Job Opportunity at Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO)

Job Description: 

Reference: JOB0116052

Salary: KES5429419.00 - KES5430419.00 per annum

Role Overview: Working as part of Decision Support Finance Team, this role will review donor proposals to ensure accuracy and full cost recovery. The role will also drive forward organisational cost recovery policies and working closely with Regional Finance Managers, Country Finance Managers for managing Grants and Contracts.

Responsibilities

Grants and Contracts Management:

• Work collaboratively with the Regional Finance Managers and Country Finance Teams to develop the grants and contracts management framework and tools. Ensure we have consistent policies, processes and tools that allow for proper grants and contracts management.
• Provide guidance, regular updates and training on different donors’ requirements including budgeting techniques and reporting requirements.
• Partner with Regional Finance Managers to identify and address gaps in grants and contracts management in the region and country offices.
• Support the recruitment, induction and development of in-country grants and contracts managers.
• Support country offices with grants inception and closure procedures.
• Monitor compliance with grants conditions and restrictions, donor reporting requirements, RAP and IOH recovery.
• Account, track and report on match fund liabilities and disallowed expenses ensuring that they are properly managed and disclosed.
• Prepare management reports that show the state of grants management including grants balances, overheads recovery, disallowable, burn rates etc. and follow on gaps with the relevant country programmes.
• Support country office grant audits. Review audit recommendations and ensure they are followed-up on and implemented. Regularly update Finance colleagues and grant managers on recurring findings.

Restricted Funding Support:

• Work closely with the programme funding unit to contribute to a global, coordinated fundraising strategy, centred around VSO’s Core Programme Area and Signature Programme, ensuring that support is given to proposal budgeting and cost recovery and value for money methodology.
• Feed into Go/No go decisions in the funding processes, advising on strategies of engagement with donors with regard to budgeting.
• Provide an expert quality review and opinion on proposal budgets in respect to accuracy, compliance with donor conditions and impact on regional finances.
• Support the bids development process and ensure bids budgets maximise cost recovery.
• Develop pricing strategies for donors in order to maximise cost recovery and these are embedded in country offices.
• Set and maintain a database of standard costs and charge out rates to be used in bids development process.
• Contribute to maintain a global view on risk and liabilities arising from funding submissions.
• Upload donor budget into SUN and ensure that an accurate secured funding pictures for future years is maintained and up to date to inform decision making.
• Finance Business Partnering support to Core Programme Area/Core Approach Team leads and provide expertise service as required.

Capacity Building:

• Build the capacity of Country Offices’ and other team members to develop good budget proposals.
• In conjunction with the wider finance team, update current training materials, create new training materials and deliver formal and informal trainings to staff across the organisation
• Provide trainings to Program teams and Finance on budget development & management.

Cross Team Working:

• Working flexibly with other team members to ensure that any gaps in the team can be bridged

Skills Required

• Finance Skills – Fully qualified (CIMA, ACCA, ACA or CPA). Strong accountancy and/or financial management experience with involvement in setting up and running finance systems.
• Grants/Award Management – A strong background working with larger grants and commercial contracts. Extensive knowledge of the requirements and rules of institutional donors like USAID, DFID, DFAT, EU etc.
• Training and Coaching Skills – Demonstration of the ability to analyse staff development needs and to contribute to the delivery of training and coaching at an individual and group level.
• IT Skills - particularly Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookup functions, Vision Excel reports etc), plus a familiarity of working with computer based financial systems so as to be able to develop / maintain, and give guidance on, electronic and manual project financial monitoring / reporting systems.
• Data Analysis – Demonstration of ability to assess, analyse, and report on complex data.
• Time and work management – Demonstration of the ability to be able to work autonomously, set own work plan, meet tight deadlines and balance competing priorities, with a willingness to undertake frequent travel
• Willingness to travel frequently, for up to 12 weeks annually
• International Development sector experience including experience overseas