Internal Controls Manager
ZM
Job Title: Internal Controls Manager
Department: Country Directors Office
Location: Zambia
Reporting line: Country Director
Grade: HL 16
About ENGIE Energy Access
Purpose
ENGIE Energy Access Zambia is looking for an experienced, highly motivated, and accurate Internal Controls Manager with a passion in renewable energy and financial inclusion to join our team. The Internal Controls Manager will be responsible for management and monitoring of all operational risks the business is exposed due to business activities and processes that exist. This includes oversight of the country’s operational risk profile and working with all business segments to identify material risks requiring management attention. The Internal Controls Manager will also develop, implement, and oversee the organization’s ethics and compliance programs.
This role ensures that the company operates within the legal and ethical standards set by all relevant regulatory agencies and company policies. S/he will work closely with various departments to promote policy compliance, ethical behavior and mitigate risks associated with non-compliance where it arises. The role reports directly to the EEA Zambia Country Director.
Responsibilities Strategy
- Lead in the operationalizing of the EEA Global internal control framework (INCOME) and methodological guides.
- Develop and implement comprehensive ethics and compliance programs.
- Appraise and contribute to the development of the Global strategic plans and alignment with risk appetite, as set out in the Enterprise Risk Management Framework (ERMF), through active engagement with the Internal Audit Department
- Continuously assess the strategy and growth versus the internal operational and technology risk profile and external environment; and inform the development of the business plans, products, and process infrastructure.
- Define, based on the guidelines of risk governance bodies, the organization of the EEA Zambia Internal control system.
- Ensure the internal control framework, ethical conduct and compliance is effectively embedded, communicated and embedded across the designated departments & teams.
- Monitor the local execution within the country-level processes; and adherence to global policies, control standards and process governance set out by global process owners and risk control owners.
- Prepare and own the Quarterly Risk Committee and the Fortnightly Ethics Committee.
- Support the Human Resources department in managing staff compliance issues e.g. separations, dismissals, disciplinary procedures etc. ensuring full compliance with local regulations and in cooperation with external legal firms, where required.
- Ensure risk awareness is documented within the organization’s strategy to ensure strategic direction is consistent with expected risk management standards.
Risk Management
- Design, maintain and effectively communicate operational risk controls, including control standards, risk exposure limits and other control levers to maintain the country’s risk profile in line with the
overall risk appetite.
- Challenge the completeness of risk identification, monitoring and assessment of the corresponding control activities required within the end-to-end processes to identify and remediate any significant deficiencies.
- Monitor and appraise compliance with established internal controls and recommend Management response to departure from laid down standards.
- Remain abreast with Global risk management standards and ensure adaptability of the organization with the evolving risk management landscape.
- Collaborate the inter-departmental dependencies in their execution of department-specific risk management responsibilities.
- Validate and challenge the first line risk identification and assessment of gross and residual risks arising within the end-to-end processes.
- Assess the control environment including, but not limited to, control design, control execution, control testing and control history.
- Provide a balanced and informed assessment of all operational risks arising from acquisitions or major change initiatives or projects within the country
- Recommend changes to the control environment or to business practice where necessary to reduce the level of operational risk exposure to within the agreed appetite.
- Challenge and constrain relevant business activities where risks are not aligned with control requirements or risk appetite.
- Sign off on new products on behalf of Operational Risk through the Country Addenda process. Risk Monitoring
- Lead the country risk register creation, participate in the feeding of risk mapping, and more generally in the risk control system and monitor the closure of risk mitigation actions.
Stakeholder Support
- Raise awareness of senior management on internal control best practices.
- Champion risk awareness, training and attestation of internal controls understanding on a consistent basis.
- Contribute to the harmonization of practices by spreading a common culture, particularly in terms of integrity and attitude towards risks.
- Contribute to change management by anticipating and supporting the transformations necessary to improve performance and business control.
- Lead the internal control self-assessment program and aid in its implementation by operational departments.
- Lead training / sensitization of the team on the topics of fraud and ethics.
Internal Controls Administration
- Administer the internal control tool (database containing the internal control framework, good practices for identifying and controlling risks, monitoring indicators, etc.).
- Ensure regulatory and professional monitoring
- Manage the activities of the Fraud & Tamper Investigation in the field.
- Monitor commission management to ensure expenditure is commensurate with results/resolutions in the field.
Reporting, Regulatory & Business Conduct
- Approve the classification and accurate reporting of operational risk losses.
- Report and escalate material risk events (MRE).
- Deliver Root Cause Analysis reports for relevant events
- Provide risk information/updates to Country Risk Committee as appropriate.
- Display exemplary conduct and live by the EEA Values and Code of Conduct.
- Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across EEA Zambia. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
- Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.
Experience
- Minimum of five (5) years’ management experience and at least two (2) of which should be working with a senior management and external risk management stakeholders.
- Experience in enterprise risk management, implementation and review of internal control systems and processes.
- Strength in Risk analysis and assessment, Process modelling and Regulatory environment
- Experience in developing key strategic and operational partnerships at different levels
- Good understanding of regulatory structures and how they function and ability to navigate the system.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills (including report writing) in
- Detailed understanding of new developments in the risk management profession, with the ability to demonstrate the application of specific risk management approaches.
- Strategic thinker - able to see the bigger picture, challenges and opportunities and create a long-term vision.
Qualifications
- Minimum of a University Degree, preferably in a discipline such as Finance, Audit, Compliance, Development Finance, Law or Similar
- Masters’ Degree in Business or Social Field an added advantage
ENGIE is an equal opportunity employer, promoting diversity and committed to creating an inclusive environment for all. All applications are screened based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without any regard to origin, age, name, sexual
identity, orientation or preference, religion, marital status, health, disability, political opinions, union involvement or citizenship. Our differences are our strengths!