Lyssette Rivas

* Supervising the Accounts Payable staff of eight accounting specialists

* Managing the accounts payable staff's workload, and coordinating individual duties after careful evaluation of each employee's skill level and knowledge

* Reviewing, changing and establishing new accounts payable procedures

* Cross-training, and coaching the accounts payable staff

* Doing monthly financial reports

* Approving payments up to $100K

* File tax returns in accordance with the IRS tax code (1099s issuance)

* Reporting to the Director of Finance

* Coordinating audits with external auditor firms

* Approved approximately US$25M in annual billings payment and collections

* Oversaw all aspect of vouchering and budgeting in the Financial Management Center and enhanced financial resources by establishing new payment and financial procedures and policies

* Provided financial management advisory services to the Financial Management Officer

* Supervised the Senior Supervisory Voucher Examiner, the Budgetary Specialist and the payment/budget staff of eight employees, and indirectly supervised the administrative assistant

* Implemented the new paperless payment method - E-Invoicing, the grants, and transportation payment platforms, which simplified the payment process

* Coordinated audits with external and Department of State auditors

* Managed a US$10.2 M budget, ensuring that spending patterns were consistent financial plans and State Department regulations

* Supervised, trained and guided the budgeting staff of three employees, who managed a US$9.5M budget

* Conducted periodic budget review, which Involved discussing status of funds with agencies representatives, alerting them to problems, trends and needed changes

* Provided financial management research and financial advisory services to the Financial Management Officer

* Developed operational guidance on how to manage and count the workload count of a specific budget called ICASS (the International Cooperative Administrative Support Services). This ensured accurate figures for the budget preparation. Managed this budget, and marketed the services provided to the agencies under this budget.

* Trained embassy ICASS sections, that rendered administrative, operational, IT systems, and financial services to the agencies under the embassy umbrella, to enhance the service and follow the bureau regulations

* Managed and controlled a $1.2M budget of an INL agency grant (International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs) awarded to a Nicaraguan governmental, nongovernmental, nonprofit entities, and universities

* Promoted the US agricultural goods and services exports to Nicaragua

* Recruited local private and governmental companies, hotels, buyers and students for trade missions, trade shows, seminars and scholarships

* Organized marketing events, seminars and training in Nicaragua based on an approved budget.

* Organized the meat inspections logistics for the USDA FAS officers, who visited the local slaughterhouses and the cold storage systems

* Worked along with USAID and the Econ section to monitor projects funded by USDA FAS. Those grants and donations were addressed to agricultural companies, communities, and non-profit organizations

* Prepared Nicaraguan financial and economic reports to be posted in the annual USDA FAS magazine

* Served as a liaison between the local private and governmental institutions and universities and the USDA FAS headquarter