PLANS (PROJECT FINANCIAL ANALYSIS AND SUPPORT) TEAM LEAD At International Center for Tropical Agriculture

The PLANS (Project Financial Analysis and Support) Team Lead will provide operational financial support in relation to the projects that are being developed by the Alliance Research Areas and Programs. Responsible for providing financial support to the Research staff during the project management lifecycle and ensures compliance with donor requirements and internal policies and procedures during the proposal stage, the implementation process, and the closeout steps. Will be the point of contact for Project External Audits and ensure the implementation of audit recommendations for the projects. The position will work closely with Financial Planning & Analysis Unit (FP&A), Grants Management Unit (GMU) and Office for Program Delivery (OPD) Unit.

RESPONSIBILITIES

· Supervise the PLANS team inside the Region, providing guidance and ensuring sufficient quality control in the service provided to the Research units.

· Be the point of contact within the PLANS Regional HUB, representing the Region and supporting the implementation of standard processes.

· Coordinates the provision of timely and accurate financial reports, following donor requirement, and internal guidelines for different audiences.

· Lead and coach the PLANS Associate Officers, PLANS Analysts and PLANS interns.

· Lead the budget preparation process during the proposal cycle, ensuring compliance with the Full Cost Recovery Guideline and internal Financial Policies.

· Provide guidance during the preparation process during the proposal cycle to the team.

· Coordinate the grant management process during the project lifecycle.

o Review donor grant agreement to ensure compliance with internal policies and procedures

o Ensure accurate project budget execution

o Provide clearance for project expenses

o Prepare budget revisions

o Prepare financial reports, following donor requirements

o Update Project Leaders on the financial status of their respective projects, including cash balances, funds availability, and any other financial indicator

o Review partners’ budgets and financial reports, including the reporting terms and conditions on LOAs ensuring compliance with donor rules accompanied by GMU

o Finalize all the related steps to close the project at the end of the lifecycle

• Work closely with the FP&A (Financial Planning & Accounting) team in ensuring accurate financial information and update data to be included in the Institutional Financial Reports, the Institutional budgets, Annual Financial Statement and System Office reports requirements.
• Interact closely with Partnerships Unit during the proposal stage and with the OPD Unit during the lifecycle process.
• Coordinate Project Financial Project Audits ensuring the timely submission of Audit information, compliance with audit requirements and timely implementation of audit recommendations.
• Provide input to institutional policies and procedures.
• Provide input for EPR system updates and improvements.
• Supervision and team-task coordination.
• Other support tasks as required from the PLANS unit.

REQUIREMENTS AND EXPERIENCE

· Master’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or related field

· At least five (5) years of relevant work experience in a closely related field gained in an international organization including budgeting, accounting guidelines and financial management of projects

· Strong knowledge of accounting and budgeting practices and procedures relevant to not-for-profit organizations

· Full professional proficiency of the English language, both written and spoken

· Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to work effectively with other national and cultural backgrounds

· Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills

· Strong client service orientation

· Supervision and team-task coordination

· High level of computer skills, ability to handle complex financial and budgeting systems including excellent knowledge of Excel and ERP systems

· Knowledge of IFRS

· Sound judgment and initiative; ability to work independently within the assigned area

· Work experience in an international environment

· Working knowledge of other languages

Terms of employment:

This is a nationally recruited position based in one of the country offices in Africa. The contract will be for one-year period, subject to a probation period of three (3) months and is renewable depending on performance and availability of resources. The Alliance offers a multicultural, collegial research environment with competitive salary and excellent benefits; we believe that the diversity of our staff contributes to excellence. The Alliance is an equal opportunity employer, and strives for staff diversity in gender and nationality.