The finance Officer provides financial services ensuring high quality, accuracy, and consistency of financial reports in accordance with CIFOR-ICRAF internal financial as well as donor guidelines. The accountant works in close collaboration with other teams outside finance such as MSU, PMU, Country team and Research Themes of CIFOR-ICRAF, to exchange information and ensure timely service delivery. In addition, the Finance Officer ensure that strong internal controls are instituted in following CIFOR-ICRAF’s policies and procedures.
Duties and responsibilities:
Maintain a complete record of all pertinent documents of each project and coordinate with other Finance Staff and various project leaders to ensure that the financial implementation adheres with all the other aspects of the project agreement.
Collaborate with donors, collaborators, project leaders and scientists to clarify financial issues, answer queries and give update on the financial and budget status of the project.
Review and verify expenditures of restricted projects assigned to ensure adherence to budgetary and donor requirements.
Liaise with the Program Management Unit (PMU) regarding the development of Letter of Agreement
Collaborate with PI regarding staff time allocation to be updated in OCS planner.
Collaborate with PI on budgets for partnerships, travel, supplies, consultants, publications, and other costs based on the availability of funds of on-going restricted projects.
Review the overall annual budgets of grants in assigned teams.
Prepare reports on the specific projects’ finances to donors and other users in compliance with Center standards and as specifically pre-determined by the donor as mentioned on the signed Grant Agreements and Donor’s General Conditions.
Ensure that reports to donors are submitted on time.
Submit draft and final financial reports in grants management system.
Review donors reports from the Country Offices assigned prior to forwarding for approval.
repare invoice/payment request to the donor according to the payment term and schedule on the agreement.
Follow up for any query or review from the donor for the submitted financial report.
Key resource for project amendment budget preparation.
Review and discuss revised budget for on-going projects with PI Themes and/or from Country Offices assigned.
Ensure that the grants recover full overheads as per relevant cost structure.
Provide guidance and ensure the budget figures are correct and the budget lines follow the donor requirements.
Review the financial part and other relevant information of the new Grant Agreements and Grant agreement amendments.
Update the monthly summary of restricted projects with multi-year budgets and cumulative expenses.
Update the monthly staff time allocation and the three years staffs plan.
Execute the selection process of audit firm to appoint the auditor for special audit of restricted projects as required by donor
Key resource on providing supporting documents and queries from the external auditors during the audit process
Review the preliminary draft audit report received from the auditor
Review partner audit report in relation to project requirement.
Monitor donor receivables and payables. Assist in ensuring that receivables are collected. Review donor payables and remind project leaders if there is slow spending. Provide explanation on the monthly summary of donor receivables and payables >USD 50K, prepared by Treasury team.
Identify incoming funds from restricted donors and provide the code to the Manager of Treasury and Fixed Assets.
Monitor and ensure that staff time allocation are in accordance with the budget and the time sheets are recorded/adjusted appropriately.
Collect timesheets from respective staffs involved in the project that required timesheets as mandatory supporting documents.
Review project partner’s agreement and budget in collaboration with PMU.
Monitor financial compliance for restricted grants partners of assigned grants and ensure partners spend within their budgets and are following the laid down donor and/or CIFOR-ICRAF financial procedures and regulations.
Analyze restricted grants partner expenses and provide feedback of analysis to the project leaders and managers on expenditure trends and areas with significant over- or under spending
Review the financial reports submitted by the partners, monitor partner balances, and collect any unused funds
Education, knowledge and experience:
University education in accounting with more than 5 years of relevant experience
Experience in financial and accounting services
Experience in project or cost accounting
Familiar with donor reporting
Strong computer skills in word processing, database, and other relevant office applications.
Experience with an ERP, familiarity with Agresso Unit 4 is an advantage
