Head of Finance, Operations and Compliance

Position description

Trócaire is an International NGO. We work with local partners in the world’s most at-risk communities and with people in Ireland to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and injustice and respond to the crises they create. Together we bring about positive and lasting change for a just world. Trócaire works in up to 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. We work towards five goals:

• Promote Access to Justice;

• Achieve Climate & Environmental Justice;

• Ensure Women & Girls’ Protection, Voice & Influence;

• Save Lives and Protect Human Dignity and

• Mobilise the Public on the island of Ireland to achieve Global Justice.

Our work is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and in our values of Solidarity, Courage, Participation, Perseverance and Accountability.

In Sierra Leone, Trócaire works to achieve climate and environmental justice; ensure women and girls’ protection, voice & influence; and save lives and protect human dignity. Trócaire supports work on the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, women’s political participation and leadership, sustainable livelihoods and economic empowerment, natural resource management and environmental conservation, and humanitarian preparedness and response

Trócaire works exclusively with local partners and actively supports localised development and humanitarian aid. Supporting local civil society organisations to strengthen their organisational, institutional, financial, technical, and managerial capacities is core to Trócaire’s partnership approach in Sierra Leone.

[1]To be considered for this role, you must already hold the necessary legal permissions to work and live in this location. Regrettably, we cannot offer work permit sponsorship or relocation assistance for this role.

Role Summary

The Head of Finance, Operations and Compliance (HoFO&C) is a strategic member of the Country Management Team and leads the country office operations portfolio. The role is responsible for ensuring that the systems for finance oversight, procurement and logistics, HR administration, compliance, and operational risk management are working as designed, and that corrective actions are identified, tracked, and closed.

The HoFO&C provides leadership and supervision to the operations team and sets expectations for control discipline, documentation, timely reporting, and compliance with Trócaire policies, donor requirements, and local law. The role is designed to strengthen segregation of duties and supervisory review, and is not intended to become the default processor of routine finance or procurement transactions except in exceptional circumstances.

Key responsibilities

This role provides overall leadership for country operations and compliance and acts as the second line of oversight and assurance for key control environments. The Head of Finance, Operations & Compliance is responsible for setting expectations, ensuring appropriate segregation of duties, and verifying that finance, procurement, and administrative controls are functioning effectively through routine compliance checks, exception reporting, and audit follow-up. Day-to-day processing is led by the Senior Finance Officer (country office finance) and the Senior Programme Accountant (programme and partner finance), with this role providing escalation, quality assurance, and corrective action when issues arise. Similarly, day to day delivery of admin functions are delivererd by the Admin officer while this role provides oversight and support (including capacity building)

As a Member of the Country Management Team:

• As a member of the Country Management Team, actively and constructively contribute to the overall leadership of Trócaire’s country programme in Sierra Leone.
• Actively participate in CMT meetings, contributing to decisions on policy and strategic direction and playing a key role in the ongoing implementation and adaptation of Trócaire’s Sierra Leone Country Strategic Plan.
• Support the Country Director in the management of risk, including acting as the operational risk lead for the country programme.
• Ensure there is constant and open communication between the country operations team and HQ for smooth operations of the Country Office.
• Work in close partnership with the Head of Programmes and Programmes Team to ensure operations support programme implementation, including timely procurement, partner payments, travel/logistics, and compliant documentation.
• Support programme teams and the Country Director in donor engagement, proposal development (budgeting, cost allocation, compliance requirements), and reporting as required.
• Foster an atmosphere of trust and growth potential for Team members

Compliance Oversight and Internal Controls:

• Accountable for maintaining and monitoring the country office internal control framework, ensuring that controls over financial management, procurement, payroll, and HR processes are designed, documented, and operating effectively.
• Conduct or commission periodic spot checks, transaction reviews, and process walk-throughs to verify control compliance. Maintain a monthly controls checklist and exceptions log, reporting results and follow-up actions to the CMT.
• Ensure adequate segregation of duties across all transaction cycles: initiation, approval, processing, custody, and reconciliation/review must not be concentrated in a single individual. Where team size prevents full separation, design and document compensating controls (e.g. supervisory review, committee processes, independent spot checks).
• Track and drive closure of internal and external audit findings, investigation recommendations, and compliance action items. Maintain an audit-action tracker and report progress to the Country Director and Head of Portfolio on a monthly basis.
• Ensure all Sierra Leone government requirements in relation to registration, taxation, labour law, auditing, and regulatory compliance are met.
• Act as the primary country-level liaison with HQ Standards and Compliance Unit, Internal and External Audit, and HQ Finance on control and assurance matters.
• In collaboration with the Head of Programmes, ensure partner grant management processes (partner contracting, advances, reporting, verification, and capacity support) meet Trócaire and donor requirements; support follow-up on any compliance gaps identified through monitoring or audits.

Financial Oversight and Management:

• Provide management oversight of the Senior Programme Accountant and Senior Finance Officer, ensuring the quality, timeliness, accuracy, and control discipline of all financial operations across both programmatic and organisational finance streams.
• Review and quality-assure month-end, quarterly budget revisions, and year-end financial reporting packages, balance sheet reconciliations, and management accounts before submission to HQ Finance.
• Oversee budget preparation, monitoring, and forecasting processes across all funding streams, ensuring budget holders receive timely and accurate financial information.
• Review and countersign bank reconciliations prepared by the SFO (or delegate), ensuring reconciliations are completed by someone other than the preparer.
• Support the Country Director in ensuring that all payments are approved in accordance with policies, and ensure approvals and budget-holder authorisation are obtained in line with the policies and approved budget ownership arrangements.
• Ensure that advance payment procedures, float management, and cash handling processes comply with Trócaire’s Guidelines on Management of Funds.
• Lead the provision of financial technical support to partner organisations, ensuring they are aware of financial standards and requirements, and have adequate technical capacity. Coordinate with the Senior Programme Accountant on partner financial oversight.
• Support programme teams on building the capacities of partners to handle contractual compliance issues, including project audit and verification requirements.

Procurement, Logistics and Asset Management:

• Accountable for ensuring all procurement activities comply with Trócaire’s Global Procurement Policy, Sierra Leone Country-specific policies and thresholds, donor regulations, and Sierra Leone law. This includes sourcing, competitive tendering, supplier evaluation, contracting, goods receipt, and payment, with appropriate segregation across these steps.
• Provide accountability over the standing Procurement Committee, ensuring evaluations are conducted by cross-functional membership (not solely by Finance), that processes are documented contemporaneously (purchase orders, goods received notes, bid analysis, scoring matrices, committee minutes), and that conflicts of interest are declared and managed.
• Ensure vendor onboarding and master data changes are not controlled solely by any individual who can also approve or process payments.
• Maintain a centralised procurement filing system (on Box or equivalent), ensuring complete and contemporaneous documentation for every procurement action.
• Ensure annual and project-level procurement plans and trackers are in place, updated, and used to anticipate needs and reduce emergency purchasing.
• Manage logistics operations including fleet management, fuel controls, asset tracking, inventory and stock control, insurance, and office supplies. Ensure a stock count is completed mid-year and at year-end.
• Oversee vehicle management in line with organisational policy, including documented vehicle movement logs, mandatory non-driver sign-off, and regular fleet requirement reviews.
• Support and provide guidance to local implementing partners on procurement capacity building and monitor the Partner Procurement Follow-Up Tracker.

Human Resources and People Operations:

• Line-manage HR Assistant, ensuring HR processes (recruitment, onboarding, contracts, leave management, performance management, disciplinary procedures, separations) are applied consistently, fairly, and in compliance with Trócaire policy and Sierra Leone labour law.
• Ensure recruitment processes, onboarding, personnel file management, performance management, learning and development, and staff wellbeing supports are implemented to an appropriate standard.
• Oversee payroll change control: ensure that payroll preparation, review, and processing are appropriately segregated.
• Support the Country Director in fostering a positive, accountable, and learning-oriented work environment. Champion staff welfare, duty of care, and safeguarding responsibilities.
• Coordinate with HQ People and Culture partner, CD and Head of Portfolio on organisational policies, compensation and benefits reviews, and any matters requiring HQ guidance or approval.

Risk Management:

• Maintain a live operational risk register for the country programme, ensuring risks are identified, assessed, and scored using Trócaire’s risk categories and traffic light system.
• Ensure risk mitigations are assigned to named owners with target dates, tracked to completion, and reported to the CMT on a regular basis.
• Escalate risks categorised as Red or Severe, or risks above risk appetite, to the Country Director and Head of Portfolio in accordance with the Risk Management Framework.
• Support the annual country office risk review process in coordination with the Head of Portfolio and Standards and Compliance Unit.

Administration and Office Management:

• Oversee the Administrator and ensure smooth functioning of office administration, including premises and facilities management, security, communications infrastructure, travel and logistics support, visitor support, records management, and IT coordination with HQ.
• Ensure data protection processes are in place and adhered to in the country office.
• Ensure information and document management practices support audit trails and confidentiality.
• Support international staff visa and work permit processes where required.

Team leadership and capacity strengthening:

• Provide coaching and support to direct reports, ensuring clear workplans, performance objectives, and development opportunities.
• Ensure operations staff receive appropriate training on key policies (procurement, delegated authority, fraud prevention, safeguarding, data protection, and risk management).
• Promote continuous improvement, including identifying process bottlenecks and implementing practical fixes that strengthen controls while enabling timely programme delivery.
• In liaision with the partnership and Localisation Manager, provide oversight of capacity support to partners as identified through various partner capacity assessments

Other:

• In close collaboration with the Country Director and other CMT members, represent Trócaire with relevant Government offices and other stakeholders where required.
• Deliver mandatory refresher training for all country office staff on procurement policy, financial controls, fraud awareness, ethical standards, and whistle-blowing, or coordinate delivery with HQ.
• Fulfil other reasonable duties and responsibilities as requested by the Country Director.

Qualifications

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in financial management, operations, and/or compliance roles in a complex organisation, with at least 4 years at a senior or managerial level: INGO experience highly desirable.
• Prior experience managing multi-donor budgets and extensive knowledge of institutional donor compliance requirements (e.g. Irish Aid, EU, UNDP).
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, or strengthening internal control frameworks, including segregation of duties, procurement governance, and financial monitoring.
• Experience managing procurement processes in compliance with organisational policy and donor regulations, including competitive tendering, evaluation committees, and documentation standards.
• Experience of interpreting financial information and preparing and presenting financial reports to non-finance professionals in an accurate and timely manner.
• Experience managing and developing staff, including coaching and performance management.
• Experience in training and capacity building of partner staff on financial and compliance matters.

Qualifications:

• Accounting, commerce, or business administration degree from a recognised university, and a relevant professional qualification (CPA/CA/ACCA or equivalent).
• A Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, or a related field is desirable.(Proof of qualification required.)

Skills:

• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to supervise and motivate qualified professional staff with strong personal value systems.
• Excellent Excel skills including financial modelling. Previous experience in a recognised accounting or ERP package (e.g. Sage, Agresso, SAP or other).
• Demonstrated ability to meet corporate governance and accountability requirements of host governments, the organisation, and donors.
• In-depth knowledge of managing grants and contractual requirements of institutional donors.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify control weaknesses and design practical solutions.
• Excellent written, oral, and presentational communication skills.

Qualities:

• Excellent at setting out a workplan and meeting planning deadlines.
• Dynamic, willing to take initiative, and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong coordination skills with the ability to effectively coordinate with local partners and among team members.
• A team player but also willing and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Capacity to be flexible and adaptable to changing contexts and priorities.
• Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to accuracy and accountability.
• Ability to transfer skills through mentorship and accompaniment.
• A commitment to strengthening and supporting the work of local partners.
• High personal integrity and ethical standards.
• Commitment to Trócaire’s values and safeguarding policies.

Others:

• A strong commitment to the work of justice and an empathy with the ethos and work of the Catholic Church and Trócaire.
• Fluent in English.
• Ability and willingness to travel within country and internationally.
• Commitment to principles of safeguarding of programme participants.
• Commitment to gender equality principles.
• Financial integrity and stewardship of organisational funds.
• Financial integrity and stewardship of project funds

Application instructions

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