Grants Accountant at The Science for Africa Foundation

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.