Careers at Safaricom Kenya

Job Description

• Reporting to the Executive Head of Finance, the Grants Manager is responsible for the strategic management and administration of the Foundation's grant portfolio, ensuring grants are effectively designed, awarded, monitored, evaluated, and reported in alignment with the Foundation's mission, strategic priorities, governance standards, and regulatory requirements.
• The role provides leadership in grant-making processes, stakeholder engagement, due diligence, impact measurement, and partner relationship management to ensure the Foundation delivers measurable and sustainable social impact while maintaining high standards of compliance, transparency, and accountability.

Responsibilities

Health and Safety

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions.

Grant Strategy and Portfolio Management

• Support the development and execution of the Foundation's grant-making strategy.
• Identify and assess funding opportunities aligned with strategic priorities.
• Manage a diverse portfolio of grants across thematic focus areas.
• Ensure grant allocations contribute to the Foundations agreed social impact objectives.
• Recommend grant funding priorities and allocation decisions.
• Determine grant portfolio performance improvement actions.
• Provide recommendations on continuation, scaling, modification, or closure of grants.

Grant Due Diligence and Assessment

• Lead grant application review and evaluation processes.
• Conduct organizational, financial, governance, and reputation due diligence on prospective grantees.
• Assess project feasibility, risk profiles, sustainability, and impact potential.
• Prepare grant assessment reports and funding recommendations.
• Approve progression of applications through review stages.
• Recommend grant approvals or rejections to relevant governance structures.
• Escalate material risks for executive and board consideration.

Grant Administration and Compliance

• Oversee end-to-end grant administration processes.
• Ensure grant agreements are developed, executed, and maintained.
• Monitor compliance with grant terms, policies, legal requirements, and donor obligations.
• Maintain accurate grant records and management information systems.
• Approve routine grant modifications within delegated authority.
• Recommend corrective actions for non-compliance issues.
• Determine reporting and documentation requirements for grantees.

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

• Work in collaboration with monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) to establish monitoring frameworks and performance indicators for funded projects.
• Track grant performance against agreed outcomes and impact metrics.
• Analyze reports, site visit findings, and program performance data.
• Facilitate organizational learning and continuous improvement from grant outcomes.
• Recommend performance improvement interventions.
• Determine monitoring priorities and evaluation schedules.
• Advise on project continuation based on performance evidence.

Financial Stewardship and Risk Management

• Manage grant budgets and financial utilization.
• Monitor disbursements and financial accountability of grantees.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate grant-related risks.
• Ensure sound stewardship of Foundation resources.
• Recommend fund disbursement schedules.
• Flag financial, compliance, or reputational risks requiring escalation.
• Recommend suspension or termination of grants where necessary.

Stakeholder and Partner Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with grantees, community organizations, development partners, government agencies, and internal stakeholders.
• Serve as the principal point of contact for assigned grants.
• Facilitate collaboration and partnership development opportunities.
• Determine stakeholder engagement approaches within assigned portfolio.
• Recommend strategic partnerships that enhance impact and sustainability.

Governance and Reporting

• Prepare grant reports for management, foundation committees, and boards.
• Support governance processes related to grant approvals and oversight.
• Determine audit priorities and support the grant audits.
• Ensure grant portfolio reporting is accurate, timely, and evidence-based.
• Contribute to annual impact reports and strategic reviews.
• Validate grant performance data prior to reporting.
• Recommend governance actions based on portfolio performance and risk assessment.

Core Competencies
Strategic Thinking

• Ability to align grant-making activities with Foundations strategy and long-term social impact goals.

Analytical and Critical Thinking

• Ability to evaluate complex proposals, financial information, and impact data to inform funding decisions.

Stakeholder Management

• Strong relationship-building skills with diverse internal and external stakeholders.

Project and Portfolio Management

• Ability to manage multiple grants and competing priorities effectively.

Financial Acumen

• Understanding budget management, financial analysis, and grant accountability requirements.

Risk Management

• Ability to identify and mitigate operational, financial, compliance, and reputational risks.

Communication and Influencing

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to prepare high-quality reports and presentations.

Results Orientation

• Demonstrated ability to drive performance and deliver measurable impact outcomes.

Integrity and Accountability

• Commitment to ethical grant-making, transparency, and strong governance practices.

Learning and Innovation

• Ability to apply evidence, lessons learned, and emerging best practices to improve grant effectiveness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Development Studies, Social Sciences, Project Management, Public Policy, Business Administration, Finance, International Development, or a related field.
• Master's Degree in a relevant discipline is an added advantage.
• Minimum of 5-7 years' experience in grant management, philanthropy, donor-funded programs, CSR, foundation management, development sector, or non-profit organizations.
• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale grant portfolios and partnerships.
• Experience in monitoring, evaluation, learning, and impact measurement.
• Strong knowledge of grant lifecycle management processes.
• Understanding of donor compliance, governance, and risk management requirements.
• Experience conducting financial and organizational due diligence.
• Proficiency in grant management systems and data management tools.
• Advanced report writing, budgeting, and analytical skills.
• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), PRINCE2, or equivalent.
• Monitoring and Evaluation certification.
• Risk Management certification.
• Certified Grants Management Specialist (CGMS) or equivalent grant management qualification.
• Strong understanding of corporate philanthropy and social impact frameworks.
• Knowledge of ESG, sustainability, and community development principles is an added advantage.
• Willingness to travel for project monitoring and stakeholder engagement when required

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Job Description

• Reporting to the Financial Controls, Governance & SOX Lead, the Financial Controls Manager – Ethiopia is responsible for providing end-to-end financial stewardship, reporting discipline, balance sheet governance and control oversight across Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia PLC (STE), Safaricom M-PESA Mobile Financial Services PLC (STE MFS), Vodafamily Ethiopia Company Limited (VFET) and Global Partnerships for Ethiopia B.V. (GPE).
• The role acts as the finance custodian for the Ethiopia entities, ensuring accurate accounting, timely management and statutory reporting, effective reconciliations, robust financial controls, treasury governance, audit readiness, Board reporting and compliance with IFRS, Group policies, regulatory, statutory and tax requirements.
• Working closely with Treasury, Tax, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Financial Services and Group Finance teams, the role ensures financial integrity, strengthens governance and control effectiveness, supports informed Board and management decision-making, and drives automation, process optimisation and digital finance capabilities to improve reporting visibility, reconciliation effectiveness and operational efficiency.

Responsibilities

Health and Safety

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions. 

Financial Reporting & Balance Sheet Governance

• Own the month-end, half-year and year-end close governance process for all Ethiopia entities, ensuring timely completion of close activities, issue resolution and reporting deliverables
• Lead the preparation of monthly, semi-annual and annual management financial statements for all Ethiopia entities, and annual statutory financial statements for VFET and GPE, in compliance with IFRS, applicable regulatory requirements and Group accounting policies.
• Own balance sheet governance through account ownership, reconciliations, certification and periodic balance sheet reviews to ensure the integrity of financial records.
• Drive automation and continuous improvement of balance sheet reconciliations, including daily M-PESA reconciliations and settlement processes, to enhance efficiency, control effectiveness and transaction visibility.
• Oversee the timely resolution of reconciliation differences, aged items, settlement exceptions and associated operational risks.
• Review financial performance against budgets and forecasts, providing financial analysis, variance insights and challenge to support management decision-making.
• Prepare management, Board and Board Committee reports, financial analyses and performance commentary, and coordinate timely financial reporting to management, regulators and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate Board governance activities, including Board and Committee reporting, governance calendars, action tracking and governance disclosures.

Financial Controls, Risk & Governance

• Maintain a robust financial control environment across accounting, treasury, reporting and settlement processes in line with the Group Financial Controls Framework, governance standards, delegated authorities.
• Maintain finance policies, accounting manuals and standard operating procedures, ensuring consistent application of IFRS and Group accounting policies.
• Liaise with Group Reporting on technical accounting matters and the application of IFRS to complex transactions.
• Review journal entries, accruals, provisions, reconciliations and balance sheet substantiation for VFET and GPE to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Drive continuous control monitoring, remediation of control deficiencies and audit findings, and ongoing process improvements.
• Identify, assess and mitigate financial, operational and regulatory risks, and promote a strong culture of governance, accountability, compliance and fraud risk management.

Treasury, Liquidity & Capital Governance

• Oversee liquidity management, cash flow forecasting and funding requirements for VFET and GPE.
• Oversee bank account governance, cash positions, intercompany funding and settlement arrangements to ensure effective treasury governance and liquidity management.
• Coordinate treasury activities with Group Treasury, banking partners and other stakeholders.
• Oversee the accounting and reporting of investments in subsidiaries and intercompany transactions, ensuring compliance with IFRS, Group accounting policies and governance requirements.
• Monitor treasury, foreign exchange and counterparty risks, including STE MFS exposures, and implement appropriate mitigation measures.
• Ensure accurate accounting, reconciliation and reporting of treasury and intercompany transactions.

Regulatory, Statutory & Tax Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, IFRS, tax legislation, corporate governance standards and statutory requirements in the jurisdictions in which the entities are incorporated.
• Lead the preparation of statutory financial statements and coordinate the timely submission of statutory, corporate and tax filings to the relevant corporate, tax and regulatory authorities.
• Coordinate annual external audits and responses to regulatory enquiries and information requests from the relevant authorities.
• Partner with the Group Tax function to ensure timely tax compliance, reporting and transfer pricing support for intercompany transactions.
• Monitor emerging legal, regulatory, accounting and tax developments, implementing changes to maintain ongoing compliance.

Stakeholder Management & Business Partnership

• Act as the primary finance representative for the Ethiopia entities within the Group.
• Partner with Group Finance, Treasury, Tax, Legal, Risk, Compliance and Company Secretariat teams to ensure effective financial governance, statutory compliance and operational alignment.
• Coordinate finance reporting for the Boards and Board Committees, ensuring timely, accurate and insightful decision-support materials.
• Build and maintain relationships with external auditors, banking partners, corporate service providers, tax advisers, and the relevant statutory and regulatory authorities.
• Provide financial oversight and governance support for corporate transactions, capital restructuring, intercompany arrangements and other strategic initiatives.
• Foster strong stakeholder collaboration to promote alignment on financial governance, compliance and control objectives.

Process Excellence & Automation

• Drive standardisation, automation and digitalisation of finance, reporting, reconciliation and control processes.
• Optimise workflows and leverage technology to reduce manual intervention, improve operational efficiency and strengthen financial controls.
• Develop dashboards, analytics and performance reporting to enhance decision-making, governance and control visibility.
• Leverage technology and data analytics to improve scalability, reporting quality and control effectiveness.
• Support finance transformation initiatives across the Ethiopia entities.

Board Governance & Decision Support

• Coordinate Board and Board Committee finance reporting calendars and governance requirements.
• Prepare and review financial papers, resolutions, governance disclosures and Board presentations.
• Monitor Board action items arising from finance matters and coordinate timely closure.
• Support Directors and Board Committees through provision of accurate, timely and relevant financial information.

Leadership, Coordination & Capability Development 

• Provide technical leadership in financial reporting, controls, treasury governance and compliance.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams supporting Ethiopia entity reporting and governance activities.
• Drive knowledge transfer and capability development across finance stakeholders. 
• Promote a culture of accountability, governance, continuous improvement and automation.

Core competencies, knowledge and experience:

Customer Obsession

• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalization and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.

Purpose

• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.

Innovation

• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures with curiosity and resilience; fearlessly recognizing lessons learned.
• Share your ongoing learning and personal purpose with others.
• Learn fast from digital adoption, using learnings to drive simplicity, scale and efficiency.

Collaboration

• Articulate your team’s role in making our strategy happen, prioritizing and aligning resources with current and future needs.
• Actively collaborate to break silos and hold your team accountable to do the same.
• Develop others to make the most of their talents and coach them to take ownership to get things done.
• Create an inclusive environment ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others.
• Live our Purpose and demonstrate the highest Standard of integrity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration or related discipline. 
• CPA(K), ACCA or equivalent professional accounting qualification.
• 7–10 years' experience in financial reporting, financial control, audit or finance within a multinational or regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS, financial reporting, balance sheet governance, financial controls, treasury operations and regulatory compliance.
• Proven experience preparing statutory financial statements, Board papers, statutory filings and managing external audits.
• Experience managing balance sheet reconciliations, intercompany transactions and treasury accounting.
• Experience working with ERP systems (preferably Oracle Fusion) and reconciliation platforms.
• Demonstrated experience driving finance transformation, process automation and control improvement initiatives.
• Strong analytical, stakeholder management, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Experience managing multi-entity legal structures, corporate governance requirements and cross-border statutory compliance.
• Experience supporting Board and Board Committee reporting and governance processes.