Grants and Finance Specialist, Cities at World Resources Institute (WRI)

Job Highlight:

• As Grants and Finance Associate, you will provide administrative, finance and operational support for the Cities team, coordinating with program and support staff in WRI’s Africa & Global offices. In this role, you will be responsible for executing financial and administrative tasks with a major focus (60% of your time) on the implementation of two projects: i) Scaling Urban NBS for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) and ii) Accelerating Just, Inclusive, Resilient and Nature-Positive Cities Transition (funded by DANIDA). You will handle the financial activities of Cities program in WRI Africa, focusing on Kenya and South Africa. You will be responsible for supporting the Cities Program team with capacity in all necessary aspects of financial administration, procurement, accounting, event coordination and logistics, grants and contracts execution to ensure strict adherence to internal controls, donor guidelines, mandated laws, proper record keeping, and efficient administration. You will work closely with the Cities Program team, the WRI Africa Finance Manager and the Global Operations and Finance teams, including the Cost and Pricing team, Grants and Contracts team, and Accounting team.

What will you do:
Financial Management (50%):

• Develop annual program budgets with the Project leads, Program Coordinator, Cities Program Director and the WRI Africa Finance and Operations Manager
• Develop project budgets, notes and narratives for funding proposals on a need-by-need basis following different donor requirements while following WRI cost and pricing rules and regulations
• Regularly review, update, and monitor all transactions, commitments, and revenue flows for the Cities Program and projects to support healthy financial management
• Prepare quarterly projections and reviews to be discussed with the respective project managers while advising on any risks and providing risk mitigation strategies or course correction
• Update and maintain project budgets utilizing WRI’s budgeting and forecasting software (TM1)
• Lead grant finance aspects of the projects for grant close-outs
• Lead on financial reporting to donors
• Create and implement financial best practices for the projects, in line with WRI and donor policies for effective operational efficiency
• Lead audit processes for the project providing detailed feedback to audit queries on financial matters of the grants
• Monitor sub-grants including budgets and financial reports and provide relevant advice for effective operational and financial efficiency
• Perform periodic financial analysis on projects to detect and resolve problems
• Process documentation for project commitments (i.e., agreements, contracts, payment requests and invoices)
• Processes invoices and pay applications for projects in compliance with established governance
• Liaise with the Program Coordinator to advise the team on budget management and grants and contract related deadlines. Raise and address any financial issues in coordination Project Managers
• Responsible for managing credit cards issued to staff. Ensure expenses are reported on time and reconciliations prepared
• Ensure that invoices are properly supported before any payment consideration
• Support the submission of expense reports, timesheets, cash advances, and other transactions

Grants and Contracts Management (30%):

• Review draft contracts and provide advice on financial compliance
• Monitor program/project performance against grant and contract requirements and deliverables and ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of grants and contracts
• Ensure financial contract requirements are fully understood and met by all partners/sub grantees
• Provide training and support as needed to project partners on grant compliance and financial reporting
• Support in conducting due diligence exercises for potential sub grantees/project partners

Administration and Event Logistics (20%):

• Support the team on program administrative tasks and events coordination
• Support the coordination of conference and event logistics for domestic and international meetings and workshops, including venue and catering, equipment or translators, travel and visa support for team
• Support coordination of event participant travel, accommodation, and any per diem support, including the proper documentation and compliance with any grant terms
• Carry out procurement processes in line with the WRI laid down policies as well as donor regulations and the local laws
• Routinely sensitize the projects staff on procurement processes
• Responsible for developing, facilitating, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing the assigned project’s procurement plans.

What will you need:

• Education: You have completed a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting, management or a related field
• Experience: You have 3+ years of relevant, full-time work experience in accounting or finance
• You have experience in budgeting
• You have experience in administrative management, project coordination support, conference and event management or other nonprofit operations
• You have experience in grant compliance and managing contract relationships
• Experience working with CRM database (Salesforce) and budgeting software desirable
• Experience working in the international NGO sector and donor funded projects desirable
• Languages: Proficient in written and spoken English
• Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based.