Grants and Finance Officer at Plan International

Req ID: 22027
Location: Maiduguri, Borno 
Contract Duration: 20 Months

Role Purpose

• The purpose of this role is to provide grant and financial support for the Maiduguri field office in line with policies of Plan International Nigeria, donor requirements and Nigerian laws
• The post holder will be supervised by the Humanitarian Finance Manager and expected to work very closely with other members of the programme team, particularly the programme staff.

Key End Results and typical Responsibilities
Grants Administration:

• Assist with drafting grant agreement documents, modifications
• Administer the full cycle of grants management activities beginning from pre-award assessments, monitoring/compliance visits and close-out procedures.
• Track grantee contractual obligations, e.g., pre-award conditions

Capacity Building and Support:

• Provide technical assistance in terms of accounting, financial management, financial policy formulation, and systems of internal control to all grantees to ensure compliance in terms of Donor rules and regulations.
• Perform assessments of grantee organizations as directed by the Humanitarian Finance Manager.F
• Review grantee budgets and provide assistance and guidance where necessary including the monitoring and interpretation of project budgets versus actual expenditures.
• Train and mentor grantees on policies and procedures and Donor regulations.
• Regular Monitoring and Audits
• Facilitate the claiming process for grantees and ensure that timely reimbursements are received
• Perform monthly reviews, audits and approval of grantee expense reports ensuring that expenses are auditable and verifiable
• Conduct and document regular grantee site visits to ensure that pre-ward conditions are addressed and implemented by grantees within the period specified in the grant agreement
• Ensure receipt of timely and accurate accounting and financial reports from partners
• Review budgets and ensure that budget amendment requests from grantees are timeously communicated to Humanitarian Finance Manager for approval
• Monitor the grantee burn rate, regularly advise the grantee and programs teams of issues early
• Monitor and track grants related performance measurement indicators and liaise with Humanitarian Finance Manager to implement strategies to improve performance
• Ensure that grantee advances and expenses are accurately and timely recorded in the accounting software and reconciled to supporting documentation
• Conduct close out visits at the end of grantee agreements, document finding and ensure that all close-out checklists are completed and outstanding issues are addressed
• Ensure that grantee files are up to date

Travel Advances:

• Ensure that filing of travel advances, per diem calculations and travel reconciliation forms are reviewed;
• Ensure that all travel advances are timeously liquidated

Petty Cash Maintenance:

• Prepare the monthly petty cash journal and submit to the Field Coordinator for approval and ensure close out on a monthly basis

Fixed Asset Register Maintenance:

• Maintain fixed asset register
• Ensure that bi-annual physical verification of assets is done
• Report any discrepancies immediately to the Field Coordinator
• Ensure that Insurance for all assets is renewed annually and on time making sure that all assets are covered
• Perform any other project related duties as specified by the Field Coordinator or Humanitarian Finance Manager

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Accounting or equivalent.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in donor funds grants administration.
• Experience working with sub-grantees required.
• Fluency in local language and English required
• Preferred qualifications: knowledge of and experience with Donor regulations strongly preferred.
• Experience providing capacity development assistance to sub-grantees strongly preferred.

Skills & Knowledge:

• Excellent and demonstrable experience in grant and financial management
• Demonstrable experience in office management and staff coordination.
• Knowledge and understanding of Nigeria’s policy environment
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including good listening skills, influencing, negotiation and coaching
• Capacity to build and maintain relationships and to work effectively in a multicultural and multi-ethnic environment respecting diversity.
• Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook.