Finance & Grants Manager at Plan International

Dimensions of the Role

The Finance & Grants Manager contributes to the success of the Nilinde Project by effectively managing all financial and grants support services for the USAID funded Nilinde project. S/he will provide leadership and direction and day to day management to the finance and grants team and will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of financial management, including financial systems implementation, budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting and accounting for the prime award as well as sub-awards.

S/he will be a strategic thought-partner; a hands-on and participative manager who will lead and develop an internal team to support the following areas: finance, planning and budgeting, human resources, administration, and IT.

S/he will play a critical role in ensuring transparency, accountability, effective grant management and compliance in all aspects of the Nilinde Project. S/he will uphold Plan’s Core Values, promote mission and vision, programme principals (transparency, gender equity and diversity) and ensure modelling of Plan’s values among staff.

S/he will be based at the Nilinde Nairobi Office with occasional travel to the Coast region, and will report directly to the Chief of Party.

Job Responsibilities

• Oversee and lead annual budgeting and planning process for the project in partnership with the Chief of Party;
• Ensure adequate cash flow for all on-going project operations;
• Administer and review all financial plans and budgets; monitor progress and changes – with timely updates to the senior leadership;
• Implement robust contracts and financial management/reporting systems that comply with organizational policies, procedures, and accounting principles, and donor regulations.
• Responsible for the preparation of all donor and organizational financial reports in an accurate and timely manner;
• Ensure project expenses are reasonable, allocable, and prudent and spent in accordance with the donor’s rules and regulations;
• Work closely with project department leads to ensure that all project budget monitoring, payments and booking of expenses by providing monthly budget versus actual reports to budget holders;
• Manage and mentor finance and administrative staff, ensuring that functions are performed timely and accurately;
• Review financial controls and liaise with relevant country office leads to update policies and procedures;
• Effectively identify and manage all financial, grants management, sub-grant awards and operational risks;
• Prepare and coordinate for donor audits and statutory internal Plan led global assurance audits;
• Ensure strong working relationships between the field offices and program teams and ensure strong working relationships with USNO, compliance and project backstops.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key Relationships

The post holder will be required to initiate, develop and maintain a range of working relationships, including with donors, implementing partners and other development organizations. Effective working relationships with other Plan staff and departments are also critical for this position.

Qualifications

• A post-graduate degree in Business, Accounting, Finance or related field relevant to the position requirements;
• CPA (K) or other professional qualification in accounting is an added advantage;
• At least eight years of experience in financial management for large complex projects, of which at least five years were working in the field of international development;
• A Masters’ degree or higher in financial management, accounting, financial analysis, development finance, budgeting, macroeconomics, and/or applied economics, or a closely related field;
• Well versed in computerized accounting applications;
• Thorough knowledge of finance processes, systems and principles;
• Professional level of oral and written fluency in English language.

Behaviours

• Striving for high performance: Strongly drives performance forward in area of the business for which they are responsible; involves others in setting and achieving goals; creates a strong sense of purpose within finance unit, and with stakeholders.
• Strategic thinking and innovation: Sets strong strategy in own part of organization; makes an effective contribution to wider strategy; sees contribution of own part of the organization in wider Plan and external context; balances future vision with practical delivery; critically evaluates work effectiveness and searches for better ways of working.
• Decision making and risk management: Sound judgement and decision-making in complex situations; alerts others to risks inside and outside the organization; willing to make judgements about managing risks and ready to take responsibility for such judgements
• Influencing and Communications: Effective communicator using clear messages drawn from Plan’s work; cross-culturally adept; ready to work to influence leaders in governments, international bodies, partners and communities; can reach out and influence large groups of people; effective communicator with children and young people.
• Building effective teams and partnerships: Collegiate – acting as a team player, even if this results in adjustment of own priorities; develops mutually trusting relationships with complex partnerships to deliver excellent business outcomes
• Developing people: Supports learning and a sense of mutual purpose in diverse teams; sets a strong learning culture in their part of the organization; effective coach, equally at home with high performers and those in difficulty; uses opportunities across Plan to develop others
• Self-awareness and resilience: Remains calm and positive under pressure and in difficult situations; plans own learning and development; aware of impact on others and adjusts own behavior accordingly; has a positive impact on those around them; leads major change while keeping staff and partners on board.