Manager, USAID Finance and Compliance

Job Description

About the Role

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Manager, USAID Finance and Compliance to oversee and manage the finances of grants funded by the US Government. This role will be based in Nairobi, Kenya and is offered on a 12 months’ fixed term contract subject to the availability of funding.

Reporting to Head of Management and Donor Accounting, the postholder will work closely with the Head of Management and Donor Accounting, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief of Party and other senior Programmes colleagues to oversee and manage the finances of grants funded by the US Government. You will be responsible for ensuring that financial management and compliance is effective and that donor reporting is timely and accurate.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring project reports, including expenditure against remaining obligations, are reviewed on a monthly basis with implementing managers and that cost allocations are made appropriately for the awards
• Monitoring and tracking overall contractual obligations and accruals to accurately capture project financial commitments and determine pipeline variance
• Managing the financial aspects of work-planning and periodic financial reviews/modifications, while facilitating effective linkages between GAIN finance/technical staff, country programmes, and partners
• Supporting the development and management of subaward and consultants’ contracts, liaising with technical teams to track and review payments; capacity build subaward partners as necessary
• Serving as the finance/compliance focal point for assigned awards, proactively providing guidance, training, orientation and explanations on compliance to staff and partners where needed, responding to requests for assistance and taking corrective action
• Supporting contracting/subaward processes (e.g. donor agreements, teaming agreements) ensuring execution according to GAIN’s policies and procedures as well as USAID/USG requirements (2 CFR 200, FAR, AIDAR as applicable) and other donor requirements
• Preparing documentation for recurring compliance tasks including NICRA calculation, PVO and SAM registration, etc.
• Preparing and submitting annual/quarterly financial reports, donor invoices and fund requests to USAID, including textual variance analysis and context as needed, ensuring the donor is aware of the position regarding remaining obligated funds, and approved workplan budgets
• Managing the quarterly forecast for USG awards
• Representing GAIN Corporate Finance at meetings with external stakeholders (e.g. USAID, subaward recipients)
• Supporting the preparation and review (including cost analysis) of proposal budgets and supporting documents
• Travelling to field offices where necessary for start-up, close-out, training, financial reviews of projects or general operational support

About You

The ideal candidate will have significant professional experience in grant/donor finance with good knowledge and skills in technical accounting, the financial management of restricted donor funding, and donor compliance.

You will have significant relevant experience in the financial management of USAID awards, including the preparation of donor reports and financial compliance and proficient in USAID regulations, particularly as applicable to awards to non-US NGOs.

The postholder should possess excellent communication skills, fluent in written and spoken English and have experience working in multicultural and multi-country environment. You will possess strong analytical and negotiation skills and willing and able to present clear written reports and explain financial concepts and analyses to non-finance colleagues. In addition, you should be highly flexible and willing and able to travel.

The ideal candidate will be a fully qualified accountant (holder of ACCA, ACA, CIMA, CPA or equivalent). Candidate with bachelor’s degree or equivalent would be an advantage. You will be computer literate in Microsoft Office, candidate with experience of ERP / project management / high-end accounting systems e.g. Serenic Navigator (Navision), Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Jet Reporting, Salesforce, SharePoint and CMS websites would be an advantage.

About our Offer

The starting salary on offer for this role is from KES 4,301,136 – KES 4,917,408 per annum (gross salary), depending on experience.

GAIN has a fair and competitive salary structure that allows for annual progression subject to good performance. In addition, GAIN offers a total of 37 days holiday per year (including annual leave, public holidays and additional office closure days), an attractive pension scheme and competitive insurance cover including health, travel and life assurance.

We are committed to the health of our staff, especially in these challenging times, and have developed a programme of wellbeing that includes flexible working, additional leave allowances, wellbeing days, mindfulness coaching and access to independent and confidential counselling.

GAIN also has a strong commitment to professional development. We will support you to grow in your career through both formal and informal training, and are committed to providing opportunities through internal recruitment, secondments and promotion. All of this is delivered in a supportive and collaborative environment.

About GAIN

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Due to COVID19, conflict in Ukraine and climate change, malnutrition and hunger have worsened significantly since 2019, reversing a decade of progress. There is growing recognition that our food systems need to change if we are to reverse these trends.

GAIN’s Strategy aims to transform food systems to make healthier diets from sustainable food systems accessible to all people and especially those whose are most vulnerable to shocks. By 2027, we aim to improve the access of 1.5 billion people to nutritionally enhanced staple foods, improve the access of 25 million people to healthier diets, and support positive food system change in 10 countries. This is bold and complex, and the only way to achieve this is to work together with partners including governments, businesses, and civil society at the country and global level. These goals, and the ways of achieving them, build on our twenty-year legacy of transforming people’s lives with improved nutrition through concerted action and effective policy change.

Our Working Culture and Environment

We provide a flexible working environment that includes a combination of home and office working opportunities through our global hybrid working policy. This encourages our staff to have a healthy work-life balance and increases staff motivation, enriches employee wellbeing, and improves performance and productivity.

All of our positions are based in one or more of GAIN’s designated offices as stated on our job advertisements. Successful candidates will be based in one of GAIN’s country offices and must have the existing right to live and work within a reasonably commutable distance of the relevant city / cities in which the role is advertised. Please note, that GAIN does not sponsor working visas and relocations.

GAIN reserves the right to withdraw an offer of employment for candidates who are considered to ineligible under the above conditions during or after the recruitment process.

Applicants must be currently based and have the existing right to live and work in the Nairobi, Kenya region to be eligible to apply for this position.

This advert closes on 15th March 2024. Early applications are encouraged. GAIN reserves the right to close this advert early should we receive suitable candidates ahead of the closing date.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition is committed to equality of opportunity and creating an inclusive environment where diversity is valued. We are keen to reflect the diversity of our society at every level within our organisation and therefore welcome applications from talented and committed people from all backgrounds, representing the diverse societies we operate in.