Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Deadline: 22 April 2024
Job Description
Position:- GRANTS AND COMPLIANCE MANAGER
Location:- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Position Status: Full Time
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps has been present in Ethiopia since 2004 working to drive bold and transformative ideas, working closely with government, the private sector and civil society actors to build a more resilient country, ensuring that programs are responsive to and influenced by participants and stakeholders. Our vision is to enhance the resilience of climate and conflict-affected communities through market systems development for improved livelihoods, access to food, and safe and clean water to thrive in the face of crises. Our strategy focuses on the four outcome areas of: 1) Economically marginalized populations have improved and diversified livelihoods, income, and assets; 2) Pastoralists, farmers, and households have access to sustainably produced, safe, nutritious food; 3) Social cohesion and inclusive governance processes are built in crisis-affected communities; and 4) People have equitable, sustained access to clean water and sanitation for domestic and productive use. Currently we operate in the regional states of Afar, Amhara, Gambella, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, Southern Ethiopia, Tigray and Addis Ababa city administration working with a diverse base of donors that includes United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, GAC, Hilton Foundation, United Nations (UN), JOA, Sweden, EKN, and other foundations.
General Position Summary
The Mercy Corps Finance Department is responsible for all financial functions, including accounting, payments and banking, payroll, budgeting, financial reporting, and grant financial management and compliance. The Mercy Corps Finance Department ensures compliance with donor regulations as well as Mercy Corps’ internal policies and procedures. In its role as a support to the Program Department, the Finance Department provides timely reports and assistance to the Country Director and the Program team to ensure that financial and finance linked resources are utilized efficiently and effectively.
Working in the Finance unit, under the direction of the Finance Director, the Grants and Compliance Manager will be responsible on the day-to-day routine tasks of the Grants and Compliance Manager role as well as monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting. He/She is expected to produce reliable, accurate and timely financial report/information for all stake holders involved in. The post holder should be forward looking, self-driven operating under minimum supervision, and critical thinker in senior management role. Furthermore, considering the various expected systemic changes in future, the post holder should be forward looking, change oriented and able to develop/train the team capacity in the changing environment.
This job requires 20% travel to the project sites directly managed by Mercy Corps as well as by sub grantees. The two main objectives of the travel are 1) Capacity Building 2) Compliance and Monitoring (internal audit nature) of donor rules as well as MC internal policies and procedures.
Essential Job Responsibilities
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
- Compliance Monitoring (40% of Time)
- Financial Accounting and Budgeting (30% of Time)
- Sub Grantee Management (30% of Time)
- Compliance Monitoring [40% of Time]
- Assist the Finance Director in ensuring that for all donor funded projects, we have established a systematic monitoring tool called “Compliance Checklist” per donor/per grant and disseminate this timely to all budget holders and sub grantees involved.
- Assist the Finance Director in ensuring that all newly recruited budget holders have received an adequate level of training on all donor compliance matters as well as on Mercy Corps’ internal policy and procedures. And organize periodic refresher training for the existing staff.
- Ensure that all grant files are kept to the standard level (hard and soft copies) in a very systematic order and all the relevant information is accessible from the common (share) folders. To implement this, follow the minimum standards of filing checklist designed by HQ and add more information which may be necessary for local use. Ensure that all relevant grant related information is kept in the finance unit as a central source for any form of reference. Ensure that project technical staff are handing over all key grant-related documents and check with GCC to obtain any missing part of grant information.
- Lead all the donor audit and ensure that all donor audit work is well coordinated and assist the Grant and Compliance Coordinators in executing their role in relation to donor audit.
- Make periodic and planned field visit and ensure that all donor as well as MC internal policies and procedures are implemented to adequate standard. Ensure that all field visits are completed with a standard visit report on observations and includes recommendations. Perform quarterly review work whether such recommendations are implemented in a consistent manner.
- Ensure that all support service staff and budget holders are familiar with Mercy Corps internal policies and procedures and prepare summarized induction package for newcomers on such internal policies and procedures.
- Ensure that field offices are consistently implementing internal audit recommendations and ensure that this is built in the visit terms of reference by the Addis Ababa Finance team.
- Coordinate with the Finance Director and People and Culture Director and ensure that host government compliance matters are properly followed and flag any deviations in the monthly finance or support service meeting. Ensure that the compliance registration checklist is regularly updated.
- Provide all compliance related information to the regional finance officers (based in HQ – PDX and Edinburg) as and when requested. Coordinate with the Regional Finance Officers (based in HQ) and local Field Finance and Reporting manager on all local donors’ ad-hoc reporting needs.
Financial Accounting and Budgeting (30% of Time)
- Together with other finance colleagues, as a team, provide strong support on the annual statutory audit and any other Audit related to MC Ethiopia programme.
- Provide timely and accurate management dashboard information monthly for Finance Director. In addition to this, perform monthly BVA/BVE analysis for grants which the Grants and Compliance Manager is “Account Manager.”
- Based on the Authority Matrix, perform consistent and standard level financial review for all documents submitted for review. During the review process, ensure that all documents are properly signed by the assigned budget holders, they are compliant with Donor policies and procedures, and compliant with Mercy Corps’ HQ and Local procedures
- LeadA-133 audit and ensure that information for HQ A-133 audit is timely submitted and coordinate with the Grants and Compliance Coordinators and Senior finance Officers on document extraction and submission.
- Upon the development of new proposals, ensure that all new proposals cover the costs to the required level and assist the project technical team in the development of such budget information. Ensure that costs to the company/organization is handled properly and assist the Finance Director in analyzing funding gaps.
- With Support of Grant and Compliance Coordinators, facilitate and organize Grant management meetings (Kickoff, review and close out meeting) with all stakeholders.
Sub Grantee Management (30% of Time)
- Ensure that we have a complete Database showing who are the partners we are working with, from which funding source, how much advance we have given in local as well as in foreign currency, balance settled and amount that MC owes, or partners owe to MC.
- Lead the selection process of Sub Grantees and assess their capacity based on the standard MC’s procedures applicable to Partners.
- Coordinate with the Grant and Compliance Coordinators and ensure that all sub grant files are kept per grant in the Addis Ababa finance unit and the files kept are meeting the standard required and helpful for all future references.
- Perform planned and periodic visit to the partners’ office and produce monitoring report. Implement partners (sub grantees) monitoring localized tool developed by the Mercy Corps Ethiopia Finance unit and produce adequate level of information based on the tool devised.
- Follow up that all weaknesses observed in the previous visit are addressed in the subsequent visit.
- Coordinate with the Grant and Compliance Coordinators and ensure that partners external audit is handled to the required level and sub grantees/partners have also addressed such audit findings in a timely manner. Make consistent follow up till the time the audit findings are addressed and flag any issues to SMT.
- Responsible for subaward financial close-outs, including ensuring that all requirements of the subaward agreement have been met and that subaward funds have been properly settled.
- Assist the Finance Director in providing capacity building training for the partners, particularly for the local partners who may have material capacity development need.
- Create sub award card, review & post financial reports and record subaward information on Navigator.
Team Management
- Develop the capacity of the team, deepen understanding of their roles and assist with career development.
- Assist team members with information, tools and resources to improve performance & reach objectives.
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback informally &formally via regular one on ones and performance reviews.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Hire, orient and lead team members as necessary.
Influence & Representation
- Interface with the (donor) representatives to convey information about programs as appropriate.
- Participate in sharing best practices with NGOs and governmental agencies.
- Consistently demonstrate flexibility, resilience and ability to maintain positive relationships and composure, even under difficult circumstances.
- Maintain high ethical standards and treat people with respect and dignity.
- Demonstrate an awareness of his/her own strengths and development needs.
Security
- Ensure compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country leadership.
- Proactively ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.
Organizational Learning
- As part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as well as themselves.
Accountability to Beneficiaries
- Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward 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.
Supervisory Responsibility
Grants and Compliance Coordinators and Subaward Specialist
Accountability
Reports Directly To: Finance Director
Works Directly With: Finance Department, (with authority for technical financial matters); Operations Department, Program Managers, MCG/MCE HQ Compliance, and others
Knowledge and Experience
- A BA/S or equivalent in accounting or finance required; advanced degree preferred.
- At least 5 years of relevant field or management experience of complex, multi-dimensional programming including administering small subawards in an international environment.
- At least 4 years’ experience in grants management as well as an understanding of USAID regulations required.
- Demonstrated experience and skill with administrating solicitations for subawards, assessing potential subrecipients and the proven ability to oversee a team that is responsible for monitoring subrecipients.
- Strong skills and experience working with donors to obtain approvals and waivers as necessary for compliance with donor regulations.
- Prior management experience and strong organizational skills.
- Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
- Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational and prioritization skills.
- Excellent oral and written English skills required; proficiency in English is preferred.
- Ability to work effectively with an ethnically diverse team in a sensitive environment.