Budget and Grants Officer at African Wildlife Foundation

The African Wildlife Foundation, together with the people of Africa, works to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever.

Job Summary

The Budget and Grants Officer (BGO) will support in cost proposal development and Grants Management. The jobholder will initiate the set-up of a broad range of federal, non-federal government and privately funded grants, including proper maintenance of documentation thereof. The BGO will maintain AWF’s multi-year budget ledger by ensuring the same reflects AWF internal approved work plans and agrees with the donor approved budget. She/he will coordinate monthly budget phasing from both Program and Support teams and will ensure all budget projections are updated in the respective budget ledgers. The BGO will support pre- and post-award management, grant audits, grants receivables, internal monthly life of the grant reports, budget compliance and financial reporting to donors. The BGO will also assist in developing and maintaining the organizational and donor budget.
BGO will report to the Senior Manager, Cost Proposal and Grants and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya with occasional trips to other AWF offices for training and support.

Responsibilities
Organize and disseminate key budget and grant information.

Receive from PD and Development teams all documentation relating to new Awards and Modifications, summarize key donor conditions on a Grant Data Sheet and distribute appropriate key information to the Finance staff, the Program team, Management Systems team, and the Program Design team in a timely manner.
Provide capacity building to Program, Support and Field Finance staff on key donor contractual requirements and AWF best practices in Budgets.
Proactively disseminate information about up-coming grant milestones (grants coming to an end, reports due, grants closed, etc.) to respective staff to ensure compliance with the grant conditions.
Support PD team in cost proposal development.
Support in budget amendment and cost modifications as assigned by supervisor.

Budget Management and Analysis

Review and perform real-time maintenance of the Grants and Budget Ledgers by ensuring the two ledgers are reconciled to harmonize Donor approved budget vis a vis AWF internal work plan budgets.
Post budget adjustments in the Budget ledger on a timely basis.
Administer Unanet timesheet system, ensuring timesheet updates and adjustments are in accordance with the most updated organizational approved operating budget and maximizing on available restricted award budgets.
Tracking and posting monthly in-kind/matching contribution documentation for grants with matching requirements.
Ensure that spending that does not align with approved budgets is adequately approved and reclassified in the accounting system.
Assist the Senior Manager, Cost Proposal & Grants, and the Director planning & Financial analysis in the development of the annual operating budget.
Assist in the development of tools for budget preparation and monitoring.
Assist in performing cost-benefits analyses to compare operating programs and review financial requests. participate in quarterly monitoring meetings with program teams to review staffing, budgets, and program implementation with a view to track potential risks, constraints, or impediments to grant implementation.
Provide expert recommendations to Management to mitigate risks.
Assist with maintenance of system budget controls (Budget rules) and workflow (approval rules).

Grant financial management and compliance

Run and share monthly grant spending reports and analyze for correct spending pattern and compliance to donor budgets; flag them to the Senior Manager, Cost Proposal & Grants, and respective Program Implementors or donor point of contact on any key highlights requiring action.
Run monthly grants receivables and advances to ensure accurate and timely donor invoicing, drawdowns and reconciliation is done.
Ensure all grants` spending are on track and provide reports on any budget risks promptly.
Support the Grants close-out processes to ensure that grants are closed out within budget and the established timeframes.
Assist in completing accurate and timely monthly grants close out checklist.
Assist in preparation of donor reports for final review and sign off by relevant staff.
Carry out monthly grant transactional review for compliance with donor regulations.
Conduct continuous grant/sub grant field compliance reviews and capacity building of AWF field staff and sub grantee staff on compliance requirements.
Assist with grant audits by preparing the required schedules, providing documents as requested by auditors and reports for review.
Updating the Grants Folders in Box monthly.
Maintain a schedule of grant invoicing and ensure grants are invoiced timely, invoicing documentation are shared with Finance team and filed in the Box, Grants Folders.
Update and reconcile sub-grant tally sheet against the general ledger quarterly.
Perform the reconciliation on award budget in NetSuite/Pyango as per award agreement of latest modifications for public awards and reconciliation of private awards as per Net asset report.
Maintain all awards tracker and active awards and fill in respective Grant folder for ease of access of users.
Prepare monthly Grants receivable schedule and tracking timing of cash receipts and proactively advise Senior Manager Cost Proposal and Grants where delays in payments are anticipated.

Financial Reporting

Run, analyze, and disseminate monthly budget management reports to all Budget Managers
Develop and maintain a Grants Milestone of financial reporting requirements and other performance requirements with related deadlines for each grant and contract agreement and dissemination of such milestones to teams for forward planning.
Post grants budget and expenses especially on sub-grant in NetSuite general ledger.
Communicate significant budget variances and trends to relevant budget managers, prompting additional action by the project management team where warranted.

Other Duties

Assist in Grants and compliance with donor rules and regulations.
Prepare and assist in developing ad hoc reports or cost analysis.
Support in completion of accurate and timely monthly grants close out checklists.
Any other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor.

Requirements And Skills

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field
At least 3 years of relevant working experience, at least within a donor funded nonprofit organization.
Certification such as CGMA, CPA or other related certifications.
Solid knowledge of grant management principles, including U.S. government funding, European Union, and German donors.
Experience communicating financial information to a non-financial audience.
Ability to organize and present issues in a clear, concise, and logical manner.
Ability to manage competing priorities, exercise good judgment, and quickly identify and resolve problems with minimum supervision.
Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with the highest level of professionalism.
Ability to provide good customer service with patience and a sense of urgency.
Ability to work as part of a team in a multicultural environment.
Must have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interact professionally with staff, partners, and donors.
Willingness to travel, sometimes to remote areas
Interest in learning and understanding conservation programs.
Financial management system experience.
Regional/international experience is an added advantage.
Ability to speak, read and write in French is an added advantage ed.
Strong technical skills, including MS Excel, and ability to navigate within accounting systems and other databases.