Grants and Compliance Coordinator at Christian Aid (CA)

Christian Aid (CA) is a UK-based international NGO, partnering with others to end poverty in Africa. At the heart of this vision is the transformation of the lives of people who live in poverty, empowering them to have a brighter future. Christian Aid works in more than 30 countries and has been operating in Nigeria since 2003. The Nigeria Country programme focuses on Community Health and HIV, Accountable Governance including humanitarian response and Gender.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Grants and Compliance Coordinator

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Department: International
Reports to: Programme Development and Funding Manager, West Africa
Type of contract: Fixed Term
Contracted hours: 35
Contract length: 6 months

Role Purpose

• The Grants and Compliance Coordinator plays an integral role in effective grants and contracts management.
• The role will conduct and support daily financial compliance operations of Christian Aid. This will comprise setting up compliance monitoring systems; producing compliance reports; review and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, reliability of financial reporting, compliance with applicable laws and the safeguarding of assets, perform and report back on internal assessments to ensure that financial control, financial guidelines and other control procedures are in place and are being properly implemented and managed, capacity building of partners; financial and risk monitoring; and ensuring compliance with Christian Aid and donor requirements.

Role Context

• The role is based in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
• The Grants & Compliance Coordinator is a key position for overseeing all aspects of Christian Aid’s Grant administration, financial compliance, risk management, and financial reporting.
• The role is key in providing support to Christian Aid Nigeria to ensure excellence in project, budget and grants management and delivery of intended outputs and impact.

Key Outcomes

• Ensure that all CA project financial and operational activities are in compliance with Nigeria law (tax laws, CSA laws and government pension agency laws), donor rules and regulations, and CA policies and standards.
• Develops an annual customized compliance monitoring plan, including evaluation tools, standards, ethical considerations, and schedule to evaluate all CA project or remote staff/office locations, and to revisit sites needing extra attention.
• Develops compliance framework for CA; including compliance checklists for the various business processes, transaction classes, country laws governing NGO operations, and specific donor requirements.
• Periodically reviews and updates the compliance monitoring checklist and other tools to stay current with CA procedures and policies.
• Examines the effectiveness of internal controls and compliance within CA Nigeria policy framework and identifies gaps in procedures and controls systems and provides recommendations to the Country Leadership Team for strengthening them.
• Follows-up on recommendations to ensure they have been implemented and adhered to.
• Tests internal controls, targeting high risk areas, including procurement, workshops, vehicle usage, inventory control and cash advance management, payroll and Fleet Management.
• Documents internal control weaknesses and compliance deviations and their impact and makes recommendations to address these weaknesses.
• Monitor the performance of all financial and operational functions within CA. Ensure that all staff are well versed in donor and CA policies and procedures and are adhering to such standards.
• Develop a plan and evaluation tools, and then carry out independent appraisals and verifications of the effectiveness of CA and donor policies, procedures and standards, and applicable Nigeria law, by which CA Nigeria financial resources are managed.
• Monitor and following-up on recommendations from the internal and external auditors to ensure the recommendations have been implemented and adhered to.
• Conduct thoroughly documented investigations of whistle-blower cases, and suspected fraud and will directly interface with the PDFM on these or other specific cases.
• Identifies gaps in knowledge and skills and provides recommendations for training.
• May be requested to provide training directly to staff.
• Prepares detailed reports of each compliance review and other task assignments, with prioritized findings and recommendations.
• Technical guidance and support in preparing for and managing donor audits.

Relationships
External:

• Maintains and builds relationships with donors, and other relevant external agencies

Internal:

• The position is line managed by the Programme Development and Funding Manager. The role links up strongly with various Christian Aid teams including the Finance Team, Restricted Funds Team, Program Managers, Internal Audit, and Local implementing partners

Decision making

• Make decisions in order to manage team effectively, from recruitment of volunteers and program staff to day to day management of team members. Also providing technical input and overall leadership on all logistics, administration and procurement issues. Day to day decision to ensure adequate support to projects are running effectively and higher levels decisions on supporting the projects informed by Christian Aid's strategy and strategic focus areas.

Analytical Skills:

• Works on complex specialist/ technical issues. Problems and issue, risks and benefits may have implications across several departments.
• Required to develop new ways of doing things to better meet program goals requiring substantial creative or analytical ability.

Developing self and others:

• Has direct responsibility for developing, coaching and motivating a team or teams of colleagues/project team members. Focus will be on advising and guiding project leads on policy issues/high level procedures.

Person Specification
Applied skills/knowledge and expertise:

• Essential:
  • Minimum undergraduate degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Studies, Auditing or related field.
  • Experience of managing grants/contracts from institutional donors (ECHO, DFID, Global Fund, UN)
  • Experience of setting up and managing donor compliance monitoring systems, financial management of grantees, including grantee budgets and audits, grants disbursement and appropriate deployment of grants.
  • Strong financial skills encompassing proposal budgeting, income tracking, budget monitoring and financial reporting
  • Ability to provide clear guidance on donor policies and procedures to other staff
• Desirable:
  • Experience of working in a global team and distance support
  • Understanding of partnership approach to international development
  • Network and alliance building
• IT competency required
  • Intermediate

Competency profile
LEVEL 2 - You are expected to be able to:

Build Partnerships:

• Take on different work when necessary to achieve a team or organizational goal.
• Actively consult with others to ensure you understand their needs or goals.
• Listen to and take on board fresh perspectives and views even if you initially disagree with them.
• Maintain on-going relationships with individuals and contacts through networks, based on mutual rapport and respect.

Communicate Effectively:

• Make complex things simple for the benefit of others.
• Actively listen and question to check your understanding and draw out others when they are not expressing themselves clearly or seem to be holding back.
• Be sensitive to what others may be feeling, based on what they say, how they say it and their nonverbal behavior, adapting your style and approach to fit.
• Address difficult issues when they arise, being honest and open.

Steward Resources:

• Implement ways to reduce the inefficient use of resources or pass the ideas on to someone who can make them happen.
• Estimate the resources needed to achieve your own work plans or objectives and to deliver them in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
• Set and communicate realistic timelines for achieving tasks, working out how best to adapt as priorities change or unforeseen circumstances arise.

Deliver Results:

• Prioritize, plan and monitor own work to meet own and team deliverables to agreed performance or quality standards.
• Acknowledge others’ priorities whilst being prepared to say “no” if there are genuine reasons why their needs cannot be met.
• Use logical processes and relevant tools and techniques to report on information or analyse options.
• Make timely and considered recommendations or decisions based on analysis of available data, information and evidence.

Realize Potential:

• Evaluate your own work and actively address gaps in knowledge and skills, without prompting.
• Recognize how you react to feedback and manage reactions positively, acting on specific feedback from others.
• Share your knowledge where it will help others to be more effective.
• Provide instruction, constructive feedback and guidance to others to help them learn.

Strive for Improvement:

• Constructively challenge existing practice.
• Seek better ways of doing things, taking into account the possible implications.
• Make positive suggestions on a way forward when faced with challenges even if these falls outside own scope of work.
• Look inside and outside Christian Aid for new ideas and evaluate them for own work.

Remuneration
Salary (full time): N8,114,406

Application Closing Date
22nd October, 2018.

Interview Date
30th October, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Click here for more Information (PDF)

Note

• Further details of specific tasks and duties will be agreed with the line manager as part of the performance agreement. Any reasonable duty may be assigned that is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of responsibility.
• This role profile is not prescriptive; it merely outlines the key behaviours the role-holder requires to be successful in the role; the key behaviours and responsibilities are subject to change. Any changes will be made in consultation with the role-holder.
• You will be expected to abide by the Code of Conduct, policies and procedures within Christian Aid which may be updated from time to time.
• You must be in sympathy with the aims, beliefs and values of Christian Aid as it seeks to work on relief, development and advocacy for poverty eradication.