Overview
The Finance Specialist serves as the technical anchor for donor budgeting and reporting, financial analysis, forecasting, and BFU leadership across the country programme. The role ensures consistent and standard quality control, strengthens ERP/Dynamics data integrity, and provides targeted coaching and capacity-building to Finance staff and relevant stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead development of donor proposal budgets and revisions.
- Draft/validate budget narratives, cost allocation rationales, and consistency check against logframes and procurement/HR plans.
- Coordinate with Program, HR, and Supply Chain to ensure complete, realistic, and on-time budget packages.
- Own the end-to-end donor financial reporting cycle.
- Produce clear, error-free reports and management notes.
- Support timely delivery of quality financial reports to donors and internal reports.
- Ensure compliance with relevant country statutory and other financial obligations.
- Lead/coach monthly BFU meetings and analysis with Budget Holders and projects managers.
- Drive variance analysis and ensure timely corrective actions.
- Track BFU actions to closure.
- Deliver forward-looking financial insights.
- Support the Master Budget (MB) gap analysis, cost coverage and resource allocation decisions.
- Maintain a continuous overview of funding levels.
- Design and enforce QC checklists and sampling for allowability/allocability/reasonableness.
- Improve shared cost allocations, timesheet alignment, documentation completeness, and projects audit readiness.
- Ensure thorough and effective budgetary control in the country office.
- Monthly financial briefings to Head of Support Services (HoSS).
- Liaise with relevant Managers on key financial issues for all programs.
- Strengthen correct use of Dynamics and produce analytics from ERP outputs.
- Develop job aids and quick guides; troubleshoot common errors.
- Run a financial calendar with clear inputs/outputs for Programs, HR, and Supply Chain.
- Clarify SLAs for information flows.
- Provide remote mentoring and targeted coaching to finance staff.
- Facilitate short, practical clinics.
- Build/maintain standard templates for BFUs, reports, and forecasts.
- Document SOPs and create reusable tools.
- Prepare PBC lists, reconcile samples, and package documentation for audits.
- Support partner reviews/capacity strengthening.
- Participate in potential partner due-diligence assessment.
- Review sub-grant agreement.
- Participate in partners project kick-off and close-out meeting.
- Participate in partner capacity assessment.
- Review and approve financial report of partner.
Required Experience
- Minimum 3 years of international practical experience in financial management in INGO/humanitarian settings.
- 3+ years leading donor budgeting & financial reporting.
- Proven multi-donor expertise with hands-on compliance application.
- ERP experience - Microsoft Dynamics strongly preferred; other ERPs acceptable.
- Strong financial analysis/forecasting, scenario planning, and Master Budget support.
- Competence in providing technical guidance and training.
- Proven experience in working with national partners, local/government authorities.
- Demonstrate expert proficiency in advance Excel (Pivot Tables, Power Query, Power Pivot, INDEX/XMATCH, SUMIFS, nested logic) with large/complicated financial data analysis and clear presentation of insights.
- Have a track record of achieving high targets in a highly demanding and challenging context with multiple conflicting priorities.
- Be able to multitask and deliver results while working independently.
- Be self-driven and solutions oriented, with a record of solutions created through personal initiative.
Qualifications
- Master’s degree in finance, Business Administration, Accounting or related field.
- Professional qualification (ACCA/CPA/CMA or equivalent) highly desirable
