Finance & Partnership Manager at International Rescue Committee

Job Purpose/Objective:

The Finance Manager Partnership will provide support to IRC programs implemented through partnership in Kenya. The position is primarily responsible for providing oversight and day-to-day financial management of the IRC’s Kenya partner portfolio, in very close coordination and cooperation with the IRC’s internal Partnerships & Finance unit. The position will be responsible for capacity building for sub-awardees to build their financial management and administrative capacity, in coordination with the partners, Partnerships Team, and IRC Finance staff.

Finance Manager Partnerships will review sub-awardee budgets at the proposal stage, participate in pre-award due diligence processes, document all financial matters related to sub-awardees’ finances to always assure audit readiness, and handle sub-awardee finances documents/reports including budget review, financial report review, providing guidance and training related to finance to sub-awardees in order to strengthen their capacity. She/He acts as the focal point for financial and compliance aspects of partnerships, including ensuring high-quality financial monitoring of sub-awardees.

Partner Vetting

• Coordination with Partnership Unit in development and processing teaming agreements and vetting process as per PEERS procedure.
• Support Partnership Unit in partners’ due diligence assessment process as well as capacity assessment.

Partnership Management

• Coordination with Partnership Unit and partner organizations in developing and finalization of proposal budget.
• Ensure timely submission of partners financial reports as per agreed schedule.
• Coordination with partners on program and compliance monitoring visits and support partnership team in program and compliance monitoring meetings.
• Promote and apply the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results system (PEERS). Contribute to building a strong understanding of PEERS throughout the Kenya Country Program, and to ensuring that IRC’s partnership principles, skills and approaches are applied by staff across programs and projects with partners.

Support Program Delivery

• Participate in the financial part of Partner's Project Capacity Review (PPCR) of potential partners as appropriate and contribute to efforts to collaboratively analyze and handle material risks identified, as it relates to finance.
• Participate in Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings facilitated by Partnership Unit, including to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, and capture effective finance practices for future partnerships.
• Work collaboratively with Partnership Unit to ensure the timely provision of funding to partners in accordance with the partnership agreement to ensure program continuity, ensuring clear communication with the partner and efficient resolution where for whatever reason this is not possible.
• Assist in the close-out of partnership agreements, including in relation to financial verification and asset confirmation.
• Participate in the review of the financial performance of the partner, of the IRC, and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.
• Work collaboratively and supportively with Partnership Unit and partners to develop and finalize budgets and budget amendments, and (in the case of milestone-based partnership agreements) in determining the costing of breakthroughs.
• Review draft partnership agreement terms relating to advances, reporting and any special conditions relating to finance.
• For cost-reimbursable partnership agreements, agree with partners the specific documentation required to support each type of cost, adjusting standard requirements to the operating context and the partner.
• Collaborate with Partnership Unit and partners to ensure completeness, correctness, and accuracy of financial reports, inventory report, tax report and cash requests.
• Review partner financial reports (and narrative reports for consistency) and supporting documents to ensure compliance with the partnership agreement, donor regulations and IRC policy, and provide feedback to the partner as appropriate.
• Develop/improve reporting templates that help improve partner financial reports.

Partnership Accounts Reconciliation

• Constantly track, review, and reconcile individual partner balance sheet accounts in accordance with the IRC accounting methodology for sub-awards tracking.
• Regularly review partners Unsupported cost (76045) and follow up with partner for timely clearance.

Partner Capacity Building

• Provide finance and accounting training and mentoring support to partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen financial management systems and capacities that are responsive to the needs of the partner (rather than replicating IRC’s systems and policies).

Sub-Grant Tracking & Monitoring

• Maintain a sub-grants tracker for all partnership/sub-grant agreements including basic sub-grant details, funds disbursed, and liquidations received. Contribute sub-grant updates to the country program’s monthly internal financial report template (FM01) and provide analysis of all current Partnerships, as required.
• Supervise partner budgets and actual spending in collaboration with technical coordinators, identifying issues and working proactively and collaboratively with partners to resolve them.
• Lead timely and effective finance review and reflection (monitoring), identifying appropriate follow-up actions, and providing completed reports to Partnership Lead. Prepare partner report expenditure journal for upload and submit to finance coordinator for review.

Key Result Areas:

• Strengthen and maintain the integrity of finance systems, ensuring smooth partnership financial management for supporting program work, updating and generating timely partners financial information to the management, donors, partners and other organizational levels.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce or Finance with a recognized professional certificate in accounting such as CPA, or ACCA or a Master’s degree with a Finance concentration.
• Not less than 3 years at a senior level within the Finance Department of an international organization. Experience in the humanitarian sector will be an added advantage.
• Current or previous experience within IRC in a similar role will also be an added advantage.
• Extensive experience in working with computerized accounting systems, standard spreadsheet and database programs.

Required Experience & Competencies:

• Good written and verbal skills in the English language.
• Must be comfortable in being a proactive member of the top-management team. Must seek to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the level of management appropriate to effect solutions.
• Must be capable of functioning effectively in a loosely structured, but complex work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with numerous simultaneous requirements.
• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support from within the program organization.
• Must be a patient and good communicator who can function in an organizational environment involving a diversity of cultures, languages, and personal interests and agendas.
• Good at role of facilitator and standout colleague in solving problems.
• Committed to staff training and development.