Background


Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving wildlife and wild lands through science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks.
WCS Nigeria Country Program is a multi-donor funded program working across Cross River, Abuja and Bauchi states.
The Wildlife... Conservation Society (WCS) intends to support Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in implementing a community-driven initiative to monitor the health of local rivers and streams. This project aims to build the capacity of communities to collect and analyze data on water quality and physical changes in river ecosystems, promoting environmental stewardship and sustainable water resource management.
To achieve these objectives, WCS seeks qualified Consultants to work closely with CBOs in Cross River and Bauchi States under the guidance of WCS experts to deliver training, provide technical support, and facilitate community engagement in river and stream health monitoring.


Scope of Work

WCS requires 2 consultants for this assignment, that is one for each state. The Consultants will be responsible for the following:

Training and Capacity Building:


Design and deliver workshops to train CBOs on water quality monitoring techniques, including measuring pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen, and sediment levels.
The training will also include identifying physical changes in rivers, such as erosion, vegetation loss, sedimentation, avulsions (change in river course).
Support CBOs to cascade the training within their communities.


Technical Support:


Guide CBOs in selecting monitoring sites and establishing standardized protocols for data collection.
Support data collection and analysis, ensuring quality control and consistency in methodology.
Train and support CBOs to interpret stream health monitoring data to inform community-led conservation actions.


Community Engagement:


Facilitate Community Dialogues: Organize regular forums to share water quality monitoring results and raise community awareness about pressing water quality and watershed health issues. These dialogues should serve as a platform for feedback, knowledge sharing, and joint problem-solving.
Encourage community led actions and regulations on rivers and stream health promotion.
Promote Behavioral Change: Work with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Committees (WASHCOMs), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Education Unit to encourage behavioral changes to address harmful practices such as:

Fishing with Poison: Educate communities on the ecological and health risks associated with this practice and promote sustainable fishing methods.
Improper Pesticide Use: Raise awareness about the impact of chemical runoff on water quality and offer training on safe pesticide application practices.




Coordination and Reporting:


Work collaboratively with WCS experts to align activities with project goals.
Document training sessions and monitoring activities,
Prepare regular progress reports and a final consultancy report summarizing achievements, challenges, and recommendations.


Geographical Scope

Target communities include:


Cross River State: Okwa, Okwangwo, Boje, Bamba, Kejiku, Anape, Nsofang, Neghe, Owai, and Ntabachot.
Bauchi State: Kwala, Mai Ari, Rimi, and Bogwas.


Deliverables


Training materials and workshop reports.
Established monitoring protocols and site selection criteria.
Baseline data reports on river and stream health.
Final consultancy report, including recommendations for sustaining monitoring activities.


Required Qualifications


Advanced Degree in Environmental Science, Water Resources Management, Ecology, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in community-based natural resource management or water quality monitoring.
Proven track record of delivering training and capacity-building programs.
Strong analytical skills, particularly in water quality analysis and data interpretation.
Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with experience engaging diverse stakeholders.
Familiarity with the socio-cultural and environmental context of Cross River and Bauchi States is an advantage.


Evaluation Criteria


WCS will review and evaluate all proposals to determine each proposer's rating. This evaluation may include a request by WCS to interview
The proposal offering the most advantageous terms based on the criteria below will be selected for the award. WCS may reject any and all proposals if, in its sole opinion, no proposal satisfies its criteria.


The evaluation criteria and weight will be as follows:


Demonstrated experience with similar consultancies for International Organizations (70%)
Proposed fee (30%) more

Position Description

The Director of Finance plays a vital financial strategic role and guides, oversees the organization\'s budget planning, and monitoring and provides valuable financial insight, analysis and reports to the Country Director, with a dotted-line report to the WCS Global CFO. The Finance Director is a strategic member of the senior Management Team (SMT). The primary objectives... are:


Establishing and overseeing efficient financial management systems,
Compliance of internal controls,
Conducting/coordinating financial reviews of project sites with frequent travel to field sites, 
Cash management for the country\'s program operations. 
He/she will communicate appropriately with WCS project leaders (Directors, Managers, and Administrators), key donors, funding agencies, and local governmental institutions (e.g., Ministries of Finance, Labor etc.). He/she will coordinate and consult regularly with Central Africa Regional and New York HQ offices to manage the timely and accurate submission of reports.


 

Why Join Us? 


Leverage WSC’s financial expertise to strategically guide the WSC\'s financial decision-making, oversee budget planning, monitor financial health, and contribute to overall business growth by providing valuable financial insights and analysis to leadership.
Dynamic Team: join a dynamic team and work in a collaborative and conducive environment where your ideas and everyone\'s input are valued. 
Growth Opportunities: We believe in providing an enabling environment to develop your career. We are committed to developing your skills and competencies and offer opportunities for career advancement.
Supportive Environment: Work with a team that values respect, teamwork, and excellence.


Purpose and Responsibilities:

Provide in-country administrative and operational support to CWT activities in Nigeria, focusing on assisting the national team with program implementation and coordination:

Overall supervision of the Finance unit and staff


Ensure financial efficiency in all aspects of operations, advising the Country Director of any problems or weaknesses in financial controls and procedures, and any ways in which costs could be reduced.
Ensure all project budget management and financial activities comply with WCS and donor requirements and national legislation, including customs regulations, labour rights, taxes, and benefits.
Ensure that the highest standards of financial integrity are followed.  


Budgeting, projections, and cash flow management


Prepare annual Country Program budget for submission to the Central Africa Regional office. 
Maintain Country Program budget and forecasts throughout the fiscal year to adjust for new funding and other budget adjustments 
Prepare donor proposal budgets in coordination with field teams for review by the Regional Business Manager
Ensure program cash flow management to ensure enough funds are available for project operations. 
Maintain an accurate database of project funding, including contracts, project budgets and donor-specific procedures and regulations.


Monitoring and managing expenditures.


Ensure that all expenditures are made per established procedures, including verification of supporting documents and budget availability.
Monitor and review expenditures against budgets on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis by project and for the country office.
Prepare monthly reports of expenditure against budgets for internal use, including monitoring of expenditure against project activity budgets, WCS projects, grant/fund, and account codes.
Where expenditures on projects are not in line with budgets, bring this to the attention of the project director and country director and make recommendations to adjust spending accordingly.
Where funds are received in-country, ensure that these are correctly reported to WCS NY and WCS Region and posted to the appropriate project, grant/fund and account code.
Oversee cross-charging to other country programs as per established procedures.
Ensure proper tracking of project advances to staff, ensuring that advances are accounted for promptly according to WCS procedures and that an accurate balance sheet of each staff member\'s outstanding advances is kept. Prepare a monthly report of outstanding advances at the end of each month.


Reporting


Prepare and submit analysis on all country project expenditures to the WCS Regional Programmer according to WCS established procedures and deadlines.
Oversee monthly and year-end reconciliation of accounts, reports and bank statements.
In consultation with the WCS Country Director and the Project Managers/Directors, ensure communication, reporting and administrative requirements of donors are met.


Audit and quality control


Ensure that all transactions entering the SAP in the central office are correctly and consistently recorded, including grant, fund, project and other information where needed. Perform a monthly check of all financial data by the 10th day of the following month.
Ensure that revenue and expenditure posted by WCS NY are correct and are assigned to the right project, grant/fund and account codes, and where problems are found, ensure that these are resolved with the appropriate staff in NY along with project staff as required.
Supervise regular petty cash counts by WCS policy.
Assess and mitigate the financial risks of the mission and ensure that reliable internal control systems are in place, and financial ethics are respected within the mission.
Coordinate and supervise local audits relating to accounting including donors and institutional audits, tax, and labor matters 


Contracts and sub-awards


Review budgets for contracts and sub-awards to other organizations to verify that costs are reasonable and sufficient for proposed activities and meet donor requirements for budget presentation. 
Ensure that contractors and sub-awardees meet financial reporting requirements.


Where necessary, perform audits of sub-awardee financial systems and reports. 

People Leadership 


Effectively manage performance, developing team members to maximize their contribution to the team and organization
Responsible for recruiting, training, and managing finance staff for the Program. 
Support staff engagement by maintaining a positive team environment.


Essential criteria for candidates:


Bachelor of Accountancy Degree or equivalent accounting qualifications from recognized institutions. MBA, CPA or other equivalent certification a plus
Minimum of 8 years post qualification experience of which at least 2 years must be at a senior management level.
ICAN, ACCA or equivalent recognized professional qualification is required.


Knowledge and Experience: 


Experience in monitoring budgets, cash flow management and systems development for a non-profit organization.
Demonstrated sound and in-depth knowledge of GAAP, Financial Accounting, Management Accounting, Financial Management and Taxation law of Nigeria.
Significant experience with the financial management of government and agency grants and contracts, experience with EU and US Government grants a plus.
Experience using an ERP system and advanced Excel skills required.
Good communication skills, both written and verbal, and strong analytical skills. 
Ability to work independently and work effectively in a diverse team environment
Commitment to WCS’s values and mission.


Functional Skill Set: 


Sound Financial and audit management
Strategic thinking
Financial and Data Analysis
Analytical reasoning 
Risk Management and Compliance 
Stakeholder and donor financial engagement communication
Strong Leadership
Strong interpersonal relationships
Budget monitoring and management 
Managing documents, correspondence, and reports 
Managing information and workflow 
Planning, organizing, and multitasking.


Core Competencies: 


Achieving results 
Being accountable 
Working in teams/ managing ourselves and our relationships 
Communicating for impact 


WSC Values: 

All WCS team members are expected to demonstrate strong professional and ethnics values. These include.


Exemplifying integrity 
Accountability and Transparency
Demonstrating commitment to WCS Nigeria 
Embracing cultural diversity and respect
Embracing change more