Project Finance Officer at Sightsavers

Contract:  

• 12-month Fixed Term Contract

Hours: 

•  Full time, 35 hours per week

About the role

• We are looking for an experienced Project Finance Officer to join our Kenya Country Office and support the Programme Manager and partners with project financial management.

Responsibilities

• As the Project Finance Officer, you will be responsible for the day-to-day financial management of assigned projects by preparing and maintaining project budgets, capturing transactions in the SUN system, and identifying & supporting all project procurement needs.

Further duties and responsibilities include:

• Donor Budget Management & Reporting
• Work with the project team to ensure that all donor-related information is disseminated to project, finance and logistics staff as well as partners to enable them to abide by donor rules and regulations.
• In coordination with project staff and partners prepare and regularly update the spending plan in line with the project planned activities.
• Review payment schedule for the project and cash flow needs are catered for.

Financial Management

• Reviewing transactions in the organisation accounting system monthly, to ensure they are correctly coded, accurately captured and have clear descriptions.
• Ensure timely and accurate payments/payees on the S2B platform.
• Monitor bank balances through regular updating of the excel cash book in line with the project financial plans to minimize risks of cash depletion.
• On a monthly basis prepare Budget Versus Actual reports and send to FSSM and to other relevant staff. The expenditure report should include a brief commentary on matters arising as identified from the report to highlight on budget lines that are at risk of under/overspends.
• Prepare quarterly financial report as per donor requirements, ensuring it is complete, accurate and produced on a timely basis to ensure adequate review, approval and submission to the Project Manager.
• Prepare and consolidate monthly invoice and expense projection. Analyse differences of the projections and actual spending and submit adjustments as required.
• Ensure financial reports are produced in compliance with donor’s exchange rate policies, including keeping track of expenditure in currencies other than GBP and identifying the rate at which they need to be converted into GBP.

Programme Management

• Prepare project reports and share with the programme team as requested for decision making. 
• Ensuring accurate coding of project expenditures (restricted funding).
• Prepare and consolidate monthly invoice and expense, analyse differences between projections and actual spending and produce analytical reports to inform decision making by program implementers.
• Receive and review periodic reports for all partner, liquidate the eligible costs and take relevant action on the expenses, identifying ineligible and/or disallowed expenses and bring these to the attention of the FSSM as well as the Programs Manager.
• Conduct periodic review of local partner internal controls and policies and advice on strengthening as necessary.  
• Review partner reports against key indicators taking appropriate action where necessary.

Procurement

• Source for quotations and conduct analyses of the quotations for review by FSSM.
• Follow the projects’ Value for Money strategies.
• Process procurement needs in PSC and Proactis systems.
• Work with the administration team to ensure a project asset register is maintained and updated accordingly.

Skills and Experience

• As the successful candidate you will have a Bachelor's degree in finance/accounting and hold a professional accounting qualification. 
• You will also possess extensive working experience in a similar role, ideally within an INGO environment, and have experience financial management, programme & project management and administration.

Further requirements include:

Essential

• Experience of managing project budgets.
• Experience writing project reports.
• Experience preparing Budget Versus Actual reports.
• Experience preparing quarterly financial report as per donor requirements.
• Procurement experience.
• System experience (SUN, PSC and Proactis).
• Project Financial management and data analysis skills.

Desirable

• Experience of audit and government organisations in a finance position.
• This is a highly varied and involved role, and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills.
• Candidates are welcome to demonstrate their ability to match the person specification by expanding on how their experience, training and/or qualifications might have provided them with the knowledge or skills required for the role. Successful candidates will be appointed on merit.