ROLE PURPOSE:

The Consortium Finance Manager will support a Consortium of partners implementing an EU funded project titled ‘Strengthening integrated Peace, Resilience and Disaster Risk Reduction for cross-border communities in the Karamoja Cluster’ by ensuring the financial and grants management and information systems are in place and functional. The Consortium Finance Manager will be responsible for implementing an inter-agency fraud risk prevention, mitigation and response plan. The position is responsible for receiving and reviewing partner expenditures and reports; preparing consolidated financial reports for the donor, and; coordinating local expense verification reports.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Consortium Project Manager (CPM); dotted line into International Finance (IF) Advisor

Staff reporting to this post: None

Role Dimensions:

• The role-holder will work closely with Finance and Grants colleagues in DCA Country Offices, implementing partners in the three countries, and in DCA’s Global Partnerships & Resource Mobilisation (GPRM) and International Finance (IF) Units.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Financial Management Systems:

• Responsible for managing the disbursement of funds to partners in line with payment schedules and any other requirements.
• Review and validate spending plans from partners against reported expenditures, following up with sub-awardees as needed.
• Submit summary of reported expenditures and spending plans to the CPM, outlining follow-up steps.
• Ensure the financial monitoring and spot check visits to DCA and partner offices is conducted according to DCA requirements and standards.
• Ensure monitoring visit plans drafted and submitted ahead of visits to the CPM to review and share monitoring visit reports in a timely manner to DCA COs and partners.
• Participate in case management meetings with the programme, finance, ProLog and other staff to respond to regular issues as they arise within partner management and ensuring properly coordinated and managed responses to DCA CO and partner issues as they arise.
• Ensure that a sound, accurate and organized e-filing / archiving system is in place, both hard and soft (electronic) copies for all financial reports and their supporting documents.
• In coordination with the CPM, develop or revise sub-awardee financial templates (including reporting templates and other documents, as needed).

Financial Reporting and Coordination of Expense Verification (EVR):

• Ensure proactive communication with DCA COs/partners about the submission of their financial reports according to terms of their cooperation agreements.
• Ensure tracking of DCA/partner submission of financial reports, communicating delays to the CPM
• Verify DCA and partners’ financial reports, transactions and supporting documentation, making sure that expenses are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the approved budget and comply with donor’s regulations.
• Consolidation of financial reports incl. EVR into one report for submission to HQ and donor.
• Respond to questions that arise from the HQ IF Unit regarding submitted financial reports.
• Prepare budget vs actuals to inform ongoing grants review within the CMU and to identify deviations in implementation progress and flag delays / requests for support to the CMU.
• Review all DCA and partner sub-awardee budget modifications in coordination with the CPM, ensuring clear action points for follow-up are communicated.
• Provide updates to Senior Management on financial progress, risks, status.
• Work with the DCA’s internal audit focal point(s) and partner organisations to ensure the project is sufficiently audit ‘ready’.
• Ensure that any actions or recommendations included in management letters resulting from any audits are followed up and reconciled.
• Coordinate donor audits and expense verification.
• In coordination with Group Finance at HQ, coordinate directly with local auditors on an ongoing basis to ensure timely submission of interim reports supported by EVRs.

Fraud Risk Mitigation and Response:

• In coordination with the Implementing Partners, Country Directors, DCA’s internal audit focal point(s) and the CPM, develop a fraud risk mitigation and response policy.
• Ensure the financial risk assessment is maintained and updated.
• In case of suspicions of fraud, ensure the case is addressed as per DCA’s policy.

Training and Capacity Building:

• Ensure relevant financial assessment is conducted for all new partners, as well as update the financial assessment for all existing partners, on annual basis. Report to the CPM on the findings and provide recommendations for improvement.
• Identify financial management capacity gaps and training needs assessments for both finance and non-finance partner staff and provide hands on support and training for proper and effective use of resources.
• Conduct support to field offices and partner offices to reconcile accounting records and provide relevant technical support as required.
• Support in developing risk management action plan and suggest corrective actions to address/mitigate risks identified during the partner assessment process.
• Design, update and deliver financial management training for partners’ staff, working closely with HQ and CO finance focal points on the training materials according to the needs in order to build the organizational capacity of partners.
• Conduct finance and general compliance monitoring visits to partners together with CO finance focal point(s) and prepare monitoring report and action plan to submit to the relevant CDs and CPM and share with partners in timely manner for each visit.

Donor Compliance and Grants Management

• Ensure that the project is implemented in line with donor policies and compliance corresponding to finance and grants management (for example, budget line flexibility adhered to, expenditures eligible in line with policy etc.)
• Take the lead on the finance section of the Grant Kick-off, Review and Closing meetings, making sure that the partners are fully aware of donor regulations, all financial reporting requirements in terms of required documentation, reporting templates and deadlines.

Other

• Provide assistance with requests from DCA headquarters as directed by International Finance Unit.
• Any other duties as assigned by the Consortium Project Manager and DCA Group Finance and GPRM colleagues. The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Requirements

Experience and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance or Accounting (or related degree).
• Certified Accountant Qualification coupled with eight years’ relevant experience will be considered in lieu of Bachelor’s degree.
• Minimum six years of progressive international practical experience in financial management
• At least three years of experience working with INGOs.
• Prior work experience in financial management of EU funded development programmes
• Minimum three years of experience in team management.
• Highly collaborative and able to establish positive working relationships with senior level management and all other stakeholders to maximize cooperation and productivity.
• Must be able to maintain highest level of confidentiality regarding work-related information and data.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven experience in managing large budgets.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel.
• Experience working with Automated accounting and Finance Software.
• Proven ability to work under pressure and meeting deadlines.
• Excellent financial and analytical skills.
• Ability to work in multi-cultural environment and a good team player.

Preferred:

• An understanding of relevant financial legislation, policies and procedures related to the project in the context of EU funding.
• Previous experience in risk identification, mitigation and managing in projects funded by the European Commission.