Senior Finance Officer

Organization Background

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit, tax-exempt, private organization established in 1895 that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science- based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With more than a century of experience, long-term commitments in dozens of landscapes, presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding, and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. Working with local communities and organizations, that knowledge is applied to address species, habitat, and ecosystem management issues critical to improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities whose livelihoods depend on the direct utilization of natural resources.

Program Background

WCS's office for the Southeast Asian Archipelago (SEAA) region is based in Singapore and is responsible for WCS conservation programs in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The SEAA region contains the third largest expanse of tropical rainforests and the majority of the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity. The region includes over 25,000 islands and comprises the world's second, third, and sixth-largest islands (New Guinea, Borneo and Sumatra). Our current efforts focus on protecting Nature's Strongholds, including the Leuser Ecosystem and Endau Rompin landscape and some of the region's most important coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrasses, and tidal wetlands, including in the Bohol Sea (Philippines), North Sulawesi, North Maluku, Aceh, West Nusa Tenggara (Indonesia), and Sarawak (Malaysia).

Within the SEAA region, WCS has operated for many years in Indonesia and Malaysia. In the Philippines, WCS has recently opened a branch office and, leveraging its historical project-based legacy, is now, together with local partners, designing a conservation program that will complement the many ongoing terrestrial and marine efforts in the Philippines. We are initiating efforts to build a small and impactful team, develop government, civil society, and NGO partnerships, and build out the knowledge base to inform WCS's broader conservation strategy and approach in the Philippines (for example, marine conservation, illegal wildlife trade, rights and communities, forests and climate change, and health).

WCS's initial program focus is on marine conservation and management of the Bohol Sea, adopting an integrated (land-sea) and ecosystems-based approach to conservation. The work will be implemented in partnership with the local community, peoples' organizations, and other NGOs/academe and delivered in close coordination with government agencies.

Position summary

The Senior Finance Officer's primary role is to support WCS Philippines' implementation through effective financial management and grants coordination. This position ensures compliance with both internal standards and donor requirements, maintaining high-quality grant management and related processes. Additionally, the Senior officer will assist the Finance & Grant Manager & Senior Operation Manager in overseeing the financial operations of the Philippines program, including maintaining accounting records, managing grants and sub-grants, and providing strategic financial guidance.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Accounting and Finance

• Support in the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual budget forecasts, budget monitoring, and proposal budgets to ensure adequate cost coverage.
• Support day-to-day finance and accounting operations, including payment processing, coding, advances, reimbursements, bank fees, petty cash management, expense tracking, and documentation.
• Support in reviewing financial transactions, posting entries in SAP, and managing filing and financial reporting.
• Support in the preparation and submission of monthly and year-end financial reports, including bank reconciliations and reconciliation of balance sheet control accounts, in line with WCS procedures and timelines.
• Help maintain strong accounting controls by developing and recommending financial policies and procedures to the project team.
• Support the audit process by preparing necessary documentation, responding to audit queries, and ensuring the implementation of accepted audit recommendations.
• Collaborate with and provide guidance to staff to ensure compliance with all finance, accounting, and administrative policies and procedures.

2. Grant Management

• Support in coordinating, monitoring, and implementing donor-funded projects and programs.
• Support the entire grants management cycle, including pre-award assessments, compliance and monitoring visits, and close-out procedures.
• Maintain a tracking system to monitor key performance indicators and ensure effective oversight of grant activities.
• Ensure adherence to grant management procedures and compliance with donor requirements.
• Prepare donor financial reports in accordance with required formats and deadlines, ensuring consistency with project progress and deliverables.
• Support in the preparation and revision of budgets, ensuring timely updates for the team.
• Prepare donor reports to ensure accuracy, coherence, and timely submission; maintain a monthly reporting compliance tracker for assigned portfolios.
• Support to ensure project implementation aligns with WCS policies and relevant donor regulations.
• Participate in and help facilitate monthly Budget vs. Actual (BVA) and coordination meetings to assess project progress and define actionable follow-ups.
• Support the administrative and programmatic close-out of grants, including final reporting, learning and close-out workshops, asset disposal, income reconciliation, and fulfilment of all donor-required closure actions.

3. Sub-Award Management

• Assist in coordinating and facilitating the assessment process for sub-awards.
• Ensure sub-awards comply with WCS policies and donor regulations.
• Monitor and ensure timely disbursement of funds to sub-grantees in accordance with the terms of sub-agreements.
• Ensure sub-grantees and sub-contractors submit required financial reports on time and in the correct format.

4. Others

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Line Manager.

Minimum Requirements:

• A degree in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration is required with at least five (5) years of experience doing senior role in financial and grant management functions.
• Experience using any accounting system.
• Exceptional organizational skills to prioritize projects and initiate follow through with meticulous attention to detail.
• Must demonstrate excellent communication, good coordination, organization, and time management skills.
• Start-up and service-oriented mindset, willing to support a dynamic team and a variety of tasks to ensure program growth and sustainability.
• Must have significant attention to detail, be well organized, self-motivated, honest, resourceful, effective, and efficient with the ability to prioritize.
• Receptive to building and maintaining positive relationships with people from all backgrounds, genders, cultures, and viewpoints.
• Alignment to WCS Core Values of respect, accountability and transparency, innovation, diversity and inclusion, collaboration, and integrity.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience in working in International Non-Government Organizations.

WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates

from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging in a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share the same values. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.

It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person's membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.

The organization complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS's employment policies.

Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term

Contract length: 12 months

Experience:

• financial and grant management functions: 5 years (Preferred)

Work Location: In person