Mele'ofa Mafi

Manage and oversee month-end tasks and duties, ensuring all key deadlines are met.

• Post month-end journals and prepare reports within expected timeframes.
• Maintain the program balance sheet and complete monthly balance sheet reconciliations.
• Maintain the General Ledger.
• Support the preparation and submission of weekly cashflows, monthly fund requests, profit & loss statements, MYOB/BST reconciliations and project expense forecasts and monthly forecasts
• Organise the financial processes and procedures, as well as updating the Finance Policy/Manual.
• Provide management, oversight and training of the Finance Officer.
• Identify, recommend and implement financial systems, process improvement and automation opportunities.
• Undertake other duties as required by the Finance and Operations Manager to support the Operations team and broader Support Unit.

Achievements

Completion and approval of End of Month processes including end of month reports

resolved outstanding prepaid-recruitment from 2023.

Finance Officer/Program Manager

• Monitor finance including consultation and regular update from staff on projects finance.
• Provide oversight of the overall aid budget .
• Support and train staff in DFAT's aid financial system Aidworks.
• Provide regular update to supervisor and staff on program finances and overall budget.
• Advice and provide guidance to staff on any changes to financial policies, processes
• Ensure financial requirements from Canberra are submitted on time.

Achievements:

• Trained new staff in Aidworks & refresher training
• Monthly data quality issues are addressed resulting in less than 5% issues
• End of financial year budget is expensed with around 1% unspent

Program Management (Communities Development, Humanitrian)

• Manage relationships with counterparts and stakeholders.
• Manage contracts and contractor performance.
• Monitor implementation and monitoring reports.
• Provide briefing and talking points when required.
• Report on program outcomes in DFAT's quality reporting and the Annual Program Performance Report.
• Identify and report risks for programs managed and coordinate risks and fraud for the aid program.
• Participate and provide input to Whole of Government and /or stakeholders meetings.

Attachment to the National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) during natural disasters;

- Assist NEMO to map out the level of emergency preparedness and emergency-related needs, including of COVID-19 that will need to be addressed in disaster planning
- Work together with NEMO colleagues in developing cyclone preparedness plan and setting up implementation mechanism.
- Working together with NEMO colleagues, develop NEMO specific COVID response plan in alignment with National Action Plan for COVID preparedness and Response.

• Provide advice and guidance on cross-cutting issues such as protection, particularly gender equality, disability and environment in disaster management.
  - Work as a surge capacity in a time of emergency and support initial damage assessment
  - Assist NEMO team to coordinate emergency relief distribution
  Support NEMO for ongoing and timely reporting and update to DFAT (and other donors) on the emergency operation at the time of emergency
  - Facilitate funding (and other resources) requisition process from DFAT (and other donors) should NEMO need support.
  - Support NEMO to effectively collect, process and communicate emergency operation related information to external as well as internal stakeholders which includes assisting in generating SitRep or risk communication messaging.

Achievements

• Contributed to the completion of the National Disaster Risk Management Office's(NDRMO) warehouse funded by DFAT.
• Surge capacity and attached to NDRMO during the TC Gita Cyclone in 2018 (1 month)
• Surge capacity and attached to NDRMO during the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) Volcanic Eruption in 2021 (Jan - Mar)
• In consultation with Government Ministries and NDRMO, developed Government of Tonga's priority list that was submitted to Australia and New Zealand.
• Contributed to the review of the HTHH IDA and Response Plan which was then endorsed by Cabinet.
• Participated in a team distribution of relief supplies to one of the villages.
• Based on my good working relationship with NDRMO, I was not only a surge capacity but also included as an observer in Government of Tonga's National Emergency Management Committee (NEMC) during the HTHH/Covid19 Response (members of NEMC is GoT members only and Tonga Red Cross ).

Finance Officer

• Reconciliation of account payable and accounts receivable.
• Process payments of accounts payable.
• Reconciliation of GL accounts
• Produce monthly financial accounts reports.