Business Control Specialist – Grants

SNV is a mission-driven global development partner working in more than 20 countries across Africa and Asia. Building on 60 years of experience and grounded in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we work on the core themes of gender equality and social inclusion, climate adaptation and mitigation, and strong institutions and effective governance. Together with our team of over 1,600 people, our mission is to strengthen capacities and catalyse partnerships that transform the agri-food, energy, and water systems, which enable sustainable and more equitable lives for all.  Visit snv.org for more information.

Purpose of the Job

The Business Control Specialist – Grants will be responsible for managing the grant application process, ensuring compliance with grant requirements, overseeing the grant reporting process, budget controls, and overall business controls of the organization. S/he will work closely with the program staff to develop grant proposals and budgets and will be responsible for monitoring grant expenditures and ensuring that grant funds are used according to grant and SNV requirements.

Grants, Contracts, Budget Management, and Business Control

• Responsible for the management of all donor contracts in the Country Office.
• Ensure compliance with grant requirements, including monitoring grant expenditures and ensuring that the funds are used in accordance with the grant’s requirements.
• Coordinate with the program team in proposal budget development and ensure all cost categories are covered and are more realistic to the current market price. Consider the full cost recovery (FCR) principal and use the most recent available template.
• Coordinate with the Global Office Budget Development team and ensure that the budget development is finalized on time and sufficient time is allowed for the review of the budget by the CO team (DCF and CD).
• Assist the CFM in the development of the Country Annual Plan (CAP) and ensure that all cost categories are included in the CAP and shared with the global team on time.
• Ensure monthly reports are shared with the program/project manager immediately after the month-end closing is finalized and propose corrections to the accounting team immediately if there are wrong postings.
• Lead the project audit process by responding to auditors all requests on time. Make sure the audit process is smooth and the final project audit report is clean. The audit report should be shared with the donor on time.

Management of sub-grants, consortium partners, partners, and consultants

• Lead in the management of all sub-grants, partners, consultants, and sub contractors and ensure they comply with the contractual terms, donor compliance in relation to finance, SNV policies, and all applicable donor laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ensure appropriate due diligence is conducted, and the partner meets the minimum criteria to receive and manage the donor funding and assigned activities by SNV (should comply with required government financial reporting standards and have an appropriate finance professional who does the financial reports).
• Before the contract is signed, make sure you review the terms of the contract and all financial risks are minimized as much as possible; check donor budget availability and any other financial risks before signing the pre-contract checklist.
• Collaborate with the treasury and disbursement team to ensure partner advances and claims are disbursed on time after meeting all the contractual requirements.
• Follow up with the grants specialists/officers conducting periodic visits and reviews of the systems and processes of the sub-grantee and conduct the periodic monitoring of the costs incurred and reported.
• Ensure sub-grantees are audited as per the donor requirement and reports are submitted to SNV on time. Any disallowable cost should be on their expense and not SNV expense, it should be clear in the contract.

Employee and Talent Management

• Responsible for the supervision and talent development of staff directly reporting to this position (if applicable). Adopt SNV’s Annual Performance Assessment policy and process to include the preparation and monitoring of Annual Performance and Accountability Plans (APAAs) for all staff reporting to this position.
• Any other relevant task that may be assigned by the line manager

Educational qualifications and work experience

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field. A master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• 5 years or more of work experience in demonstrable relevant experience in finance.

Additional Skills:

• Strong IT skills, including advanced Excel.
• Financial modeling experience applied to corporate reporting and control as well as project management.
• Experience of working with Enterprise Resource Planning systems, preferably SAP Business ByDesign.
• Having experience in financial software is preferable.
• Experience with USG and other donor contract monitoring and reporting.
• Good communication, presentation, and reporting skills.
• Well organized and able to act professionally and ethically.
• Knowledge of experience in organizational effectiveness and administrative/operations implementing best practices.
• Excellent people management and coaching skills and demonstrable experience of designing and delivering capacity development initiatives.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to plan with good organizational skills, including prioritization.
• Initiative and ability to follow up on issues.
• Commitment to SNV’s mission and values, gender equality, and social justice.

Competencies:

• Accuracy
• Analytical Capabilities
• Client Orientation
• Controlling Progress
• Focus on quality
• Forming judgment
• Independence

Contract Type: National – Full time

Expected start date:  As soon as possible

Duty Station:  Addis Ababa

Contract Duration: One year with the possibility of extension based on performance and budget availability.

How to Apply

If you believe that your credentials meet the outlined profile, we invite you to apply by uploading your CV and a letter of motivation before/on January 2nd, 2025.  Please submit your application only via: Smart Recruiters/Apply Now. All information will be kept in the strictest confidentiality.

If your experience and skills match the position’s requirements, we will contact you to advise on the next steps in the recruitment process.

Working at SNV  

SNV offers a challenging work environment, opportunities to lead and innovate, and a commitment to growing your skills in a fulfilling and diverse working environment. Our staff benefit form and contribute to an internal and global network of experts.

At SNV, inclusivity is at the heart of our ethos. We celebrate the diversity of our workforce and uphold a policy of non-discrimination based on factors such as disability status, religion, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, and more.

Vetting

SNV carries out rigorous background and reference checks concerning possible safeguarding incidents for all candidates applying for both nationally and internationally determined positions. As SNV participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a request to past employers to fill in a questionnaire regarding Misconduct (sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment), the “Statement of Conduct“. This Statement of Conduct adopts the definitions used in the Scheme.

SNV is an equal opportunities employer and female candidates are encouraged to apply.