Summary of Position:

The Finance & Administration Manager plays a critical role in ensuring the financial integrity, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance of the Kenya country program. This position oversees all financial accounting, reporting, and grant management functions, ensuring transactions are processed accurately and in accordance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and local regulations. The Manager leads the annual budgeting process, quarterly forecasting, and monthly variance reporting, providing strategic insights to support effective decision-making and ensure sufficient liquidity for ongoing program operations in Kenya. Additionally, the role is pivotal in supporting risk management, enforcing internal controls, and ensuring timely statutory compliance to safeguard the organization’s assets and financial health. The Finance & Administration Manager also coordinates audit preparations, works closely with cross-functional teams to strengthen financial systems, and is committed to building and mentoring a high-performing finance and administration team that fosters a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Accounting, Reporting & Grant Management

• Ensure the completeness and accuracy of all supporting documentation and approvals prior to processing transactions, in line with VE policies, procedures, and grant terms and conditions.
• Supervise the timely posting of all financial transactions, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and completeness across both grant-funded and unrestricted activities.
• Lead monthly closing procedures, ensuring that every step in the process is executed accurately and on time.
• Review monthly petty cash, mobile money, and bank account reconciliations to ensure timely completion, alongside other month- and year-end closing steps.
• Ensure receivables, advances, and prepaid expenses aging reports, as well as fixed assets, payables, and accrued expenses, are accurately recorded, updated, and reconciled monthly.
• Review and approve all income statement and balance sheet reconciliations, as well as cost allocations, on or before month- and year-end deadlines.
• Prepare monthly financial reports, budget variance analyses, burn-rate reports, and cash flow forecasts, coordinating with the regional F&A team. Provide clear financial performance updates for restricted and unrestricted projects to the Country Director, regional, and US office leadership.
• Collaborate closely with the Senior Director of Finance and the Grant Finance Manager to ensure all donor financial reports are prepared according to donor requirements and submitted on time.
• Coordinate the financial aspects of monthly country program operations planning, communicate budget and forecast performance, and prepare fund transfer requests from donors or the VE US office ahead of monthly program operations.
• Liaise with program teams to ascertain cash and budget management tools are functioning and to ensure timely liquidity is available for operational needs.

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead the annual VE Kenya budget preparation process and timely submission of draft budgets in coordination with the Kenya Country Director, department leads and regional teams.
• Coordinate and prepare monthly budget and forecast variance reports, tracking the progress of agreed-upon actions to mitigate material deviations.
• Prepare quarterly financial forecasts for the VE Kenya country program in collaboration with program, regional, and US F&A teams.
• Support the Senior Director of Finance, Grant Finance Manager, and other finance team members in developing new grant proposal budgets, as well as the coordination of project kick-offs and closeout procedures.

Payroll Management & Administrative Tasks

• In collaboration with the People & Culture team, oversee the preparation and processing of payroll for all VE Kenya staff, ensuring accuracy and compliance with organizational policies, local labor laws, and statutory requirements.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of payroll taxes, benefits contributions, and other payroll-related remittances.
• Maintain up to date payroll records, ensuring confidentiality, accuracy, and proper documentation of all payroll transactions, including adjustments for leave and other staff benefits.
• Oversee the maintenance of the office facilities, ensuring a safe, clean, and functional working environment for all staff.
• Manage the procurement of office supplies and services, negotiate contracts with vendors and ensure compliance with procurement policies.
• Provide administrative support for meetings, trainings, and workshops, including scheduling, logistics coordination, and documentation.

Risk Management, Compliance & Internal Controls

• Maintain a thorough understanding of finance and administration policies and procedures, donor requirements, and statutory regulations to ensure compliance, and keep VE Kenya staff informed of updates as necessary.
• Ensure that funds to be expended and operating procedures comply with donor requirements, national regulations, and organizational policies.
• Oversee payment and procurement protocols, ensuring proper documentation (both hard and soft copies) and adherence to internal controls.
• Maintain organized financial records for the country office to ensure readiness for standard financial, internal, donor, or statutory audits and routine control visits.
• Ensure timely and accurate payment of all Kenya statutory remittances, monitoring updates to statutory requirements, and developing necessary procedures to ensure compliance.
• Manage relationships with local banks, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and local regulations.
• Manage local and foreign currency holdings to minimize the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on VE Kenya’s financial position. Proactively collaborate with the Risk and Compliance team to identify opportunities to mitigate exchange rate risks.
• Enforce and monitor VE Kenya’s internal control and risk management mechanisms across all functions in collaboration with VE’s Risk & Compliance department.
• Plan and facilitate quarterly safeguarding visits for the Kenya F&A staff.

External, Internal & Donor Audits

• Lead preparations for the annual statutory and external audits of the Kenya country program, as well as periodic internal audits, in collaboration with the regional F&A and Risk & Compliance teams.
• Coordinate with the Risk & Compliance team to track audit findings and follow-up actions to ensure corrective measures are implemented promptly.

Team Development & Management

• Supervise and support the VE Kenya F&A team, create key performance indicators for each position, determine capacity gaps and identify potential solutions.
• Build the capacity of the F&A team and seek out professional development opportunities suited to each team member.
• Manage the F&A team’s PTO calendar and approve requests by ensuring proper position coverage is provided for minimizing workflow disruptions.
• Supervise the recruitment, selection, and induction of new F&A staff.
• Participate in bi-weekly Finance Team meetings.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Perform any other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the supervisor aimed at supporting the overall objectives of the F&A department.

Education, Qualifications, & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting required; certification in accounting or management accounting (e.g. CPA-K) is a plus demonstrating advanced financial expertise and a strong understanding of accounting principles essential for this role.
• Minimum of five years of relevant financial accounting experience required, with at least two years in a supervisory role.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, internal controls, financial reporting, audit protocols, budgeting, and cash flow management required.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office is required, particularly Excel, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in international development or NGO settings preferred, with grant management experience highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience with USAID, FCDO, or other international donor-funded projects in Kenya is an asset.
• Experience with NetSuite or other cloud-based accounting software is highly preferred.
• Ability to work effectively and cooperatively in a multicultural team and with colleagues in remote locations and various time zones.
• High attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines, multitask, and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey financial information to non-financial audiences, both verbally and in writing.