Senior Marine Finance Officer
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is an international non-governmental organisation committed to working with communities, government, and other partners to manage wildlife and wild places for biodiversity and human well-being. WCS PNG is recruiting a Senior Marine Finance Officer based in Kavieng, New Ireland Province and may be expected to travel within PNG, especially to WCS marine field sites. The position will report to the Kavieng Program Manager with a dotted line to the Finance Manager.
Role Dimension
The Senior Marine Finance Officer is responsible for managing the financial systems and administrative functions of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Kavieng office. The role ensures full compliance with WCS policies, donor requirements, and applicable local regulations, while supporting efficient, transparent, and accountable financial operations. The position also provides financial oversight and administrative support to the Kimbe and Manus offices, working closely with program and finance teams to ensure strong financial management and consistency across all locations.
KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
- Financial Management & Oversight
- Lead financial management and administrative functions for the Kavieng office and field operations.
- Provide financial oversight and technical support to Kimbe and Manus offices.
- Ensure compliance with WCS policies, donor requirements, legal agreements, and local laws.
- Maintain high standards of financial accountability, transparency, and operational efficiency.
- Banking and Cash Management
- Monitor and control WCS-PNG Marine office cash positions, including daily bank monitoring and reconciliations.
- Ensure adequate cash balances are maintained to support operational needs; notify the Finance Director of funding requirements.
- Manage cash flow across WCS-PNG Marine bank accounts and facilitate inter-account transfers as needed.
- Liaise with program teams to forecast cash needs and support timely monthly cash requests.
- Process and reconcile banking transactions, petty cash, staff advances, and acquittals.
- Verify supporting documentation for all bank and cash transactions.
- Review weekly accounting records prior to submission to the Finance Director.
- Perform monthly balance sheet reconciliations (payables, receivables, advances, bank, petty cash, and prepayments).
- Monitor bank balances to ensure uninterrupted Marine field operations.
- Petty Cash Management
- Process petty cash advances and expenses daily in compliance with WCS and donor requirements.
- Prepare journal vouchers and post petty cash transactions in SAP with correct coding.
- Conduct daily petty cash reconciliations and month-end cash counts.
- Maintain an imprest petty cash system with monthly reviews and approvals by the Program Manager.
- Employee Advances and Expense Management
- Process employee advances and expense claims in line with WCS and donor policies.
- Review and reconcile employee acquittals, including necessary bank lodgments.
- Prepare journal entries for advances and acquittals for month-end reporting.
- Maintain monthly employee advance balance reports.
- Ensure complete and organized documentation filing.
- Provide guidance and training to program staff on financial procedures and timelines when required.
- Processing of Local Expenses
- Review and process non-employee program expenses in compliance with donor and procurement requirements, ensuring:
- Proper procurement procedures are followed
- Appropriate approvals and signatures are obtained
- Accuracy of amounts and purchase requisitions
- Correct financial coding
- Process payments through online banking or petty cash as appropriate.
- Prepare journal entries for expense postings in SAP.
- Track expenditures against approved budgets and Allocate expenses accurately to donor-funded projects.
- Reporting & Coordination
- Prepare and submit financial reports to the Senior Finance Coordinator in Goroka.
- Respond promptly to finance-related queries.
- Support program managers with financial planning and budget monitoring.
- Coordinate financial processes for major and complementary projects.
- Administrative & Asset Management
- Process office bills and authorized expenditures in a timely manner.
- Maintain and update asset registers and support proper care and tracking of equipment.
- Reconcile travel advances and reimbursements promptly.
- Maintain organized filing systems for financial and personnel records.
- Update staff leave databases and manage induction and exit documentation.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.
Minimum Requirements:
Education/Credentials
- A degree in accounting / Business Administration or qualification from a recognized professional accounting body (CA/ACCA/CPA)
- Experience
- Requires a minimum of 3 years accounting and administrative management experience
- Exposure to non-profit sector (NGO, International organisations) is an added advantage
Critical Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Good analytical and problem solving skills
- Preferably familiar with requirements of different donors.
- Good knowledge of accounting system.
- Competent in the use of Microsoft Office such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint etc.
- Require knowledge of financial systems, internal controls and procedures
- Able to work and interact with diverse group of people
- Experience in the most current technologies and products used in the industry.
- Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence
- Being a self-starter with drives and initiative and able to work as a team/individual with a positive attitude and open minded
- Ability to work with less supervision and under pressure
- Excellent multi-tasking, organized and follow-up skills,
- Demonstrated work experience providing customer service.
Application process
Please send a CV and letter of interest to [email protected] with the subject line: Application for Kavieng Senior Marine Finance Officer. Applications accepted until Friday 13 March 2026 . Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.
