Finance & Compliance Management
- Ensure effective, transparent use of financial resources in compliance with Mercy Corps and donor policies and procedures.
- Maintain banking relations and plan and monitor field cash flow requirements to ensure the smooth implementation of Mercy Corps programs.
- Ensure monthly standard accounting submissions from the respective field offices, including account reconciliations, financial analysis of month end transactions by award for accurate coding, as well as other financial analysis and information in a timely and accurate manner.
- Provide monthly management reports to the Country Finance Manager, Program Managers and the senior management teams including expenditures by fund/project, cost analysis reports, and other financial information, in a timely and accurate manner.
- Monitor and analyze grant budgets and spending, and in coordination with program managers initiate and prepare required budget realignments
- Lead the proposal budget development and play key role on the proposal development team; ensure that budgets are in line with Mercy Corps’ requirements and donors’ regulations.
- Develop and regularly update grant budgeting and forecasting systems with Program Managers.
- Set-up and maintain the grant files, maintain, and distribute current copies of the approved coded budgets to all relevant parties.
- Lead in the roll out of finance systems and procedure documentation in the field offices, ensure that all finance transactions follow Mercy Corps policies and procedures.
- Manage grant closeout process ensuring that all final expenditures are captured in time, expenses and program commitments fully reconciled against the budget balance and process documented. Ensure all finance files are archived and secured as per the Mercy Corps procedures
- Perform the financial review of purchase requests, purchase orders, and payment requests to ensure compliance with MC policies and procedures and donors grants and contracts requirements.
- Ensure that any required donor exemptions and/or pre-approvals are secured prior to incurring the expenditure
- Perform compliance reviews of field office processes including procurement, logistics, stock management, HR, Admin, and coordinate with the relevant departments to correct and improve as needed
- Provide advice, training, and consultation on compliance with MC policies and procedures as well as donor compliance requirements.
- Ensure timely review of sub-awardee financial related documents in coordination with the Sub-Awards Unit.
- Support the creation and maintenance of systems that ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with donors’ and Mercy Corps policies and procedures
- Help identify efficient and effective solutions to issues while ensuring compliance with Mercy Corps’ policies and donor regulations,
- Perform follow-up and resolutions for internal and external audit recommendations to improve or enhance the internal control environment.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & reporting
- Prepare and update monthly grant spending reports (Budget vs. Actuals, BvAs) including administrative/operational projections; work with the Country Finance Manager to ensure program projections are updated; together with the relevant program managers and staff members, review BvAs and projections, to ensure program implementation is on time, on scope and on budget.
- Lead the consolidation of the monthly cash-flow projections for the project
- Consolidate and prepare financial reports including budget projections of the project
- Participate in key programmatic initiatives; provide necessary guidance and support from finance and compliance perspective with effort to remove any bottlenecks in the implementation process and support efficient programming.
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with in-country program and operations teams, and Mercy Corps stakeholders
Influence & Representation
Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience, and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.
Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
Security
Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
Organizational Learning
As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient, and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging target participants as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field activities.
- Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.
SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
- Actively learns about safeguarding and integrates it into their work, including safeguarding risks and mitigations related to their area of work.
- Practices the values of Mercy Corps including respecting the dignity and well-being of participants and fellow team members.
- Encourages openness and communication in their team; encourages team members to submit reports if they have any concerns using reporting mechanisms e.g., Integrity Hotline and other options.
Supervisory Responsibility
Project Finance Department staff (Finance & Admin Assistants).
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Finance Manager with technical reporting line to the Team Leader
Works Directly With: Safeguarding Team, Program Team, Finance Department, Operations Department, MCG/MCE HQ Compliance, and others
Knowledge and Experience
•A bachelor’s degree or equivalent in relevant field Accounting, Finance, Commerce or social sciences.
•At least 5 years of relevant experience in donor funded grants accounting, sub award management, partnerships, program narrative, expense reporting and administration.
- At least 5 years’ experience in grants management as well as an understanding of UN agencies, US Government, EU, FCDO, SIDA and other bilateral donors’ regulations
- Demonstrated experience and skill with budget preparation and analysis, financial reporting preparation and presentation and the proven ability to translate technical financial data into informative reports.
- Strong accounting skills and experience, including management of the general ledger, journal entries, payroll, payables, and balance sheet.
