Senior Finance and Grants Officer (Maralal - Samburu) at Mercy Corps

General Position Summary

Working in the Finance Department under the direction of the Finance Director, the Senior Finance and Grants Officer will be responsible for accounting and documentation of all financial transactions in a timely and accurate manner.  S/he will also be responsible for reporting, file maintaining, tracking, and monitoring of sub grantees ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions of the sub grant agreements for the USAID Nawiri program.

Essential Job Responsibilities

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Maintain custody of the office cash fund and make daily payments of approved transactions.
• Prepare cash payment vouchers and ensure that all cash transactions are fully and properly documented.
• Review expense reports (travel expense reports and operational expense reports) for accuracy and completeness and ensure that expense reports have been fully approved and documented before payment.
• Perform weekly cash count as per FFM.
• Review of payments as per AAM
• Responsible for updating of Maralal office bank file
• Ensure all receivable accounts in Lodwar offices are cleared at the end of the month.
• Ensure monthly submission of Cash count and bank statement to Nairobi office and at the same time ensure all transactions are captured in the system on weekly basis by Finance Officer and Finance Assistant.
• Responsible for training of all new staff in Maralal office on Finance.
• Support other Field offices in the absence of Finance Staff
• Prepare payment vouchers and ensure that all transactions are properly and fully documented and recorded in the cash/bank sub journal and in this process proper segregation of duties is applied.
• Record payment vouchers daily in Navigator Accounting System for the cash/bank sub journal.
• Maintain field advance tracker file and prepare past due advance tracker for the Finance and Compliance Manager
• File all cash and bank batch vouchers and maintain voucher-filing system such that files are updated, complete and safeguarded according to MC procedures.
• Assist with month end cash account reconciliations.
• Providing support to the finance officers in field offices;
• Make sure that all supporting documentation is prepared and filed according to MC procedures.

SUB GRANTS

• Conduct pre-award assessments of potential subgrantees, including financial capacity assessments and due diligence checks.
• Conduct regular site visits to subgrantee offices and project sites to assess financial management systems and provide technical support as needed.
• Review subgrantee budget proposals, financial reports and provide feedback on cost realism and alignment with project objectives.
• Coordinate with the local partners to ensure timely and accurate cashflow projections for efficient disbursement of subgrant funds.
• Collaborate with the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning team to track and report on subgrantee performance indicators and targets.
• Support the partners in preparation of financial reports for subgrant activities, ensuring accuracy and compliance with donor guidelines.
• Assist in conducting internal and external audits of subgrant activities and ensure proper documentation of audit findings and recommendations.
• Stay updated on relevant donor regulations, compliance requirements, and industry best practices related to subgrants management.
• Provide on-going training and support to sub grantees in Mercy Corps sub grant financial procedures and assist in conducting formal sub grantee training workshops.
• Maintain sub grant tracking as well as financial files in accordance with the Field Finance Manual.
• Process sub grantee payments and reconcile sub grant financial tracking to general ledger reports.
• Assist in sub grant closeouts ensuring that all requirements of the sub grant agreement have been met and that sub grant funds have been properly settled.

Accountability to Beneficiaries

• Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts towards accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring, and evaluation of our field projects.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC's policies, procedures, and values always and in all in-country venues.

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Finance and Grants Coordinator

Works Directly With: Chief of Party, Finance Officer, Program Manager and other program, finance and support staff in Nairobi office.

Minimum Qualifications & Transferable Skills

• A university degree in finance, accounting or a related business field is required
• Two or more years of finance experience, including budgeting and grant management or auditing
• Two years’ experience in Finance Department of an non-governmental organization
• Good understanding of major international donor rules and non-profit accounting
• Prior experience with computerized general ledger software
• Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel and Access. 
• Strong analytical skills coupled with a solid understanding of financial and procurement systems; Prior auditing experience is considered a plus
• Excellent oral and written English skills