Grants and Compliance Officer at Catholic Relief

Background

CRS is implementing a 5-year orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) program, MWENDO, which seeks to empower local and county-level OVC stakeholders to strengthen the formal and informal HIV and child protection systems and services and the linkages between them, including cross-sectoral service referrals and coordination to ensure quality service delivery for OVC and their households.

Job Summary:

As a key member of the MWENDO Project Cluster team, you will collaborate with partners and local implementing partners (LIP) on sub-grant management and compliance in support of CRS’ work serving the poor and vulnerable. This includes developing and embedding best practice to comply with donor financial rules, expenditure tracking, monitoring and providing management information on key risks, contributing to the implementation of improved financial systems and processes to facilitate better donor reporting and compliance, and capacity building of partner/LIP staff with grants and compliance related roles.

Job Responsibilities:

• Prepare and review budgets ensuring high quality standards and optimum cost recovery in alignment with organizational and donor requirements.
• Monitor and report any challenges and/or gaps identified to inform adjustments to plans and implementation schedules.
• Under the guidance of the MWENDO Finance Manager, communicate with donors or CRS donor account managers to help resolve specific problems or respond to donor information requests.
• Provide technical guidance and support in setting up systems to monitor adherence to financial and procurement rules to comply with CRS and donor agencies.
• Regular monitoring and management reports against key indicators, taking appropriate action where necessary including flagging risks for appropriate management action
• Track, document and disseminate donor reporting trends, quality assurance issues and feedback from donors.
• Support contract management capacity development through inception workshops, coaching, mentoring, online training and other support as required.
• Guidance on and review of narrative and financial reports to ensure quality assurance before submission to donors.
• Technical guidance and support in preparing for and managing donor audits including liaison with auditors and negotiating contested findings where appropriate.
• Develop and maintain excellent professional relationships with colleagues, counterparts and donors.

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Integrity
• Accountability & Stewardship
• Builds Relationships
• Develops Talent
• Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Strategic Mindset

Typical Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and/or professional qualification in Accounting, Finance, Business Studies, Auditing, Economics or related field
• CPA (K), ACCA, CISA
• At least 3 years’ experience for finance-related work for an NGO
• In-depth understanding of donor expectations for program results, outcomes, impact, and reporting; specifically related to donor financial compliance audits
• Experience of setting up and managing donor compliance monitoring systems, developing and implementing relevant tools
• Strong financial skills encompassing proposal budgeting, income tracking, budget monitoring and financial reporting
• Experience using MS Windows and MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).

Personal Skills

• Observation, active listening and analysis skills with ability to make sound judgment
• Good relationship management skills and the ability to work closely with local partners and community members and inspire teamwork among diverse partners without direct supervisory responsibilities
• Attention to details, accuracy and timeliness in executing assigned responsibilities
• Proactive, results-oriented and service-oriented

Required/Desired Foreign Language

Able to clearly communicate in written and spoken English

Travel Required

Up to 35 % of the time to MWENDO project sites

Key Working Relationships:

Supervisory:* None

Internal: MWENDO Leadership; Grants & Compliance Manager, County System Officers, Finance Manager, Procurement, and HR/Administration teams

External: MWENDO consortium members, LIPs, government ministries at the County levels, CSO/CBOs, and other stakeholders.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.