Temporary Grants Assistant at African Academy of Sciences

Job Summary

• AAS is seeking a detail-oriented, analytical and results-driven Temporary Grants Assistant to support audit readiness across its organizational operations and subaward portfolio.
• The successful candidate will support the preparation and coordination of audit documentation, review financial transactions and supporting records, assess compliance with grant agreements and internal procedures, and assist in reviewing sub awardee audit reports and tracking corrective actions.
• Working closely with the Finance and Operations team, Programme teams, subawardees and auditors, the successful candidate will help ensure that financial records are complete, accurate, well organized and readily available for audit review.
• This is a three-month temporary assignment suited to a professional with practical accounting, audit, grants or compliance experience who can work independently, manage competing priorities and deliver accurate outputs within tight deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

Audit Preparation and Documentation

• Prepare audit schedules, transaction listings, reconciliations and document trackers for assigned subawards and organizational audit areas.
• Collect, organize, label and cross-reference financial records against general ledger entries, audit samples and supporting documentation.
• Follow up on missing, incomplete or inconsistent records and coordinate timely responses to auditor requests.
• Maintain complete, accurate and readily retrievable audit files.

Financial Transaction Review and Grants Compliance

• Review selected organizational and subaward transactions for accuracy, appropriate authorization, supporting documentation, correct coding and compliance with approved budgets and grant agreements.
• Verify expenditure against applicable donor requirements, procurement procedures and organizational policies.
• Identify and document unsupported expenditure, potential ineligible costs, discrepancies, approval gaps and internal control weaknesses.
• Maintain an exceptions register and escalate significant compliance concerns and potential questioned costs through established reporting channels.

Subawardee Audit Report Review

• Review of sub-awardee audit reports, management letters and management responses.
• Analyze audit findings, questioned costs, modified audit opinions and internal control deficiencies, highlighting their potential financial and compliance implications.
• Coordinate follow-up with subawardees to obtain clarifications, management responses and evidence of corrective action.
• Maintain an audit recommendations tracker and escalate unresolved, overdue or high-risk matters.

Organizational Audit and Internal Control Support

• Support preparation for external, donor, statutory and internal audits of AAS systems, processes and transactions.
• Compile supporting documentation relating to supplier payments, staff claims, travel and project advances, consultant payments, payroll-related deductions, insurance premiums and other assigned transactions.
• Assist in reconciling financial records, investigating discrepancies and reviewing relevant financial and operational procedures.
• Support follow-up on previous audit recommendations and identify practical improvements to documentation and internal controls.

Reporting and Coordination

• Prepare concise updates on audit readiness, outstanding documentation, transaction review findings, compliance risks and corrective-action status.
• Liaise with Finance, Programme and Operations teams, subawardees and auditors to resolve queries and meet agreed deadlines.
• Prepare a final assignment report summarizing work completed, significant findings, outstanding issues and recommendations for further action.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Auditing or a related field.
• At least One (1) year of post school experience in accounting, finance, auditing, grants management or compliance within non-profit sector.
• Progress towards or completion of a relevant professional qualification, such as CPA, ACCA or an IIA qualification, is desirable but not mandatory.
• Practical experience in financial documentation, transaction reviews, reconciliations, audit preparation or internal control processes.
• Experience in reviewing grant expenditure or working with implementing partners and subawardees will be a strong advantage.

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong analytical skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Sound understanding of audit evidence, financial controls and grants compliance.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Ability to analyze financial records, identify discrepancies and prepare clear written reports.
• Strong planning, organization, follow-up and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-engagement abilities.
• High standards of integrity, confidentiality and professional judgement.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary, multicultural environment.
• Knowledge of French, Portuguese or Arabic will be an added advantage.