Finance and Administration Director - Land Border Programme (National Position) at Mercy Corps

Program / Department Summary

Mercy Corps is seeking a Finance & Administration Director for the anticipated FCDO-funded Land Border Programme.  Irregular migration and associated criminal activity in East Africa remain a complex and escalating challenge which leads to significant exploitation of vulnerable people on the move.  The planned East Africa Land Border Programme will take a multifaceted approach – integrating ‘prevention’, ‘prepare/protect’ and ‘pursue’. An important purpose of this programme is to support the pursuit of human traffickers and smugglers who are exploiting vulnerable populations on the move.  Initial interventions will take place in the Kenya border regions, with planned and phased expansion to Uganda, Ethiopia and possibly Somalia border areas. 

General Position Summary

The Finance & Administration Director will provide leadership and direction to the broad finance and operations teams, with close oversight of the project’s finances, including financial analysis and accounting management. They will be responsible for the sound financial management of the program and its associated awards, working collaboratively across countries and between organizations to ensure that the program is delivered on-time, on-budget, and in adherence to Mercy Corps’ and FCDO policies and procedures. The program is anticipated to start early April 2026 for 36 months and this position will be based in Nairobi.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Strategy & Vision

•  Lead the complex, multi-year budgeting process at the start of the project and ensure its detailed updating each fiscal year. Built in inputs from a diverse array of program stakeholders including technical leads, country-level leads, international and local partners, and HQ and Regional support teams
•  Establish proactive and robust systems for maintaining oversight of multiple countries, partners and separate awards throughout the duration of the project

Finance & Compliance Management

•  Develop and update annual fiscal year budgets with the programme Senior Programme Manager[JW1]  and partners, and develop and implement budgeting and forecasting systems with the different project components and/or Awards. Review all financial plans and budgets, monitoring progress and changes. Flag issues and work to resolve with senior management
•  Develop and oversee all financial and accounting systems, policies, procedures, and internal controls for the program, adapting them as necessary to meet changing regulations and best practices within each country of implementation. Establish efficient financial systems including internal audits, compliance, and risk management
•  Oversee annual financial audits of the program and ensure that partners and subgrantees comply with all audit and financial review requirements.
• Prepare and execute action plans to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of finance and administrative operations and to mitigate operational and compliance risks
•  Periodically assess the efficiency and effectiveness of finance and administration procedures in relation to the delivery of technical activities on time and at optimum cost
•  Create and maintain systems to ensure effective and transparent use of financial resources for timely and informative reporting in line with program, FCDO and Mercy Corps’ needs.
•  Ensure compliance with FCDO and Mercy Corps’ rule and regulations relating to finance, administration and sub-grant management

Administration 

•  Ensure recruitment is conducted in line with FCDO policies and with full approvals, where required
•  Support the scale-up of activities, ensuring timely recruitment and onboarding

Team Management

•  Build and develop the capacity of the Finance and Admin teams, deepening the understanding of their roles and assisting with career development. Ensure team members have access to the information, tools and resources they need to improve performance & reach their objectives.

•  Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally and formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
•  Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
•  Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.

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

• Grants Manager; Sub-grants and Compliance Senior Officer

Accountability

• Reports Directly To: Senior Programme Manager
• Works Directly With: Program technical leads; program partners and sub-awardees; HQ and Regional Finance teams; HQ and Regional Compliance teams; HQ and Regional Technical Support Unit members

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualification & Transferable Skills  

•  A BA/S or equivalent in accounting or finance required; advanced degree preferred.
•  At least 15 years of progressive financial management experience, including supervisory experience required.
•  At least 4 years’ experience in grants management as well as an understanding of FCDO grant and contract regulations required. .
•  At least 3 years’ international experience required; international INGO/PVO field office experience is preferred.
•  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.
•  Prior management experience and strong organizational skills.
•  Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
•  Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
•  Excellent oral and written English skills required
•  Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.
•  Previous experience in insecure environments