies and donor regulations before submission for approval
• Support the office in updating the moveable and Fixed Asset Register.
• Promote value for money as part of the organisational culture.
• Ensure procedures are in place to assess the value for money obtained in all country programme activities, with special regard to economy, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Job-specific competencies

• Previous experience in financial accounting and financial management.
• Demonstrable knowledge in financial accounting and management, including the ability to carry out financial assessments.
• Demonstrated ability to work with and build the capacity of partners, influencing and improving their ways of working and financial systems.
• Demonstrated experience in donor accountability and reporting to institutional donors.

Desirable Criteria

• Good understanding of the local context.
• Fluency in written and spoken French and Swahili, with proficiency in English.
• Ability to work and travel in insecure environments and to manage personal security where necessary.