KickStart International Budget and Grants Finance Manager Job in Nairobi Kenya

KickStart International prides itself in being an award-winning, global nonprofit social enterprise that develops and mass- markets low-cost irrigation solutions that are bought by thousands of small-holder farmers in developing countries and used to increase their income by up to a factor of ten, enabling them to lift themselves sustainably out of poverty.

Vacant Position: Budget and Grants Finance Manager

Function: Finance & Admin

Location: KickStart HQ Office - Nairobi
 

Grade: 3

Type of Contract: Open Ended
 

Role Purpose: The Budget, Grants Finance Manager plans, directs and coordinates all grant management and budget activities for KickStart’s headquarters and field locations. 

The purpose of this role is to strengthen the grant and budget management capacities of KickStart to meet anticipated growth in restricted funding and ensure full cost recovery by the organization and compliance with donor reporting requirements. 
 

The Budget and Grants Finance Manager takes lead responsibility for all aspects of grant management and reporting. 

He/She coordinates pre-grant award budget development, monitors grant implementation and financial performance, reports on outcomes and ensures compliance with all regulatory, donor and policy requirements.
 

This position interacts with Country Managers and functional heads to oversee monthly variance analysis and reporting, quarterly rolling forecasts, and budget modifications.
 

Scope of Role:

• Reports to:  Finance  Director
• Staff directly reporting to this post: None
• Works with: Development Team and Program Staff responsible for managing the programmatic aspects of the organization and of large grants.

Key Areas of Accountability:
 

Budget planning, monitoring and control

• Working closely with the Director of Finance and senior management, helps with the preparation of annual budget calendar and working documents. Updates all base salary and benefit information, makes year-end projections based on actual expenditures, and inputs the approved new budget information into the ERP. Assists with the preparation of the budget and annual Consolidated Fiscal Report. Ensures that senior staff and project managers are kept informed of budget changes;
• Prepares monthly expenditure analysis including accrual projections to determine where budgets are over and/or underspent. Coordinates quarterly meetings with senior management and Director of Finance & Administration to review analysis, program changes impacting the budget, contract issues, etc.;
• Updates internal budget documents as necessary, prepares budget modification forms as needed, inputs changes into the ERP, and communicates all changes to relevant staff. Working closely with program staff, prepares budget modification forms and no costs extension requests for government contracts as needed;
• Keeps CFO, COO and Director of Finance informed of significant variances from budget or other donor compliance issues that should be addressed.
• Helps the Director of Finance to initiate budget re-forecasts and amendments.
• Other duties as may be required by the Director of Finance.

Grant management and Reporting; including reviewing of key grant terms

• Oversees all grants and contracts – the policies, procedures, and compliance issues related to grants and contracts management and reporting, internally as well as for subcontractors and sub-awards. Creates a reliable review system for assessing grants and contracts with staff. Understand all contract regulations and train program staff to ensure compliance;
• Create templates for contracts, sub contracts, letters of agreement, and reports;
• Supervises Accountants to ensure timely and accurate preparation of all monthly, quarterly and annual invoices/requests to funding sources, and reconciliations with general ledger;
• Working with Development staff, prepares or reviews budgets and budget narratives for submission in our responses to donor requests for proposals (RFPs) and grant proposals;
• Reviews monthly budget variance reports and general ledger reports to insure that items are being charged to the correct programs and grants/contracts. Prepares correcting journal entries as required.
• Assists the Director of Finance in determining appropriate allocation methodology for those items requiring allocation among different sources. Ensures that allocations are made correctly and reviews methodologies with program and administrative staff;
• Maintains ongoing communication with program staff regarding needs and budget status;
• Monitors spending/run rate against grants and awards on a monthly basis and provide information to program leads to adjust spending accordingly
• Monitors work flows and helps develop and implement systems to provide sound management control over compliance with award terms and conditions
• Establishes and maintains financial record keeping and procedures for tracking and reporting on grants and awards
• Coordinates with finance, fundraising and program staff to apportion use of unrestricted funds and ensure the fully-funding of KickStart operations.
• Monitors cash flow of field offices and manages advance request approval
• Manage program results reporting (as required by grants and contracts).
• Work with various teams to ensure coordinated efforts in grant development and management. Assists program managers and other coordinators with daily implementation of the grant program.
• Monitor/tracks the status of each program through its program life cycle.
• Works with Development & Program teams to send notification to Grant Awarding Agencies of significant events required for changes in grant programs.
• Operates as the liaison between the Accountants, Budget Managers, Program Managers and Awarding Agency in relation to program compliance.
• Provides regular status reports on grant implementation in conjunction with accountants’ reports.
• Performs site visits to verify compliance with staffing guidelines related to grant award agreements.
• Prepare &/or coordinate program reports for submission to the granting authority according to grant guideline schedules.
• Assist the Accountants in assuring that expenditures support program objectives and that budgets submitted are consistent with original grant application.
• Prepare &/or help coordinate all applicable program reports for sponsored programs and ensure the timely submission thereof.
• Responsible for grant closeout, which includes assisting with assurance that all purchase orders will be paid &/or liquidated within 90 days of grant ending period and assurance that all expenditures (services &/or goods) were received within the grant award period.

Qualifications and Experience

• University degree in administration, finance or related field. Advanced degree preferred;
• Minimum 5-7 years of budget analysis experience necessary;
• Minimum 3-5 years of progressive experience in pre- and post-award Grant and Contract management;
• Highly proficient in word processing and spreadsheet applications;
• Excellent analytical, verbal and written communication skills required;
• Extremely detail oriented;
• Familiarity financial management information systems, Microsoft Navision’s suites such as Donor Vision, Award Vision, ERP and grant accounting preferred.
• Previous grant and contract experience required.
• Knowledge of government, non-government, foundational and corporate donor contract guidelines;
• Must have the ability to work in a fast paced environment with strict deadlines and be able to manage multiple priorities

Skills and Behaviours

• Demonstrable experience of managing a substantial grants scheme for community activities. Experience of scheme administration, managing assessment teams and selection panels, complex budget control and regularly reporting against spend and targets. Confidence and experience to meet the expectations of national funders.
• An understanding of how to effectively engage with groups and organizations working with people from a wide range of communities, including BOP communities.
• Experience of effectively line managing staff and supervising interns and the ability to lead a team to deliver to ambitious targets.
• Excellent influencing, negotiation and communication skills to establish strong working partnerships with grantee organisations and groups and support them to meet specific targets and outcomes.
• Substantial experience of supporting organisations and groups to develop and deliver new projects, including a strong understanding of the issues they may face.
• Solid experience of monitoring and evaluating a large programme of work.
• Experience of prioritising, working under pressure and meeting tight deadlines.
• Excellent problem solving skills and ability to be flexible and respond and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Understanding of and commitment to KickStart’s work, aims and objectives. Deep commitment to eradicating poverty and KickStart’s mission
• Experience of administering government, foundational and other corporate-funded projects.
• Ability and skill to drive and achieve quality results within complex, time constrained goals.
• Communication skills (both interpersonal and written), including superior presentation skills.
• Previous grant and contract experience required. Experience with multiple large grants preferred.
• Experience building and managing budgets and work-plans.
• Meticulous and attentive to details with deep experience in developing and monitoring complex budgets
• Ability to perform sophisticated financial allocations and analysis.
• Knowledge of and direct responsibility managing large restricted grants.

If you feel you are the right candidate for this job, please send your CV and Cover letter to hr@kickstart.org quoting the position title on the subject line by COB 5th December, 2014.

(See www.KickStart.org for more information).