Accountant Job in Kenya - Grants

Grants Accountant

Organisation Background

The Science for Africa
Foundation (SFA Foundation) is a non-profit, public charity organisation that
supports strengthens and promotes science innovation in Africa. The goal of the
SFA Foundation is to address the continent’s most pressing developmental needs
by generating scientific knowledge that solves problems and informs
decision-making.

We serve the
African research ecosystem by funding excellent research and innovation ideas;
enabling interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers, and building and
reinforcing environments that are conducive for scientists to thrive and
produce quality research that generates new, locally relevant knowledge.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Financial Planning, Budgeting and Grant Analysis


• Initiate the process of planning and developing budgets for
  new grant proposals and ensure grantees’ budgets are aligned with SFA
  Foundation policies as well as funder requirements.


• Work with the Program Managers and the Senior Grants
  Accountant in reviewing and approving budgets submitted by grantees and
  ensuring financial analysis and forecasting is done to aid in
  decision-making.


• Offer technical guidance to grantees and ensure they are
  equipped with how to develop budgets and budget narratives for grant
  applications.

Grantee Assessment and
Capacity Building

• Assess the financial capacity of new grantees in order to
  mitigate financial risks and losses to the SFA Foundation by reviewing
  their internal controls, identifying areas of weakness, and advising
  accordingly during site visits.


• Support Programme Managers in the grant-making process,
  ensuring grant agreements are well executed.

Grant Monitoring and
Financial Reporting

• Promote accountability of grants processes, funds, and
  compliance with funders’ requirements. Ensure they adhere to reporting
  timelines by developing and maintaining a grant tracking database to
  monitor the flow of grants from the time full grant documentation is
  received to the time the first payment is made.


• Verify reported expenses to ensure they are allowable,
  allocable, and reasonable by maintaining a comprehensive timetable for
  grant financial reporting from Grantees to the Donors and follow-up to
  ensure adherence to reporting timelines.


• Provide financial backstopping to grantees when implementing
  grants to achieve set objectives. Review of grantees’ reported expenses
  through cross-examination of expenses and providing feedback.


• Facilitation of Grant Audits. Analyse financial transactions
  to ensure that they are correctly charged, and financial positions
  provided to funders are a true & fair representation of financial
  position. Support the Finance Manager in reviewing and consolidating
  grantees’ financial reports for grants within specified donor formats, ensuring
  accuracy and compliance with donors’ requirements.


• Advise the Programme Managers and the Management on the
  current financial status by ensuring accuracy and correct coding of
  financial transactions and reconciliations of grants financial reports in
  the financial system.


• Facilitate smooth, prompt (timely), and quality
  implementation of grants by preparing ad hoc operating reports, analysis,
  and financial statements from general and subsidiary ledgers for
  management consumption


• Mitigate financial risks by ensuring internal controls are
  put in place by providing support to the development and implementation of
  systems and streamlining processes within the Finance function.


• Support the audit process by addressing issues raised in
  audit exercises and following up on audit recommendations to ensure they
  are implemented.


• Implement best practices on grant closure procedures and
  monitor how effectively high-risk grants and contracts follow
  comprehensive grant closure steps to ensure proper standards are upheld in
  the management of grants.

Fund Disbursement and
Financial Accounting

• Process and disburse funds to grantees by ensuring funds are
  available to facilitate the smooth implementation of projects. Monitor
  bank balances to ensure timely inter-bank transfers and healthy cash flows
  are maintained.


• Prepare/Review monthly bank reconciliations and maintain
  accurate and updated records of bank correspondences, bank Instructions
  and confirmations.


• Promote accountability through accurate posting of financial
  data and correct coding of expenses in the financial system. Ensure
  financial processes are adhered to for true and fair reporting, including
  examination of physical documents, and conducting accuracy tests.


• Participate in committees as assigned in the execution of
  their duties and mandates and advise the procurement committee on financial
  matters.

Person Specifications

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting or a related field

Professional Qualifications

• Complete professional qualification in CPA-K/ACCA;

Experience and Knowledge

• At least 5 years relevant experience in finance management
  with at least 2 years in grants accounting working with donors


• Working knowledge of grants accounting and financial
  management systems.


• Working Excel and analytical skills


• Experience in sub-grantee management and capacity building

Key Competencies

• Communication: Actively shares information and ideas and uses
  tact and discretion in dealing with sensitive information or resolving
  delicate issues


• Teamwork: Works as a supportive team member, recognizes
  opportunities to grow the team and proactively builds and manages
  relationships


• Achieving results: Proactively identifies and exploits
  opportunities to exceed goals, drives excellence within the team by
  closely monitoring execution against plans and standards to meet key
  stakeholder requirements


• Analytical thinking: Identifies patterns, similarities, and
  differences in data/information and evaluates the implication


• Judgement/decision making: Uses experience and data available
  to assess situations and takes decisions (without missing deadlines or
  causing delays) with given information, keeping in mind risks and their
  impact


• Commitment to continuous improvement: Identifies bottlenecks,
  anticipates trends and evolving needs and develops solutions/ suggestions
  and applies improvements


• Resilience: Remains composed and focused during
  crisis/challenging periods, recovers rapidly from setbacks, and supports
  team to cope with pressure and change


• Persuasion and influence: Participates in negotiations with
  stakeholders, demonstrates knowledge of work area and appreciation of
  others’ concerns to build own credibility and influence others.

How To Apply

Should you meet the above
requirements, please submit a cover letter and current Curriculum Vitae not
exceeding 5 pages including three professional referees to recruitment@scienceforafrica.foundation with
the name of the vacancy as the e-mail subject.

The cover letter
should be no more than two pages long and explain why you are interested in
this post and how your skills and experience make you a good fit. The documents
should be saved in MS Word or PDF in the following format: Your First Name-Your
Last Name-Document Name-Date (mmyy)