SENIOR FINANCE AND SUBGRANTS OFFICER (6 MONTHS CONTRACT)

About Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

The Position

The Senior Finance and Sub Grants Officer works under the guidance and supervision of the Kenya Country Finance Director and with direct interaction with the Program leads, Managers, Finance and Sub grants staff specific to respective programs without substantive Finance & Grants team, Consortium Members and the Mercy Corps Finance Team. The Senior Finance and Sub Grants Officer is expected to be an integral part of the senior management team in-country and work closely with the management, technical and operations field and country teams in Kenya.

Essential Responsibilities

GRANT ADMINISTRATION

• Conduct day to day management and implementation of the grants work plan under Mercy Corps.


• Propose revisions to grant processes and procedures based on experience and lessons learned and coordinate proposed changes with the Program Manager(s) and Finance and Compliance Director.


• Responsible for the preparation of monthly and quarterly reports for grant activities that feed into the overall program report.


• Draft the agreements less than the value drafted by HQ.


• Review the agreements drafted by HQ.


• Ensure that grant activities comply with Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures, as well as Donor rules and regulations.


• Participate in the development and implementation of the program’s annual work plans.


• Manage and Support Finance team with other grants or finance sector activities.


• Coordinate expenditure verification and project audits


• Ensure that field staff are familiar with grants management procedures.


• Lead and support the partners budget development during proposal development

PRE-AWARD

• Conduct a pre-award assessment for pre-approved sub-recipients.


• Work closely with the technical team to identify potential areas of support, eligibility and evaluation criteria.


• Work with selected grantees to ensure budgets are in line with program activities and that costs are reasonable, allowable and allocable.


• Conduct due diligence assessments on all grants including business feasibility, evaluate environmental requirements and document negotiation process for all prospective grantees.


• Work closely with the M&E Team in developing M&E plans to ensure that they are contributing to specific indicators and outcomes

POST-AWARD

• Conduct post-award trainings for the sub-recipients on grants administration, applicable donor regulations and reporting requirements.


• Identify sub-recipient/grantee capacity building needs and provide technical assistance where needed and trainings to assure compliance.


• Review sub-recipient/grant reports for accuracy and completeness and regularly monitor their budgets vis-a-vis financial reports and process payments/reimbursements as appropriate.


• Conduct grantee site visits as appropriate including financial monitoring of grants and cost share to ensure proper accounting of grant funds awarded.


• Maintain complete and accurate files for all sub-recipient/grant files as per the Field Finance Manual.


• Input the financial reports in Navigator and reconciling them regularly.


• Serve as primary point of contact for all correspondence and notifications to grant applicants and grantees.

CLOSE-OUT

• Coordinate the close-out of sub-recipients/grants. This will involve preparing relevant close-out documents for approval such as disposition documentation, modification agreements on close out, close out checklists, release of liability documentation etc.


• Any other duties as may be assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility

N/A

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Finance and Compliance Director

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics or relevant field; advanced degree preferred.


• Professional accounting certification CPA(K).


• At least four (4) years of demonstrated professional experience managing grants, subcontracts, procurement and compliance with donor regulations, preferably Donor-funded projects.


• Strong accounting skills and experience in management of the general ledger, journal entries, payables and balance sheet.


• Demonstrated experience applying clauses and negotiating without heavy management oversight including developing amendments and modifications as a result of negotiations.


• Experience providing capacity-building training to staff and local organizations.


• Proven abilities in analytical, excel and reporting skills.

Required competencies:

Grants Administration

• Knowledge and application of best practices in grant management.


• Demonstrated knowledge of financial and management systems, regulations and reporting requirements. Evidence of ability to be creative and flexile within those requirements.


• Analytical capabilities with accounting procedures and processes for structuring projects.


• Knowledge of grants management software and information technology skills.

Management and Communications

• Ability to communicate technical, budgetary and program details to staff, grantees and applicants.


• Ability to design and implement effective workflow processes and procedures.


• Capability to foster an atmosphere which recognizes and respects cultural and individual differences.

How to apply

For the detailed position description and application procedure please visit the following link: https://bit.ly/3g2v14l.Applications should be submitted on or before 23rd August 2021 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Mercy Corps does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process